Recently I was talking to a good friend of mine, Keith Townsend, during a podcast interview. Keith has been with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for around twenty years. You can listen to his podcast here, there was a portion of the podcast that I found fascinating....and right now. I asked Keith about how he has seen the role of the coach evolving during his twenty years with FCA. He talked about how the expectations of the coach have increased dramatically over the last twenty years. There are a lot of potential reasons for this but one we discussed was the emergence of the coach as a parental figure. The increase in divorce rates and increase (and over emphasis?) on sports have made the coach a central figure in kids lives. In fact, the 3D Institute talks about how there are not more powerful words for an athlete in the English language that "coach says". No pressure on the coach, right?
Wrapped up in that, however, is that the "old school" yelling coach is no longer as effective and athletes demand to be treated with respect and cared for as individuals (as they should!).
So what does this all mean? It means that the second C of CARE that we talk about at the Impactful Coaching Project (ICP) is essential.
CARE
I know some will cringe at an essential of coaching is CARE. They will think they can't coach kids hard, they are going to have to tone it back, etc... At ICP, we think this is the farthest from the truth. You certainly may need to change and adjust your approach, but cultivating an environment of caring, allows you to coach harder! In fact, an aspect of caring can lead to toughness! Over 90% of athletes report improved performance when they feel their coach cares about them. Tim Elmore says (and we agree) that in coaching this generation, you have to start with empathy to get to toughness and resilience. (We'll unpack that in a future post or several podcasts).
A SYSTEMIC APPROACH
While it is important to know people's names and treat the well individually, that is not at the core of care. Yes----you need to be a good person and see people worthy of being treated with dignity and respect. However, the care that we focus on at the Impactful Coaching Project is systemic.
By systemic, we mean you have a system and approach to the day to day, month to month, and year to year that cultivates an environment of respect and makes individuals feel valued and that they are part of something bigger.
This is a task that takes planning and organization. It addresses nearly every part of a program:
How do you start practices?
How do you end practices?
How is conflict addressed?
What do you talk about in pregame/post game talks?
What do assistants do after practice?
How often do you meet with players and small groups outside practice/games? Click here to hear Dustin talk about his first one'-on-ones with players.
What do you talk about in these meetings?
How do you teach character?
The list can go on and on and the answers are different by program and by sport. But, the stats are clear, Nearly 80% of athletes are more likely to continue participating in a sport if they feel their coach is invested in their personal development
Today, we're merely touching the surface of this topic. We'll gradually move from the philosophical and into practical methods for a more in-depth, actionable understanding. Eager to learn more faster? Don't hesitate to get in touch!