A coach is an essential figure in providing direction and leadership to his/her team. In sports, coaches are sometimes evaluated on the number of wins they can produce. In a business setting, coaches are evaluated on how efficient they are in providing a healthy work environment for employees.
I have never been a coach myself, but as an avid athlete, I have had many coaches along the way who have had different approaches as to how they would direct and lead their team. From an athletic standpoint, I have gathered some positive observations of some of my former coaches, and also some tips that I would have appreciated from some of the coaches whom I have encountered. These suggestions would serve useful inside a successful coaching book.
Instill a disciplined program. I learned from one of my coaches the importance of physical conditioning. While playing our sport was an easy passion, intense conditioning for it was dreadful. My coach instilled a workout program involving running for endurance, and weight-lifting for strength. Before our practice, we had to participate in conditioning workouts. From this, our overall performance improved. A good coach incorporates various physical regimes to keep his/her players in shape and ready to play.
Keep the negativity out. Part of being a good athlete is having a good attitude. Pure talent can get a team far, but when individual players become arrogant, their negative attitude could easily override their physical performance. A coach should admonish his players on the importance of good sportsmanship. Overconfidence can easily terminate a team’s chance of winning.
Avoid favorites. I’ve seen this firsthand; players playing up to the coach for time on the court. However, there are some talented and deserving athletes who are always on the same page as their coach, and can thus discover an easy friendship between them. Coaches should be able to form a healthy coaching relationship with their players, where friendship is not a factor of playing time and players are rewarded based on their performance.
Execute the right mix. A coach must be able to coordinate his/her players’ strengths and weaknesses. A coach might put out a mix of players onto the court to see if that mix will generate a winning chemistry. If the team executes wins, the coach will know what works well for the team. One player’s weakness can be another player’s strength. A coach will identify this and manage who to put onto the court at the proper time.
Establish a team vision. A coach should incorporate a team vision to where players know what their expectations are and will be motivated to carry them out. A vision allows players to rally together for a common purpose. This vision should be encouraging, but also challenging enough to where the team is always striving for improving results.
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