Tuesday, November 8, 2022

What Do Coaches Sell?

"I'm a salesman." - Chuck Daly

We sell the ability to add value to others. What do the 'buyers' want? They want success. Yet Bill Parcells said, "Coaches are the most selfish people in the world. We put players on the field who make us look good."

Instead of looking at interactions as transactions, see them as opportunities to help others find their dreams - being winners, getting into a better college, earning a scholarship, becoming better people.

Learn to be genuinely interested in others, not in a fawning way, but authentically curious of how we can help them. I talk about the "Ration Sisters." 

Aspi Ration - whom do you want to be? 

Inspi Ration - bring energy to reach your goal.

Prepa Ration - what is your plan to achieve? 

Perspi Ration - own unrequired work and sacrifice. 

Aspiration and inspiration get us going; preparation and perspiration drive us forward.  

Ask players about setting and reaching their goals. Find out what SPECIFICS they are doing TODAY to reach them. I met a person who shared a goal to become the top airport architect in the world. That granularity was the springboard to a plan of personal development. 

Impact winning. If a player said, "I want to be top ball handler in the world, another Kyrie Irving," ask do you want to be a great dribbler or are you committed to passing, penetrating, finishing, scoring at multiple levels, making clutch shots, defending, and leading? 

Brad Stevens said, "coaches get much more than we give." Few vocations allow practitioners to see and enjoy the success of others as much as coaching. If schadenfreude is taking pleasure in the misery of others, coaching affords the opposite, taking pleasure in the success of others. 

Sell holistic excellence. "I am a holistic professional coach. I guide professionals to become more effective and efficient. In my case, I take a holistic approach to coaching. I believe that all aspects of one’s life are interconnected. It is unrealistic to only focus on one’s professional life, because one’s personal life matters!" Help players learn professionalism, studying better, better habit formation, improved communication, sharing, motivation. These qualities help them in all avenues of life. 

Become a storyteller. We help others write better success narratives. Stories help us remember core values, much as Aesop's Fables like "The Tortoise and the Hare" teach principles. 

Be an anteambulo. An anteambulo clears the path for others. "An anteambulo was an artist slash writer with a patron. Ah, the glory days of Roma, when wealthy patrons took on artists and supported them - housed, fed, clothed them - so they could create. In return, the artist was expected to perform tasks for the patron. One of these was anteambulo, which means “one who clears the path.” The anteambulo walked in front of his patron, “making way, communicating messages, and generally making the patron’s life easier."

Summary:

  • Be transformational not transactional
  • Do you know the "Ration Sisters?"
  • Help players set and reach goals. 
  • Impact winning. 
  • Sell Holistic excellence.
  • Become a storyteller.
  • Be an anteambulo. 

Lagniappe (something extra). 

Lagniappe 2. Tips - changing shot, distance, adding movement, challenges 


Lagniappe 3. BLOB Box Set with "Flexish" actions from Chris Oliver's Basketball Immersion














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