10 E-sports Coaching Tips That You Can Incorporate Into Your Management Style
No one would have ever guessed that playing videogames professionally would become as popular as it is today. The e-sport (electronic sports) industry has grown largely within the past decade, and it has gained the attention of main stream media, attracting over 200 million spectators. The competition that these tournaments create between team produces revenue that is estimated around $957 million through ticket sales, merchandising, and sponsorship's.
With so much money on the line, many teams hire coaches specifically designed to keep the team organized and in order to achieve the results that they all dream of. While the tactics that these coaches use are geared towards motivating and organizing video gamers, their coaching tips can be incorporated manage your business and all of your employees. Here are ten coaching tips that can be incorporated into your management style:
1. Recognize that every person is part of the team
Every e-sport coach openly recognizes that each player on their team is important. This is to create a sense of unity within the team and to fully trust each other in order to secure a win for team based competitions. Every player on the team serves a crucial role, no matter how minor it may seem.
This is can be translated into a professional office-based work environment as well. Every person you hire and manage for your business is part of your business for a reason. No matter what function they serve, acknowledging that everyone is doing what they need to is important for success.
2. Keep up motivation and positivity
Coaches are often seen as the pillar of a team’s structure, because their attitude and management style determine the work flow of the team. Often times, successful coaches maintain a positive and motivating outlook for their team. Considering how the e-sports and gaming industry is notorious for toxic and misogynistic behavior, providing an encouraging voice can do a lot for a team’s morale.
This tip is easily applicable to any other work environment, and studies have shown that a positive and motivating leadership style increases the work efficiency of your employees. However, it is important to note that over-doing positive reinforcement can become detrimental for your business, because employees might take advantage of an overly positive management style.
3. No task is too big or too small to do yourself
By taking care some of the smallest and largest tasks, coaches are portrayed as someone who is dependable and is not limited by any problems they face. By applying this to your management style, it shows everyone that, as the one in charge, you are not only leading the team, but you are also part of it.
By being unwilling to accomplish smaller tasks, you are potentially distancing yourself from the rest of your team. You may also find yourself being seen as someone who passes off smaller tasks to their employee, because they do not want to do it themselves.
4. Understand your employees strengths and weaknesses
A good e-sports coach understands all of the strengths and weaknesses of their team. By understanding what those are, coaches are able to tell players what they need to improve on and teach players how to cover each other’s weaknesses during a match. Similarly, managers who hire new employees should quickly understand each employee’s strengths and weaknesses, and organize their roles to be efficient.
Once you have a full understanding, it is important to design a work schedule that will utilize their strengths and have their weaknesses covered by others. Also, providing feedback on how to improve their weakness will allow your employees to learn from their mistakes. However, it is important to be cautious in how you deliver constructive criticism and how often, because it can sometimes be taken the wrong way.
5. Always train and teach new things
Training your team is always important. It is understandable that as a manager, you take on a lot of responsibilities, so training every single person under you can be difficult. However, that shouldn’t be a constant excuse.
E-sport coaches understand that if their players are not properly trained, then they will not be able to perform at their very best. The same standard should be applied to any workplace setting and, if done properly, it can lead to employees taking on more responsibilities and dedicating themselves to the business.
6. Always gather new information for improvement points
Strategic e-sport coaches spend hours and hours a day watching and analyzing professional games worldwide; gathering new tactics and information in order to stay ahead of their opponents.
Having this kind of mentality would be a vital skill for new business owners to have in order to maintain your profitability for your business. Take the ever-changing world of technology for example. It is important to keep yourself up-to-date on software so that your business doesn’t fall behind and slowly lose profits.
7. Create an environment where your employees can succeed
Successful e-sport coaches create a comfortable and well- designed work environment in order to train players to achieve their maximum potential. These training environments are often large, filled with the latest technology that will optimize their skills, and even provide some relaxing distractions.
For business owners, this concept is the same. You want to create a work environment where every employee has what they need to succeed. This can come in the form of a fully stocked supply closet, a stocked fridge, or even having the most up to date tech for your business. By giving your employees the tools they need to succeed, they will be able to achieve the results that you are looking for.
8. Amount of experience doesn’t automatically make you the best
Having a lot of experience does not mean you are perfectly suited for any job. As seen with many e-sport coaches, having years of experience coaching does not automatically mean they are everything that the team desires. Sometimes their ego or their coaching style doesn’t match well with players’ learning styles.
If their methods are horrible and ineffective, then it doesn’t matter how much experience they have. It is similar for business owners who are looking for someone with experience. This can sometimes come down to asking yourself: Do I want someone with twenty years of experience, but is a terrible leader or someone with five years of experience and is an effective leader?
9. You are the reason for success and failures
The reason that many teams hire an e-sport coach is because their influence and coaching strategies can ultimately decide if their team is able to win tournaments. With thousands of dollars on the line, everything is hanging on the proficiency of the coach.
As a business owner, you can relate to this feeling, especially during an economic recession when businesses are being shut down left and right. Ultimately you are the reason whether your business succeeds or fails. So be sure to do whatever you can to keep your business consistently profitable.
10. Never give up
Everyone experiences failure. E-sport coaches and business owners alike experience their fair share of failures just the same. However, it is important that you never give up. When an e-sport coach trains their team to the best of their abilities and still falls flat, they don’t give up.
Instead they pick themselves back up, dust off the loss, learn from their mistakes, and try again. The same thing can be said for any failing business owner: at all times keep trying and never lose that entrepreneurial spirit.
