Coaches as Leaders - 13 Tips

1. It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. No matter how disappointing the loss, the morning light will usher in new opportunities and challenges. The next morning will usually provide a more objective outlook and the confidence to make better choices.

2. Get mad, then get over it. When we get upset, it is because we care about something. Get upset, reprimand if need be. But then forget about it and move on, making sure to treat the young man or woman as we did before the errant incident.

3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. If we have been doing things simply because that is the way they have always been done, we should question ourselves.

4. It can be done. We have the power to control our attitude.

5. Be careful whom you choose. Athletes with great skill, but no sense of discipline or leadership may (or may not) win games, but will likely produce few championships.

6. Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision. There will always be adversity to face in the form of injuries, academic ineligibility, upset fans, etc. As professionals, we cannot allow them to distract us from making the right choices.

7. You can't make someone else's decisions. You shouldn't let someone else make yours. It is your program to run. Certainly, you are in a position to motivate, advise, influence, and even persuade, but the reality is that the responsibility for others' choices belongs to them and you cannot take it from them.

8. Check small things. The best coaches are masters of details.

9. Share credit. Nothing will discourage a person more than working very hard, achieving a worthwhile goal and then having someone else (especially the leader) take all the credit.

10. Remain calm, be kind. Coaches who stay calm will diminish their chances of saying or doing something they will regret.

11. Have a vision. Be demanding. Truly dedicated coaches spend a lot of time watching film, working summer camps, attending clinics, watching college practices, and studying the game in as many ways as possible.

12. Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers. Coaches simply cannot please everyone. As the saying goes "Coaches who listen to the fans end up sitting beside them." Once a decision is made, coaches have to commit to it. The time to worry is when you are placing the bet, not after the dice has been thrown.

13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you do not truly believe your team has a chance to win, you should not step into the locker room because the players will sense it.