Reasons MO Coaches #140519 - The Varsity Letter

Coaching is one of the most fun jobs in the entire world.  I guess I am prone to activities that cause a high level of stress.  But every now and again, I have a moment of genuine ashtonishment.  One of those came at a not so typical moment recently.  We had our high school swim team banquet a couple of weeks ago.  Some of the kids swam both junior varsity and varsity all year.  But, they are not really sure if they will receive the varsity letter.  We kind of keep this a little bit of a surprise.  Most of the athletes are very appreciative when they receive the varsity letter, and some expect it because they figure they earned it.  And then, there are instances like the one we had at this past banquet.

When it came time to call the name for one of the boys to receive a varsity letter, I think that he was so surprised and shocked at it that he was overcome with genuine emotion.  It wasn't that he cried or anything, but instead when I handed him the varsity letter certificate, he had the most sincere look of excitement on his face.  And that reminded me of the reasons I coach.  This kid has a ton of potential, and I hope that he continues to tap into his talent and skills.  As coaches, or a leader in any position, it is your job to read the emotions of the people under your care.  What are you doing to understand their circumstances and give them the best opportunity to succeed?  It's time for us to get out there and make a difference.

We have seen that before...

I was reading my Kindle this morning and had to laugh a little bit.  I pretty much despise reading anything but my Kindle now.  I know that for a lot of people out there nothing comes close to holding a real book in your hands, but for me I'm about efficiency.  No matter where I am, I have a ton of books at my fingertips.  And, if I don't have my Kindle, I have the app on my phone.  Which is even more awesomer!

Not a lot of people know this, but when Jeff Bezos first pitched the idea for an e-reader to manufacturers, they all remembered the other companies that had failed not too long before Jeff decided to launch his project… “We have seen that before,” they would say.  It was so crazy that he had to keep the whole thing under wraps to make sure that a couple things didn't happen: nobody would steal his idea, and people would not begin to make assumptions before he could roll out the master plan.

I am a big believer in companies that go out on a limb.  What I like is that Bezos didn't really care about what other people were saying.  He had a goal and did whatever it took to get there.  Even when his own team did not believe in him, he pressed on anyway and made it happen.  My question is: what are the plans and goals of your heart?  There are too many people out there that are idealists.  They are always looking at what is possible.  I continue to ask myself: what is impossible.  That is what leads to innovation and greatness.  Go out and do something asinine today.

Free Food...

Last night we had our team recognition dinner for those who qualified state championships.  It's always one of my most favorite events of the year.  It takes a lot for these kids to achieve the times and scores necessary to be a part of the festivities.  One of my athletes snap chatted the following picture:

I would gladly buy as many meals as needed for these athletes to put in such incredible effort.  For all of the time that they have toiled… getting yelled at, pushed harder than they ever have been before, losing sleep, living tired days…

My question is: what is the payoff for which you are striving?  Like these young athletes, each of us needs something bigger than us.  Latch onto something that brings you joy, and run for it with everything you've got.  And one day, someone just might buy you a free meal… Purchased only by your blood, sweat, and tears.

A Little Fanfare...

I am taking my team captains through the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie right now.  I really enjoy going to this book.  I do it about twice a year.  When I first read it some years ago, I realized how simple most of those truths are, but at the same time how difficult to achieve.  We are coming towards the end of our swim season for high school.  This means that we need to start getting all of our banquet stuff and order.  That reminds me of one of the most important principles that I learned from Kevin, and from Dale Carnegie. 

None of us ever really understood why, but Kevin was always really big on what he used to call "closure."  Whenever somebody was going to leave our ministry back at Hillside community Church, he would always make sure that we did something really cool for that person.  I mean, not that we did it for everybody.  But if you are therefore any significant amount of time (and I'm sure you can figure what that means for your program) then you were definitely honored.

In fact, I remember when I was about to move on from the church, Kevin really made me feel special.  I have since begun to understand what it means to put into practice what it means to have good closure.  And, I guess this is why when I'm in charge of stuff like banquets and other end-of-seaon events, they always tend to go little bit longer.  I would rather err on the side of making sure that people feel appreciated than to just brush over the stuff that they did for the program.  I think that's why we have pretty good support in most of the activities that I have the privilege of running. 

When you give people the public recognition that each of us craves, it makes them want to serve more.  Not merely for the recognition, but because they feel wanted and needed.  And, if you don't think that you need to make your people feel that way, just try sending somebody off with some fanfare and see how they respond.  I think you'll be surprised and pleased.

Never Enough...

I spent an hour on the phone with Kevin Cobb today.  I actually scheduled the meeting about a week and a half ago with his office assistant.  I've learned over the last few years to get in good with whoever was in charge of his schedule.  I guess I could call him directly, and sometimes I do.  But, I have decided that I need to be respectful of his time.  In fact, today when we talked he already had a good idea of the things that I was going to bring up.  Between our conversations I usually send him a bunch of lengthy emails.  All of the stuff that's going on in my life.  All of the questions that I have.  All of the frustrations that I have.  All of the leadership questions that I have for him. 

Before I knew it, the conversation had already come to about 54 minutes.  How do I know that?  I called him exactly at 11 AM, when we had our meeting scheduled.  And at 11:54 he told me that he had another meeting that he had to get ready for.  I couldn't believe where the time went.

We pretty much only got to about 1 1/2 of the items that I wanted to talk to him about.  I usually set the stage with my questions for him, and then I just let him tell me the stuff that I need to change or get better at.  It makes me wonder how people can live life without a mentor.  I put so much time and effort into pursuing Kevin as my mentor that it is often frustrating because I know that no matter how much guidance he gives me, I am always left with wanting and needing more of his time. 

So I guess that's my question.  Who are the people in your life that you continue to pursue?  Kevin is probably one of the most humble people that I know.  The more I ask him his opinion and guidance, the more I understand that I need to be a leader like him.  Who do you need to be like?  And... what are you doing to make that happen?