PRINCIPLES OF A GREAT COACH

22020303 Module 3.

Key Idea: A good coach changes a game, but a Great Coach changes a Life.

Growing up through school, I was never really involved in organised sport. Sure, I loved playing games and other forms of exercise, but I was also repelled by the ugliness that came with competition. To be clear, I’m talking about my own ugliness when I get overly competitive, and regret the hurts I caused when things got too heated. So I joined the Red Crescent Society instead (that’s the Red Cross in Malaysia) and committed to helping those in need. But in my Uni days, I was introduced to the sport of Ultimate Frisbee, and loved the team spirit and camaraderie that existed not only with your own teammates, but with the opponents too. My buddy was my coach, and I marveled not only at his passion for the sport, but also his patience & encouragement in spreading the love for the game.

DOING YOUR BEST 

In our session, we were introduced to legendary basketball coach, John Wooden. One of the most revered and beloved coaches of all time, he coached his players not only to achieve success on the court, but success in life as well. Showcasing great integrity and humility, he developed the principles of his “Pyramid of Success” and wrote several books to share his philosophy with the world. Known simply as “coach”, John Wooden also demonstrated success by living out the principles he taught. By “making everyday your masterpiece”, he believed that win or lose didn’t matter, as long as you always gave your best. That principle essentially took away the pressure of performance and disappointment if things didn’t turn out the way it was hoped for. Knowing you gave your best was good enough.

PRINCIPLES OF A GREAT COACH

The following are Catalyst’s 7 Principles of a Great Coach:

1. Believes in Human Potential. Coaching is committing to getting into a relationship journey to achieving the success of the coachee.

2. Builds Self-Esteem. They may not believe it at first, and that’s where the coach comes in to build the coachee’s self-esteem.

3. Validates Understanding. Understanding is accomplished through active listening and presence. Validate the coachee through paraphrasing, summarising & reflecting.

4. Challenges Reality. There will be a need to examine the reality (of the Goal) in both the breadth and depth of details. There could be conflicting situations in the Coachee’s life that will need to be further explored and openly discussed.

5. Expands Options. The coach creates an atmosphere that facilitates the Expansion of Options together. This allows coachees to identify their own alternative solutions and opportunities, and thus showing them respect for their valued thoughts and ideas.

6. Inspires Action. The conversation leads the coachee to commit towards their own ideas. The inspired coachee will themselves know what steps need to be taken, who isto be  involved, when and where it is to happen, and what impact will take place.

7. BE the Coach. This is the single most important Principle of a Great Coach, as it empowers the coachee to enjoy the discovery & the unlocking of their own  potentials & possibilities.

Growing up through school, maybe I wasn’t exposed to a good coach, which resulted in me not much enjoying organised, competitive sport. I didn’t know how to reframe or redirect all that ugly negative tension toward a positive outcome. But after hearing about the life & legacy of coach John Wooden, and learning these principles, I am inspired to be a great coach who cheers, encourages & impacts people to passionately love the sport, career, or dream they choose.