From the Evansville Courier & Press, December 3, 2011The Thanksgiving holidays offered some important coaching role models, and in some cases, will probably surprise as well as promote thought of the kind of leaders to emulate.
Flipping the channels around on Thanksgiving and seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' brought me back to a story from Joe Ehrmann's outstanding book 'InSideOut Coaching — How Sports Can Transform Lives.' The premise is that most coaches fall under two categories — transactional coaches, who look for what they can get out of coaching and not what they can give; and transitional coaches, who use coaching as a platform to teach valuable life lessons.
Ehrmann once was asked for his coaching role models and at the top of his list was Dorothy from 'the Wizard of Oz.' Dorothy's character was full of empathy and encouraged those around her to reach their full potential.
Her trip down the Yellow Brick Road was not used as a terrible burden, but rather a tremendous opportunity to achieve. She showed grit and resiliency, and had the ability to take on all challenges as her 'team' traveled their road together. She set a positive example, inspired and provided confidence. There was a sense of team.
The Wizard, though, was a transactional coach.
He defined himself by power, with a sense of ultimate authority making decisions that clearly didn't take into account how it would affect others. His intimidating voice and disappearance behind the curtain was used as a scare tactic, opposed to getting to know those around him people and find out their motivations. Rather than inspiring his charges, his leadership was built on intimidation. His final abandonment of his team when things got tough left them feeling alone.
There is a traditional image of a coach being like the Wizard, building a power structure where the leader is alone at the top.
Dorothy's image as a coach is much different, as she built her team through developing relationships and creating a level of buy-in toward common goals. The foundation she created with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion was based on developing self-esteem, mutual support, and helping reach their full potential.
What Ehrmann feels is true about the leadership styles is that players will do what they're told by a Wizard of Oz-type coach, but will only truly follow someone they believe in and who believes in them.
My opinions were strengthened Thanksgiving weekend when I visited with the Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Watching the Blue Devils practice, it became clear to see that Coach K is a transitional coach. He and his staff are a model of communication — by giving players a lot of regular feedback, it is easy to clearly state expectations as well as to understand what their players expect.
They are also able to be even more demanding, because they have painted a clear picture and level of understanding.
Those levels of demands and expectations are measured both by performance on the court and attitude and effort in all facets of life. It's clear that Duke coaches are developing young men as much as they are developing basketball players, and because team members buy into those ideals, everyone feels part of their success.
Whether you can associate with Dorothy or Coach K, it's important to see how being a transitional coach can positively affect players' lives. In the end of the day, if coaches can focus on making their players better people opposed to focusing solely on winning those better people will win a lot more games than they lose.
Flipping the channels around on Thanksgiving and seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' brought me back to a story from Joe Ehrmann's outstanding book 'InSideOut Coaching — How Sports Can Transform Lives.' The premise is that most coaches fall under two categories — transactional coaches, who look for what they can get out of coaching and not what they can give; and transitional coaches, who use coaching as a platform to teach valuable life lessons.
Ehrmann once was asked for his coaching role models and at the top of his list was Dorothy from 'the Wizard of Oz.' Dorothy's character was full of empathy and encouraged those around her to reach their full potential.
Her trip down the Yellow Brick Road was not used as a terrible burden, but rather a tremendous opportunity to achieve. She showed grit and resiliency, and had the ability to take on all challenges as her 'team' traveled their road together. She set a positive example, inspired and provided confidence. There was a sense of team.
The Wizard, though, was a transactional coach.
He defined himself by power, with a sense of ultimate authority making decisions that clearly didn't take into account how it would affect others. His intimidating voice and disappearance behind the curtain was used as a scare tactic, opposed to getting to know those around him people and find out their motivations. Rather than inspiring his charges, his leadership was built on intimidation. His final abandonment of his team when things got tough left them feeling alone.
There is a traditional image of a coach being like the Wizard, building a power structure where the leader is alone at the top.
Dorothy's image as a coach is much different, as she built her team through developing relationships and creating a level of buy-in toward common goals. The foundation she created with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion was based on developing self-esteem, mutual support, and helping reach their full potential.
What Ehrmann feels is true about the leadership styles is that players will do what they're told by a Wizard of Oz-type coach, but will only truly follow someone they believe in and who believes in them.
My opinions were strengthened Thanksgiving weekend when I visited with the Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Watching the Blue Devils practice, it became clear to see that Coach K is a transitional coach. He and his staff are a model of communication — by giving players a lot of regular feedback, it is easy to clearly state expectations as well as to understand what their players expect.
They are also able to be even more demanding, because they have painted a clear picture and level of understanding.
Those levels of demands and expectations are measured both by performance on the court and attitude and effort in all facets of life. It's clear that Duke coaches are developing young men as much as they are developing basketball players, and because team members buy into those ideals, everyone feels part of their success.
Whether you can associate with Dorothy or Coach K, it's important to see how being a transitional coach can positively affect players' lives. In the end of the day, if coaches can focus on making their players better people opposed to focusing solely on winning those better people will win a lot more games than they lose.
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