I found myself recently reminiscing about my favorite coach back in my younger (much younger!) school days. I wasn't much of an athlete at all, but I did try track and basketball for a couple of years. Coach Long, who coached track, was, without a doubt, my favorite coach. Coach Long never made kids like me who had little, if any, natural athletic ability feel like we were wasting his time or our own. He always made a point of spending a little extra time with me to help me learn some of the skills that made the more naturally talented kids good at their particular track event.
In contrast, the coach who worked with the junior high basketball team was much more focused on winning games than on developing young people. He never demonstrated much more than tolerance with kids like me who struggled with the finer points of the game. As a result, I never learned to believe in myself as being able to play basketball well and, thus, never enjoyed it much.
As I consider these memories of my favorite coach, I can't help but make the connection between how he worked with kids like me who struggled with the skills of the sport he taught and how we sometimes deal with team members in the workplace who also struggle with learning and mastering certain aspects or tasks within their areas. Sometimes, all it takes is for you to spend a little extra time with them being more of a coach than a manager.
Great coaches all share the same characteristics. They teach, direct, correct, and inspire their players, all the while instilling in them a belief in themselves and a belief that the coach truly cares about their success and well-being. That is exactly what Coach Long did for me and many others along the way. Most people are far more prone to believe in themselves when they first perceive that someone else believes in them. As you encounter people who seem to be struggling with learning a task, set aside your managing skills and pull out your coaching skills instead. You may just end up being remembered years later as someone's best coach ever.
Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President - Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/
In contrast, the coach who worked with the junior high basketball team was much more focused on winning games than on developing young people. He never demonstrated much more than tolerance with kids like me who struggled with the finer points of the game. As a result, I never learned to believe in myself as being able to play basketball well and, thus, never enjoyed it much.
As I consider these memories of my favorite coach, I can't help but make the connection between how he worked with kids like me who struggled with the skills of the sport he taught and how we sometimes deal with team members in the workplace who also struggle with learning and mastering certain aspects or tasks within their areas. Sometimes, all it takes is for you to spend a little extra time with them being more of a coach than a manager.
Great coaches all share the same characteristics. They teach, direct, correct, and inspire their players, all the while instilling in them a belief in themselves and a belief that the coach truly cares about their success and well-being. That is exactly what Coach Long did for me and many others along the way. Most people are far more prone to believe in themselves when they first perceive that someone else believes in them. As you encounter people who seem to be struggling with learning a task, set aside your managing skills and pull out your coaching skills instead. You may just end up being remembered years later as someone's best coach ever.
Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President - Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/
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