7.9 Vontrell King-Williams: Want to Be Coached

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“Have the mindset of: Coach me, Coach. I want to be coached.” - Vontrell King-Williams

Do you take tough coaching personally, or do you want to be coached?

When talking to a group of high school athletes, college football coach Vontrell King-Williams explains that he is a demanding, fiery coach and tells them to never take tough coaching personally.

He says, “When I’m coaching you hard, your response should be, ‘Yes sir, Coach,’” and you should always have great body language.

Coach King-Williams shared a story about watching one of his top recruits at practice. Because the recruit’s body language was so bad, he stopped recruiting him. He said he couldn’t take the kid because he didn’t have the time to coddle him and baby him — they have games to win.

He said the recruit will still get offers to other schools, but he limited his options because of bad energy, a bad attitude, and bad body language.

Coach King-Williams then said, “It ain’t never personal. Have the mindset of: Coach me, Coach. I want to be coached.”

Two of the principles I live by are: Be Coachable and Lead and Respond with Positivity. I know that in order for me to be at my best, I need feedback and to be held accountable — that’s what coaches do. I also need to respond with positivity because how I respond matters just as much as what I do. 

Body language, attitude, and energy send a message — whether I realize it or not.

Being coachable isn’t about perfection — it’s about how you respond when someone is trying to help you grow.


Question of the Day: How do you usually respond when someone gives you tough feedback — and how do you want to respond moving forward?

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