Football is my favorite sport. A bit ironic I suppose, because football is the epitome of a time in my life that I did not give my best. Actually, it was worse than that. It was the one time in all my competitive pursuits (athletics or in business) that I quit. I’ve lost many times; won my share too. Quit? Once.
I quit my high school football team two weeks into the start of my junior year season. It was the only time in my life that my Mom told me I disappointed her. I can remember going into the head coach’s office to quit as if it was yesterday. Totally ironic, because after being a starter and co-captain my freshman and sophomore years, I was not even planning to play my junior year. I planned to focus on basketball.
Over the summer the coach called and asked me to reconsider. I agreed, but when I showed up I wasn’t
prepared to give my best. He and his
coaches weren’t prepared to coach me up either.
At the age of sixteen, I decided that quitting was my only escape. I’ve regretted it to this day. It’s not the not-playing that I regret; it’s
the not giving my best.
I bet there have been special coaches and mentors who have had a positive
impact on your life. Coaches come in all
shapes and sizes and use a wide variety of styles and techniques. Some coaches resonate with us; others
don’t.
Here’s a 6 minute movie clip about high school, an underdog team, and their
coach’s expectation about giving one's best: Facing the Giants
Probably not a technique that transfers into the business world today - but
the message does, true? Yes, the
sporting world is different than the business world. Nonetheless, we don’t have to go it alone. Even the best-of-the-best have coaches.
In business, our favorite, Unknown Sage offers this:
Common misconceptions about
coaching in the marketplace:
“Coaching is primarily for
correcting behavior” - If we only coach people when they do something wrong, we
have missed the point. It’s about
building not fixing.
“Coaching requires giving up
power and control” – The manager relies more on influence. The person is still
accountable.
“Coaching takes too much time”
– Coaching takes too much time if you don’t do enough of it and you don’t do it
correctly.
“Coaching is soft stuff” – The
manager who avoids soft stuff usually does so because it is so hard. The work is easy; people are difficult.
“Coaching is laissez-faire management”
– Freedom in the workplace, actually just about anywhere, is rooted in strict
discipline.
“Coaching is simply being a
good cheerleader” – A good manager has the courage and inner strength when
needed to tell people the truth.
“Coaching is like therapy” – To
be a good manager and coach one does need a basic understanding of human
behavior and motivation, but therapy has no place in your relationship with the
people you are leading.
Coaches enjoy occasional accolades, too. The best I ever heard was a
tribute to Bum Phillips, former head coach of the then, Houston Oilers. It was once said of Bum:
He could take his and beat yours - and then
he could take yours and beat his.
As a coach, he was able to get his players to give their best; they had no
quit. Imagine – what could we accomplish
if we committed to giving our best?
GAP
When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or…
we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.
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