Coaching is a complicated gig…much more complicated than it seems on the surface. We get to wear lots of different hats. We manage budgets, we motivate, we fundraise, we’re PR people, we’re admins. In my mind, though, our biggest job is that of a salesperson.
Portrait of a salesperson
When we think of salespeople, we think of the slick used car salesman who will tell you just enough to get you into a car…and let you find out it’s worthless on your own. Or the pushy lady in the store who follows you around telling you how awesome you’d look in absolutely everything your eyes come across. What those two examples have in common is that those folks aren’t being totally honest. But when you really get down to it, coaching really is about sales (we’re selling our institution and program to recruits, selling playing time discrepancies to our teams, we’re selling what our program needs to our bosses), so we’ve got to make sure that we’re being authentic with everyone we encounter so that we don’t come across as salesy.
10 characteristics of successful coaches
I saw a nice listing of qualities that a successful salesperson should have and I thought I’d bring it on over here. Notice there’s nothing about lying or being sneaky or less than honest!
1. Successful coaches are persistent. Just as we don’t expect our players to give up after a setback, neither does the successful coach. Whether it’s on the court with the team or off the court with our athletic directors, we press on.
2. They are avid goal setters. This one is a no-brainer, huh? Goal setting is what we do! With our teams, with our staffs, with ourselves…we are always looking ahead to accomplish the next goal.
3. They ask good questions. If we do this early on in the recruiting process, hopefully our institution will be a good fit for our players. If we do this early in the playing process, hopefully each person on our team will understand where they fit in on the team skill wise.
4. They listen. The answers to those questions we asked above will show us a lot about the recruit if we listen. If we’re on the phone with them and they say they want to attend a small college where they’ll get a lot of attention…and we coach at a gigantic school, it’s probably not a good fit.
5. Successful coaches are passionate. We’ve got to love what we do. We’ve got to believe in our teams and what we’re building with our programs. If we’ve got all three of those, then we’ve got passion.
6. They are enthusiastic. It always comes back to the Pyramid of Success. One of the cornerstones of John Wooden’s Pyramid is enthusiasm. We’ve got to be fired up…it’s contagious.
7. They take responsibility for their results. We can’t blame Admissions or Financial Aid or another coach who may be negatively recruiting. Not just because no one wants to hear our whining, but also because we stay in control. Excuses put someone else in control of our coaching lives and none of us wants to do that! Read the rest of this entry »