Mar 29 2008
Coaches can Teach You alot about Business and Yourself
What can Top Coaches teach you?
All top coaches are different. That is usually what makes them a top coach. Whether it is Coach Krzyzewski at Duke, Coach Belichick at New England, or your high school coach like , they all have a few of the same characteristics that we can learn from.
Set Goals
All coaches work around setting goals. They also set goals in a particular order: Biggest to Smallest. The biggest goal is always the same: Win a Championship. After they have set this goal and made it public they then forget about it. What good coaches do is set as big a goal as possible. Then they set goals that will lead up to that big goal. Once the goals are set they work only on the next step or the next goal. They completely forget about the biggest goal and focus intently on the task at hand. By doing this they are consistently the best in their sport.
Have a Plan
Once goals are set all coaches sit down and plan. They do their best to outline the best plan that they can. They also know that even the best laid plans can go out the window once the action begins. The point is not that they have a plan just to have one, but they make the plan flexible enough that it can change. I would recommend that everyone go to a big time college, or a pro practice someday. Most have open practices at some point. Watch how rigid the time is kept, how players and coaches move from task to task in a fluid motion. Notice how much they can get done in a planned two hour time frame. It is very impressive.
Practice Then Perform
Once the goals are set they reflect on what is needed now. Then they practice those skills that are needed for the next step. While practicing these skills they know that it will lead them to achieving the next goal, and ultimately the ultimate goal. Once they have practiced they perform. They know that without practice they will not be able to perform to their highest standard. They also know if they do not have to perform at some point they will never get better. Practice hones skills, performance makes champions.
Reevaluate
Once they perform all good coaches take time to reflect on what is needed next. They reset small goals, evaluate themselves, their assistants, and their team on whether or not they reached any of the preliminary goals. Many great coaches will win games and be completely disappointed in their performances because they did not reach goals that were set. Remember small goals are set to reach bigger goals. They can perform and win, but if they do not reach the goals that they have set for themselves then they set up their practices and new goals so that when they perform again they can reach their goals.
Never Give Up
Many times in games when the top coaches teams are winning by a large margin you will hear the commentators saying ‘look that coach is coaching right to the end’. It is part of never giving up. It is part of doing everything for one reason, to become the best that they can be. They also know that one loss or one setback does not make the entire season. Seasons are long. There are not many sports where you have to be perfect to be able to win the championship. If there is a setback and goals are not reached they do a simple thing, practice harder, push more, work harder, but never ever give up.
Recruit the Best
All coaches know that they cannot do it alone. They all need good assistants and good players. I have heard it said ‘We can sit around a talk X’s and O’s all day and we would get a lot accomplished. But when it comes down to it if your X’s and O’s are bigger, faster, and stronger than my X’s and O’s then I don’t have much of a chance of winning’. The same can be true for you. It does not matter if you are trying to make yourself better in business, or if you are just trying to make yourself the best you can be if you have yourself surrounded by losers it is going to be difficult to make yourself better. Surround yourself with winners, surround yourself with the best people possible. You control your own destiny, decide what you want and find similar people to help you achieve those goals.
Watch and observe. You can learn a lot about life from many many different sources.
