How To Lead AS A Coach
One of the most impactful things we can do as a coach is to understand that we are also leaders and guides. Oftentimes as leaders, egos can get in the way. When the leader presents himself as the end all be all, there will be a lack of those who will follow. As coaches, we need to be able to have conversations, and take in information from our athletes, our staff, and know that others may have expertise in areas that you don’t. When coaches can embark on this journey of guiding, and having the athletes best interest at heart, then they will become leaders. This leadership will cultivate a team, and the team will be bought into that coach and what they want to do/achieve with the athletes.
I often think this gets hard for some because they have a perception that if they do not have all the right answers, or for that matter, all the answers then they will lose confidence from those who work with them. However, think of a professional sports team. Think about all the different specialty coaches they have that support the team and get them all on the same page with the same vision. The buck always stops with the head coach, but he knows when to call in the subject matter experts in order to get everyone to where they need to be.
The bottom line is this:
If you want to be a leader, then you have to create autonomy with your athletes and staff. That almost seems contradictory, but it is the way to cultivate teams!
This chart below shows how to create a high performing team. This provides some good insight when you are looking at your team for development.
By Coach Jason Leydon
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