by Mike Davenport, CoachingSportsToday.com
This is a challenging week in the States. Thursday is Thanksgiving, which is about gratitude, family and appreciation.
The following day, lovingly called Black Friday, is all about wicked-crazy-hyper-consumerism.
Those two days seem opposed to each other in spirit and in action. It’s enough to make you stop and think, if you can find a quiet moment, that is.
How to get more from coaching.
A thing I’ve learned from these two holidays is to appreciate. I learned this from my parents, who were both simple and hard working folks.
Growing up outside of Boston, I can remember them grumbling when stores first started opening the day after Thanksgiving. And each year, as more and more ad-inserts came stuffed in the newspapers, their grumbling increased.
They weren’t upset by people buying. They did, however, see people under-appreciating the things they already had. I heard more than once, “tried-and-true is forgotten thanks to the latest-and-greatest.”
Celebrate and appreciate.
These are two different words, but this time of year both are important:
To celebrate is to acknowledge publicly, in a social way
To appreciate is to recognize the full worth, in a private way
The difference is subtle, yet both actions speak loudly to how I (and you) can get more from coaching. Specifically, I do this each year by celebrating & appreciating my forgotten coaching-treasures. If you’ve been at this crazy vocation for a while you’ve got a coaching-treasure hidden somewhere.
Our forgotten coaching-treasures.
Often my coaching-treasures get buried. The hidden treasures I have could be:
- Books
- Videos
- Friends
- Mentors
- Plans
- Equipment
- Athletes
- Past victories
- Lessons learned
Some are tangible, some not. Regardless, finding, and then celebrating & appreciating those treasures help me get more from my coaching. How? It’s surprising the significant value those treasures often have.
Finding the gold.
How do I do a coaching-treasure hunt? Well, I can:
1. Do an inventory. I look around, then look deeper. I search in the deep corners I’ve ignored. I move the top layer of cruf. So often I’ve found items I thought lost, and had to replace. I could have saved money and time.
2. Ask a friend/peer. I had a vague memory of a workout I used a few years ago. It solved a technical problem the team was having but I couldn’t remember exactly what it was. I texted a coaching buddy who knew exactly what it was, and in moments a treasure was found. The problem was solved.
3. Review your notes/records. If you keep a notebook (mine is in Evernote) search the oldest recording. Read, view, listen. Let the memories come back. So often I’ve found tricks and tips long forgotten that are applicable still.
Those three simple steps have helped me find pure gold. But I have to be careful of getting sidetracked and distracted. It’s easy to happen, so I set a timer/reminder to pull me back to today.
Help another coach.
Another part of Thanksgiving is helping others.
I have a plan to do just that. I call it The 60 Day Challenge To Become A Better Rowing Coach. In essence it’s about sharing info about better coaching. If you’re a rowing coach there’s tons of stuff for you. Other sport coaches will find value too. You can sign up by clicking here. And the cost — nada. Now that can’t be beat. Hope you join us in the adventure
Meanwhile, enjoy the upcoming week. Celebrate & appreciate as needed, and don’t forget those hidden coaching-treasures, especially when the temptation of Black Friday looms over you.