Extraordinary Coaching Leaders are Consistent

After the final game of soccer season at school, my son EJ and his teammates ran around the field while engaged in a great conversation with the grandfather of two boys on the team. I was able to hear the story of his amazing journey and this lead me to reflect on how important it is that extraordinary coaching leaders are consistent.

We talked about the significance of certain leaders and teams in our lives and how much we both valued the role sports can play in the development of our youth.

That is when I looked at him and said, “Lee, you know what I love about sports….it is the fact that not only do my kids get to realize what it means to be a part of something bigger than themselves, but they get a chance to fail every single day in front of the people they value most.”

And …..“they learn how to respond in a way that they get better.”

That starts with the coach.

Maddie and EJ are blessed right now to have some great coaches in their life which is not always the case in youth sports.

Coaches that care for them, advocate for them, and consistently:

• Push them-outside their comfort zone
• Pull them- give them an extra hand when they may be struggling a bit
• Support them-physically by providing them with the resources and emotionally by understanding what makes them tick and what is going on in their world

Extraordinary coaches build extraordinary teams and one of the keys to that success is creating an environment of psychological safety.

Safe does not equal soft.

A psychologically safe environment is one where your team members focus on doing their best and not on what others think of their best.

Extraordinary teams are connected. They are there for each other and pick each other up.

Each team member understands that they can take risks, try new things, share creative ideas, and that their voice and work truly matter.

Get to this point with your team and you will be amazed at the buy-in and how each person embraces their role.

Consistency is the key

Think about the leaders who got the most out of you in a way that you looked forward to competing every day to get better.

I am willing to bet you that they were consistent in how they went about doing things.

You knew what to expect from them in almost every situation, giving you a sense of order inside the chaos and allowing you to take risks.

Extraordinary coaching leaders are consistent in their:

• Energy
• Focus
• Response
• Authenticity
• Message

Coaching Practice

Imagine yourself standing in front of your team and detailing what they can consistently expect from you as a coaching leader. Think in terms of how you will push them, pull them, and support them daily.

Then think in terms of when you experience adversity and success and how you will be consistent in your energy, focus, response, authenticity, and message.

Write down how you would describe the different scenarios to them the daily activities, and one-on-one meetings, and here is the key….be consciously aware of how you feel because this helps you get emotionally attached to the opportunity you have as a leader to influence and inspire your team.

This was originally published as a weekly newsletter from Ed Molitor, with The Molitor Group. If you’d like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.