Following on from last week, the second book I want to feature is 365 Rules to Master Rural Sales by St John Craner — one I’ve been working my way through and finding plenty of lessons in.
You might wonder what a book about rural sales has to do with supporting kids in sport.
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
What struck me early is that St John doesn’t rush into sales techniques. For the first four months of his daily lessons, much of the focus is on mastering yourself.
Your habits. You’re thinking. Your awareness.
There’s a powerful message in that for all of us.
Success isn’t simply about doing something for a long time. It comes from continually learning how to do it better.
That got me thinking about parents in sport.
We invest enormously in the development of our young people.
We want them to practise, learn, and improve. We look for good coaching, good environments, and good opportunities to help them realise their potential.
Yet the role sitting closest to them through much of this journey – ours – can receive little attention.
We don’t necessarily become more skilful sport parents simply through years of driving to trainings, standing on sidelines and watching games.
Just as St John encourages salespeople to understand how effective they actually are, perhaps there is an opportunity for us to remain curious about how effectively we are supporting our kids.
Not critical.
Curious.
Am I supporting what my child needs — or what I think they need?
How well do I respond when things don’t go their way?
What could I learn that would help me support them better?
These aren’t questions we answer once.
Our kids change. Their sport changes. The challenges change.
So we need to keep learning too.
For me, that’s at the heart of healthy and supportive sport parenting.
It isn’t about becoming the perfect parent.
It’s about developing enough awareness to recognise our influence and enough curiosity to keep learning about ourselves.
That’s why St John’s message has resonated with me.
His world is rural sales and mine is supporting families through sport, but the principle crosses both:
If we want to become more effective in a vital role, we have to invest in developing the person performing it.
Our kids are already being asked to learn, adapt, and grow.
Perhaps we should expect the same of ourselves.
And that’s where the mirror comes in.
It’s easy to steam it up with “nothing to see here” — to focus entirely on the athlete, the coach, or the environment.
But clear the mirror and there we are.
Not looking for fault.
Simply creating a clearer view of ourselves and staying curious about what we might learn from what we see.
A big thanks to St John for 365 Rules to Master Rural Sales, and for the conversations and advice he has personally shared with me about marketing, people and working more effectively.
It’s obviously a book for rural sales professionals. But I’d also suggest it’s a book for the curious.
For anyone interested in becoming more aware of themselves, more intentional in what they do and more effective in how they work with others.
Access it here: 365 RULES TO MASTER RURAL SALES
That’s the work-on for this week: Keep learning. Stay curious. Look within.
Let’s start a conversation — and become the best version of yourself as a parent in sport.
45-Minute Parent Strategy Session – Brave & Beyond
Brave & Beyond
Changing sport, one family at a time.