Leadership in Coaching

I find that developing leaders is a very difficult thing to do. Here are some of my thoughts as we all try to lead our teams, our communities and our families.

* Teams reflect the personality of their leader.
1. People see what people do.
- Followers normally take 6 months (about the length of a basketball season) to mirror back what their leaders do!
Ask yourself the question: "Have I as the coach reflected what I want projected to my team?"
-Adolf Hitler led people and many of them began to ACT and THINK like their leader.
-Gandhi showed compassion and many followed his leadership of non-violence.

* Followers tend to reflect a leader’s:
1. Vision
2. Values
3. Attitude

* The leader sets the tone.
2. Do you play checkers or chess with your team? The boards are exactly the same. Checkers all have the same ability and move the same way. Chess pieces, however, are all different. Many mediocre Coaches and leaders play a lot of checkers with their players. Good coaches and good leaders learn how to move chess pieces knowing their strengths and weaknesses. You have to know the strengths of your players and your team. Tap into the strengths of your team...Jesus did this with his disciples.

Get the most out of your team by:
A. Know your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
B. Find their trigger points
-what gets them to act?
C. Find their love language.
D. Know their learning style.
-Do they do their best analyzing? Watching? Doing?

* A leader should always encourage.
3. People who you lead will go down unless you fill them up.
- “Encouragement is the oxygen to the soul!”
-61% of people in the workplace receive no praise or encouragement and is the #1 reason why people leave their jobs!

When we encourage we should look to:
1. Be sincere
2. Personalize it
3. Be specific
4. Try to do it in public
5. Communicate
-Let them know what is up. Remember people are “down” on what they are not “up on.”
-Make sure your leaders know your vision. Communicate you plan to them so they are up on what is going on.

I hope that these things can be of service to you before you head into your school year and your season. -Coach Lightfoot