Be open. Grab one liners and ideas from others. Great ideas translate across disciplines.
Jodie Foster - "Have a friend whom you respect read your script." (review your process)
In medicine, surgeon and author Atul Gawande hired a senior surgeon to review his process (come into the operating room) and suggest improvements. This was a humbling experienced for a surgeon, as the profession is filled with outsized egos. Bill Belichick and Nick Saban get together each offseason to swap notes.
Many of us have watched live or filmed practices of great coaches. Watching the UCONN women practice in Storrs was eye opening regarding the tempo, skill, and competitiveness.
Mira Nair - "stamina and rigor...show and not tell"
Watching practice and games speaks volumes. Do we hear the communication and the sneakers squeaking effort? Watching reveals the intent, how will this team work to wear down and defeat the opposition? Is the efficiency level high and do the players radiate joy?
Apollonia Poilane - "This is a gesture you'll do over and over again." She advises us to cultivate all of our senses. She took four years away from her empire to get an undergraduate degree...from Harvard.
Breadmaker Poilane inherited her family bread empire at sixteen when her parents died in an accident. Her product is bread not buckets, but she demonstrates the exacting precision of her craft. Technique is everything.
"Do not be discouraged by failed attempts."
Salman Rushdie - "Embarrassment is an infallible test" (want to write others to read)...asking others to help is brave. If someone wants to preview your product, are you pleased to have oversight or pained at the lack of craft?
N.K. Jemisin - "society doesn't provide a lot of opportunities to empathize with other types of people (e.g. overweight)"...villains are often overweight. How do we treat others in the coaching fraternity? Do we provide support and suggestions or sabotage and scorn? Years ago I wrote renowned Orthopedist Dr. James Andrews asking a couple of questions about pitching mechanics and the elbow. We have no connection but he responded with a three page letter. Be there for others.
Lagniappe: Coaching is about relationships and service. At its best, coaching is a selfless act, sharing experience and wisdom. "Experience is the best teacher but sometimes the tuition is high."
Learn every day and find craftspeople who inspire and teach well.
