Discovering the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches
By Jeff Janssen,
M.S.
University of Arizona Peak Performance Consultant
Excerpt taken from Jeff Janssen’s book, “The Seven Secrets
of Successful Coaches,” which is available by visiting www.jeffjanssen.com or by calling
1-888-721-TEAM for $29.95.
Introduction
Have
you ever wondered why some coaches achieve so much success with their athletes
and teams - winning championships and everyone's respect along the way - while
others continually fall short or struggle to get their teams to play over .500?
If you are like most coaches, you have probably found yourself both fascinated
and frustrated by the following questions:
How do some coaches build and maintain championship level
programs year after year even though everyone else is trying desperately to
knock them off?
How do some coaches come in and resurrect losing programs
with a long and demoralizing history of defeat and quickly bring them to a
championship level?
How do some coaches consistently get the most out of their
athletes while others have athletes who chronically underachieve?
How do some coaches gain their athletes' confidence, trust,
and respect while others have athletes who never buy into the coach and what he
or she is trying to accomplish?
To
answer many of these intriguing and important coaching questions, my friend
Greg Dale and I interviewed many of sport's top coaches including Mike
Krzyzewski, Pat Summitt, Roy Williams, and Gail Goestenkors. Based on our
interviews, we discovered a new style of coaching, we call credible coaching,
that is helping coaches get the absolute most out of today's athletes. Unlike
the traditional style of coaching, which used fear and intimidation to motivate
athletes, credible coaching focuses on developing solid relationships with
athletes based on trust and respect. Coach "K" probably said it best
in our interview with him - "Coaching is about relationships. It goes way
beyond X’s and O's. You have to create an environment of trust among your staff
and athletes. Without trust, you have nothing. If you do have trust, you will
be able to accomplish great things."
Credible coaching has seven primary components associated with it, which we
call the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches. As you look over the components,
see how you might rate on each of them.
Credible coaches are...
1. Character-based
Credible coaches seek to do the right thing. They are honorable people with
high ethical standards and great integrity. They tell the truth to their
athletes and never manipulate or play mind games with them. They conduct
themselves in a professional manner and take pride in representing their teams
and athletes with class. Credible coaches look to surround themselves with people
of solid character because they know that character is just as important as
talent in the long run.
2. Competent
Credible coaches have a thorough understanding of the strategies and
fundamentals of the game. They know how to make the appropriate adjustments and
are seldom out-coached. Despite their solid understanding of the X's and O's,
they are highly inquisitive people who continually look for innovative and
improved ways of doing things. They are lifelong students of the game. Further,
they understand that admitting their limitations and mistakes is actually a
sign of strength, not weakness. Even though they are highly capable and often
revered people, credible coaches tend to remain humble and keep their success
in perspective.
3. Committed
Credible coaches are highly committed people. They create successful visions
for their teams and are more than willing to put in the time required to make
them happen. They have a true passion for sport and coaching which fuels their
intense drive and enthusiasm. They also have incredible reserves of energy and
resiliency, which enables them to weather the inevitable storms of adversity.
Credible coaches tend to be highly competitive people who really enjoy
competing and winning at the highest levels.
4. Caring
Credible coaches care about their athletes as people. They sincerely want the
best for their athletes in all aspects of their lives and are willing to help
them in any way possible. Credible coaches invest the time to get to know each
of their athletes on a personal level, showing an interest in their athletes'
families, friends, faith, and future goals. Further, this caring does not end
when a player's eligibility or career is over, but often extends throughout a
player's lifetime.
5. Confidence-builder
Credible coaches continually build their players' confidence. They plant seeds
of success in their athletes' minds and convince them that they can and will be
successful. Credible coaches have a special knack for making people feel good
about themselves, capable of achieving almost anything they set their minds to.
They are demanding and set high standards yet are patient enough to help
athletes develop and improve. When athletes do fall short, as all of them
eventually will, credible coaches use a good balance of being challenging and
supportive to help people get back on track.
6. Communicators
Credible coaches are excellent communicators. They are open, honest, and direct
when communicating with individuals and the team. They continually remind and
refocus people on what they need to do to be successful. Credible coaches seek
to involve their athletes as much as possible and value the input they receive
from them. They have they remarkable ability to truly listen to their athletes.
They take the time to understand where people are coming from and are able to
make decisions accordingly. Because of their ability to listen, credible
coaches are often aware of concerns and conflicts and proactively address them
before they become major problems or distractions.
7. Consistent
Credible coaches develop a sound philosophy of coaching. This philosophy
remains stable over time, but they are flexible enough to adapt to changing
situations or personnel. Credible coaches bring a consistent mood to practices
and games, regardless of whether their team is winning or losing. They control
their emotions in the heat of battle and convey a sense consistency to their
athletes by not letting the highs get too high or the lows get too low.
Further, they maintain a consistent approach to the rules and standards of the
team. They tend to have few rules, but are consistent in how they apply them
whether a player is a starter or reserve. Finally, credible coaches tend to be
highly organized people who take their practice and game preparation very
seriously.
Being a credible coach is certainly a challenging task. However, the rewards of
more motivated, committed, disciplined, and committed players are well worth
it.
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