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In today’s issue…
4 aspects of leading others well
A look at coach burnout
And more…
🖼️ VISUAL
🗣️ QUOTE
“A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential.”
📝 NEWSLETTER
Effective leadership in sports contains three elements.
Know Yourself ➡️ Lead Yourself ➡️ Lead Others
Today, we’re going to look at the last of the three elements: Lead Others.
LEAD OTHERS
Our ability as coaches to lead others is what is most visible and is often how we are judged.
Let’s look at 4 aspects of leading others well within a coaching context.
#1: Committing to Transformational Leadership
At the heart of leading others effectively is a personal commitment by the leader to serve the athletes they’re leading, not to use them as a pawn in their own game.
Joe Ehrmann articulates this idea beautifully in his book, InSideOut Coaching:
“Coach-power, like all forms of power, can be used either for good or for bad, for self or for others.
Transformational coaches are other-centered.
They use their power and platform to nurture and transform players…
Players first, team second, coach’s needs met by meeting the needs of the players.”
Transformational leaders look to help their athletes grow as players and people. They recognize that every player is a person first.
They reject a transactional mindset focused on what they can get out of coaching and instead turn their energy towards what they can give to athletes and sports.
Practically, transformational leadership plays out in how we treat and interact with every athlete.
First, transformational leaders invest time and energy into strong, trusting relationships.
Examples:
Consistent 1:1 meetings with players
Personally greet and say goodbye to every player at practices and games
Learning the aspirations and dreams of the athletes we lead
Learning about our athletes’ lives away from the sport
Spending time with teams and athletes outside of just practices and games
Secondly, transformational leaders commit to modeling the behaviors they want to develop in others.
We can’t give what we don’t possess.
They understand the importance of aligning their actions and their words to build and keep trust with the athletes they lead.
Lastly, transformational leaders bring a high level of emotional intelligence into their coaching.
They recognize that players show up as a whole person with feelings and stories that impact their performance.
Transformational leaders are attuned to the emotional states of their athletes and are willing to get curious about what is happening in the internal world of their athletes.
#2: Holding Others Accountable
Leading others well requires a commitment to hold them accountable to the agreed-upon standard.
Accountability cannot happen without a shared agreement on expectations and standards.
Effective leaders invest time and energy into defining or co-creating these expectations with the athletes they lead.
Once there is clarity of expectations and consequences, great leaders are willing to hold every person in the group to the standard even when it might be inconvenient or uncomfortable.
This requires leaders to be willing and skilled at having tough conversations that can hold others accountable and maintain a strong relationship at the same time.
Another key aspect of accountability on an individual level with athletes is knowing their personal aspirations and dreams.
Once a coach knows these things about an athlete, the accountability becomes easier on both sides as the coach can simply remind the athlete of their aspirations and ask questions to help the athlete self-correct and align their behaviors with their goals.
#3: Stakeholder Relationships
A critical aspect of a coach’s success is their ability to lead stakeholders (parents, administrators, fans, alumni, donors, etc.) well.
The first step to doing this is seeing these various stakeholders as partners to work with as opposed to obstacles to overcome.
Secondly, it’s committing to invest in these relationships. It’s spending time and energy getting to know these people and earning their trust.
Finally, it’s clear and consistent communication with your stakeholders.
Examples:
Weekly parent emails
Monthly emails or meetings with administrators
An annual pre-season parent meeting
An annual post-season celebration
Hosting a parents vs. players practice
Earning and maintaining the trust of stakeholders is critical to long-term success as a coach.
#4: Leading Your Coaching Staff
Finally, another critical aspect for head coaches is how they lead their coaching staff.
Leading a coaching staff effectively includes 5 C’s:
Connection - Get to know your staff and create an environment of safety and trust.
Care - Care about the coaches you’re leading. Know their coaching aspirations and dreams.
Clarity - Be clear on what your expectations are of them in whatever responsibilities they hold.
Challenge - Give them meaningful responsibilities that will challenge them to learn and grow. Release control of various aspects of your team or program and challenge them to improve it.
Coaching - Coach your coaches. Give them feedback. Meet regularly to offer feedback and encouragement. It could be as simple as discussing their Glows (what they’re doing well) and their Grows (where they can improve) on a monthly or quarterly basis.
A connected coaching staff is a powerful force.
🧠 COACHING APPLICATION
A thought on how this could apply in your coaching or leadership context…
Choose 1 action item from 1 of the 4 aspects of leading others well
1) Committing to Transformational Leadership
2) Holding Others Accountable
3) Stakeholder Relationships
4) Leading your Coaching Staff
🎧 PODCAST EPISODE
131. Why Coaches are Burning Out and How to Stop it with Stephen Maxwell of No Other Game Around
Topics include:
Why coaches are burning out - Top 2 reasons video preview
Keys to reducing coach burnout
Navigating a losing season - 3 minute video preview
And more!
📝 Download the Notes (located inside the Better Coaching Community) 👉 Free PDF
👋 CLOSING
Thanks for reading, I hope this serves you on your journey.
To your growth,
Luke Gromer, RYG Athletics | A NIKE Sports Camp Provider
P.S. Our summer NIKE Sports Camps schedule is set. If you’re interested in being a coach at one of our camps, you can learn more or apply HERE.
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