One thing I always hear from coaches is how their athletes don’t listen to them. Well folks here’s a little tip for you…they shouldn’t be actually listening to YOU their coach they should be listening to THEMSELVES! I think that many of us have grown up in a world of external factors driving us…coaches, bosses, books, presidents, the weather, the train schedule you name it outside factors are leading us. Well I am here to give you the golden ticket! In this day and age of so many choices, if you work with people in a work environment, or you are a coach and your audience is kids, or you are a teacher and your audience is a classroom–ANY people business they must think for themselves! You MUST create a culture of learning and growing and leading them to the goal. Whether it be the actual act of scoring a goal on the ice, or the goal of making your number on a project leaders, managers, and coaches have to constantly be evolving new strategies to help make their teams smarter, stronger, and self sufficient.
Think about it this way… if your player is on the ice and she has to think first of WWCD (what would coach do) or even worse this is what coach would do BUT the REAL answer is a different decision in the moment, you have lost that situation. Players MUST think for themselves! In most sports and real time when people are actually making decisions, it is physically and mentally impossible to think and react this quickly. It takes a strong leader to give the keys of the car to the kids! Now kick it up a notch to college or professional coaching and managing where a coach’s job is on the line???? YES folks the coaches squeeze harder, the players are more on edge, and it all leads to less than optimal performance for everyone.
I challenge the leaders reading this to evolve into a leader who puts all their eggs in the player or employee basket and work everyday toward that end.I suggest empowering, training, leading, building a culture of respect and cooperation because that not only makes YOU better it makes them better. It makes them want to be like you and will continue when they coach and/or lead they will emulate this behavior. The drive, motivation, and determination must come from the people you are leading not you! So #FREETHEATHLETES coach with an open mind and teach them to play and work freely!
