How does it feel...to be coached by me?
Many of us coach children, learning competition, collaboration, and coping with adversity. Many have limited experience with frustration and failure, both individual and collective. Modeling humility and sportsmanship is part of our job. Correction is not criticism, but burying players on the bench is not coaching. "Never be a child's last coach."
Why are we coaching? Do we have unmet ego needs that only winning fulfills? Purpose not passion provides balance.
Establish clear expectations. I believe in rewarding effort, engagement, and competitiveness. But that doesn't mean robbing Pietra to pay Paula. Developmental programs owe opportunity to everyone.
Do we provide conditional or unconditional love? Jack Clark, legendary rugby college coach preaches conditional love. "When you start looking at people who are really successful, who are part of successful organizations, the last thing they are is unconditional. We’re pretty highly conditional here." But for those of us coaching pre-teens, those obstacles are not the way. We're in the business of providing tools to craft futures not applying chisels.
The origins are unclear but the meaning is not, "if all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail." How does it feel to be coached by me?