What Type Of Coach Are You

So I just received an interesting message from a friend asking me to, in a short phrase (sentence or two), explain the type of coach that I am.  While I know exactly who I am as a coach, at least at this point in my career, being able to express it in a sentence or two was very difficult.  Here is what I cam up with:

ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM are the two things I try to bring every day to the court – I get guys going and get them to see how fun the game is and how lucky we are to be a part of it.  I’m also a TEACHER – I want guys to know HOW to play the right way and I teach guys the fundamentals needed to execute consistently at a high level and I teach them how to see the game, not just play.  I’m also a big RELATIONSHIP guy – I think that is the thing that I do the best.  One of my favorite quotes is: “The leader sees things through the eyes of his followers; he puts himself in their shoes and helps them make their dreams come true.”  I try to see what my guys need and help provide it for them; try to get them to realize its more to life than basketball, but that basketball can help learn the skills that they would need to become successful.  I also believe that each kid I coach has a different reason for being on the team (some love the game, some want a scholarship, some just want to be a part of something); I try to merge what they want with what I want – to have team sustainable team success and to help grow the people I’m around.  Everything I do is an effort to make them better players and better people.

I think it is very important to be introspective and know exactly who you are as a person and as a professional, and it is very important to be able to effectively communicate that to others.  Part of being an effective communicator is being able to say what you need to say quickly and without being to 'wordy' or redundant.  If fact, I have a previous post where I talk about being able to communicate in a way that even a 9 year old is engaged and can understand.

So, I shortened my response on the type of coach that I am to a few sentences:

I try to bring energy and enthusiasm to the court with me everyday because its important to have a passion for and a love for what you do, and that passion is contagious.  I also try to teach as much as possible - I teach the fundamentals needed to be able to execute quickly and effectively, I teach the game, reads, and thought process behind decision making so that guys don't just play, but know how to play, and I teach how to be successful in life, because the qualities that you need to be successful on the court are the same qualities that you need to be successful in life, and vice-versa.

I got it down to a couple sentences.  Although long sentences, two sentences nonetheless.