“Coaching Ain’t Telling”

Coaching is one of the key skills that sets exceptional leaders apart from average leaders. Yet, the most critical skills for coaching are not well understood and not widely practiced. One of the most important skills for coaches is understanding that telling the other person what to do is not very effective coaching. This stems from our history with coaches and how we were coached when playing youth sports. As young participants in just about any sport, we are exposed to ‘coaches’ who believe they’re job is to tell the athletes what they need to do continuously while they’re competing. We’ve all seen the coach who paces the sidelines constantly barking orders at the players from start to finish of the game. This is too late for real coaching. In fact, that is not very effective coaching at all. The most effective coaching occurs prior to the competition and consists of the coach providing information, demonstration, encouragement, correction, and feedback during practice and allowing the athlete to compete with a minimum of ‘telling them what to do’. Coaching also best occurs in a safe environment separate from the competition so the performer can try without repercussion for failure. The coach then provides the appropriate level of feedback, correction, encouragement, and support needed for the performer to try again and again, if necessary, to master the skill during practice. This is true coaching and builds new skills and high levels of performance more effectively than the coach barking orders at the performer when the game is on the line. It’s the difference between the Bobby Knight style of barking orders and the John Wooden style of excellence in practice and preparation. No one won more NCAA Men’s basketball titles than John Wooden, and no one likely ever will. Be an exceptional coach by putting your energy into proper coaching technique in a safe practice environment and then let your ‘players’ compete with skill and confidence!