How is the Season going so far Coach….??
By John Buchanan
In my recent book, “If Better is Possible”, I suggest that all of us play a coaching role in some form or other. Some have the formal title attached, that is, coach of a certain sporting team or one of the growth occupations of the 21st century, ‘life or personal coach’. Others have less visible acknowledgment of their coaching role, or at least part of their job function, such occupations as a teacher, a manager, a minister of the church, a parent, journalist. All of these people actively engage in the very special role of coaching.
So then what is coaching? And what can be done to help you coach?
As you can see, I differentiate very little between coaching, teaching, parenting, educating, managing. I think there are a number of key principles to coaching which we all deliver - dependent upon life experiences, personality, clientele, and situations. I will touch on some of the key principles, and suggest what we can do for the remainder of the season….
1.RELATIONSHIPS and the WHOLE PERSON
Before I can coach someone effectively, there must be a relationship established between us. Some relationships grow quickly due to the ‘chemistry’, the ease with which I can interact with someone and therefore the honesty of that relationship. Other relationships may never really develop because of that lack of ‘chemistry’ – each of us lack some commonality (of background, of interests, of friends, etc) which means the relationship will always be distant.
Nevertheless this latter relationship is still a relationship. It means the coach in this case is allowed only a minimal insight into the life of the person with whom they are coaching.
The trick then is to find another way into understanding the individual. Generally, the approach is through friends, contemporaries and sometimes partners so that the coach is aware of what can continue to build what is existing, and what can destroy the tenuous links.
So as coach seek to know the WHOLE PERSON – not just the athlete, the student, the staffer, the Sunday church goer. Who is this person? What makes them tick? What and who are important in their lives? What goals are they striving for? How can I best help this person?
The message here is that everyone is different, and as coaches we need to invest time in getting to know all our ‘flock’ as best we can, and as much as the individual wants to let the coach into their life. I have found that when I am most satisfied with what I am doing as a coach, it means I am putting in time with all those around me – I feel I am ‘in touch’ with my players and staff. As a consequence, I believe I am in a position to best help them, should it be required. Isn’t this the same as a parent?
I think business and its managers today do not invest sufficient time in their greatest asset and resource – its people. We are all too busy, caught up in self directed needs, communicating through impersonal medium and using surrogate means to superficially deal with a world of self made complexity.
2. Make yourself REDUNDANT
As with any relationship, the longer it lasts, the more change that occurs. The coach needs to keep pulling back, no longer be the directive guide, but become more the safety net – allow the individual/athlete/child to grow. It does mean they will fall down many times, but rather than rushing in to pick them up, the coach assesses their ability to pick themselves up, get back on the bike again, and continue to grow.
There is no science to this process, but it does stem from the coach-person relationship. Knowing the individual will make a big difference in providing the best learning environment and the best way to manage redundancy!
3. CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
There should be no coach who does not want his or her ‘athlete’ to grow, to improve. The only blocker to this approach will be if the individual being coached has made the choice not to.
Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and all the greats in their respective fields follow this mantra. Greats in literature, ballet, sport, music, politics are only accorded such status because of their longevity and their ability to produce consistently highly skilled performances. There is little doubt that their individual skills are at the peak of their respective fields; but what has kept them there is their desire to continue to be the best – an ongoing process of not being satisfied with where they were yesterday and are today.
Now while we are not all so lucky to have our ranks filled with greats of the game, the principle of Never Being Satisfied, or Continual Improvement holds true for everyone.
Our job as coach is to make sure that we do everything in our work, home or social environment that encourages individuals to explore their potential, to venture outside their comfort zones, to learn more about themselves and in so doing expand their horizons as people.
There are other key coaching principles such as VISION, LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE, PLANNING which I will visit next time. However, I think it is very important not to underestimate the role we can all play as ‘coach’. If we do see and think of ourselves as ‘coach’ and understand that we have the capacity to influence the lives of others both positively and negatively, then I believe we can create a very powerful method for the teams that we coach – families, organizations, communities, countries!
Best of luck for the next part of your season.
John Buchanan is the former coach of the Australian Cricket Team. He is in demand as a speaker, corporate coach and sports coach. John Buchanan is available to share his philosophy for success expanding the benefits well beyond the cricket team and into any area. www.buchanancoaching.com