You are not in the “Soccer Business”, you are in the “People Business”. That is the first radical thought I started this series with. This forever changed the way I approached my job and I hope it will change the way you approach yours.
The second radical thought I want you to consider… this is YOU.
I’m a dictionary fanatic. I obviously know the definition of a word but I will look it up just for kicks to see what Oxford or Webster has to say about it! One day I was sitting in my office and I decided to look up “soccer coach”. I started by looking up the word “coach”. And it has since changed everything about the way I approach my job.
I always introduced myself as a soccer coach but if I truly believed I was in the people business then I needed to cross out the word soccer and realize I was a COACH first. The soccer part, well that was just second.
Back in the ol’ days this stage-coach was a vehicle. It moved people from one point to another. And that’s exactly what I am as a COACH. I move PEOPLE from one point to another. I don’t allow them to stay where they are. I help them grow and move forward.
A good friend and colleague heard me talk about this and he wrote down in his notes…“I am a coach. I move people through stages of life”. And then he looked up from his notes and laughed saying, “hey Big D… I’m a stage coach, I move people through the stages of life… get it?” We had a good laugh and I told Matt Cosinuke (Eastern Kentucky University Head Coach) I was stealing that and adding it to my presentations. Thanks Matt!
As a COACH, it is about helping move the whole person from where he/she currently is to the next stop on the journey. The performance of a player comes out of who he or she isnot just talent and skill.
So no matter what your players need to become a better person, a better athlete, a better teammate, a better leader… it’s your job as a COACH to provide help and movement towards the goal.
