Jordan FA's Alex Zwiers: How new technical directors can balance the short, medium and long-term goals of a member association

• Setting and achieving short, medium and long-term goals

• Gaining 'trust and belief' in the short-term

• How to work concurrently on multiple projects with different deadlines 

Balancing the short, medium and long term needs of a technical department is key to the success of a Technical Director, says Alex Zwiers, Technical Director at the Jordan FA. "You have to get results in the short term but you also need to think in the medium and a long term," explains Zwiers who became Jordan FA Technical Director in 2019. "So, every day you need to work from different angles to achieve your targets."

For new Technical Directors communicating a vision and direction is a crucial short-term goal, says Zwiers. "In the short term, you need to get belief and trust in your style of work and the direction you want to go in. 

"You also have expectations from higher management, who are also under the pressure of short-term results. Then you also have the stakeholders, fans and the media. Everybody has short-term expectations."

Improving national team performances and identifying which staff profiles can help with immediate issues are two further examples of short-term goals for Technical Directors, says Zwiers.

"Short-term goals are those aspects of the work-that can be quickly influenced and changed," he explains. "National team performances can be changed quickly. That doesn't mean that you have to become champion straight away, but you can make some progression after, say, one year on the pitch. So, there are a number of 'eye-catching' parts of the role that can be done quickly in the short-term.

"Also, in the short term you would be looking at which staff profiles and their competencies can fulfil the short-term objectives. So, you have to analyse that also."

Restructuring a coach education pathway is a goal that new Technical Directors will see develop in the medium-term.  "Of course, you start working on coach education on day one but you will most likely see the results in the medium term," says Zwiers.

"There are many things that can be influenced: teaching methods, curriculums, instructor pathway, linking with club licencing, certifications of the coaches and technical staff. This can take a number of years to achieve, but the work starts on day one."

Developing new clubs and leagues in Jordan is part of Zwiers's long-term aim for developing football in the country. 

"In Jordan, football starts at U15, 17, 19 age groups," he explains. "To go down and create leagues from U9s will take time. You cannot do that in one year. That work has to been spread out over five or six years in order to have an U9 league and upwards. 

"However, we believe school football can be implemented much faster. So that means that you can have some impact on the younger age groups a little bit sooner. Whereas club development takes much longer, because there will be much more interaction with the clubs. 

"So, there are many different dimensions to the work you are doing in each area [short/medium/long] and that whole process really needs time for you to have an impact."

• Balancing the short, medium and long term needs of a technical department is key to the success of a Technical Director

• Communicating a vision and direction can help gain trust and belief in the short term 

• Strategically plan your short, medium and long-term objectives based on the context of the environment and the needs of the organisation 

• What process do you follow to decide your short, medium and long-term objectives? 

• How much time and effort do you afford to each area?