Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Coach Cal

I'm sharing this via Coach Jon Giesbrecht via Brook Kohlheim. 

Coach Calipari comes with controversy, from UMASS achievements with Marcus Camby vacated to him becoming the paragon of 1 and done. But three points stand out - first, he is about the players, second, the man can coach, and third, he is a winner. 

In the article he shares a few drills and some great points. Here are three I found compelling:

"They have to be the best versions of themselves. I don’t need you to be something that you are not." (Comment: this strikes me as classic Matthew Kelly, the inspirational Catholic leader). 

In the recruiting process, if a young man is disrespectful to his mother, or his grandmother, I’m out. If he is not respectful to his mom, he’s not being respectful to me or a teammate (Comment: I've read exactly the same about Dean Smith). 

Lead is serve. Leadership is how do I help all of you be your best. What can I do for you to make you your best. It starts with us as coaches so they can see it. (Comment: Servant leadership matters in every industry. It has to be about the 'community'. I see 'leaders' in politics and medicine who polarize more than lead. That's not leading.)