Written by I read Jacob Hensh’s article True Coaches: Creating A Happy Sunset For Someone Else for Culture in Sports yesterday and recalled a conversation I had with him recently of why people decide to coach. We discussed coaches who wanted to win, have power, influence over others, live the life they wanted through their athletes, right a wrong from when they were an athlete, or truly wanting to help others succeed.
In my time coaching, I have encountered many of these different types of coaches. However, I can normally point out the ones who are on the court, field, pitch, deck, mat, course, track, or snow. And I am normally able to see them because of what they are doing when nobody is watching. These coaches are putting in the extra time, helping athletes grasp concepts or a technique that they were having trouble with. These coaches are empathetic and will always listen to their athletes and teams. They will always provide a safe environment, positive culture, and will focus on their athletes’ mental, physical, and emotional health. They will always have trust in their athletes, whether in practice or competition, and will always accept accountability for their own actions. These coaches will always do what is best for the athletes and team, not for themselves.
As long as sports are participated in, there will always be coaches. And people will always coach for different reasons. But each coach needs to reflect on why they are coaching. And that answer should be that they are coaching solely to help others succeed.