“Great coaches, teachers, and leaders don’t save people; they empower them to help themselves and solve their own problems. It’s okay to want to be appreciated; that’s natural. But it’s unhealthy to want to be needed.”
Reflection Question – Classify all your problems, issues, and challenges from Chapter 1 into the three categories of transformational longing: condition, circumstances, and being.
Chapter 2 discusses talks about having a mission and the transformation along that journey. For more context:
“. . . there are three different types of transformation. When a thirsty man drinks, he transforms his condition. When a poor man hits the lottery, he transforms his circumstance. And when Mr. Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning an utterly new man, he has experienced a transformation of being. All three types of transformation are necessary. It is only when we try to replace one type of transformation with another that we get into trouble.”
I will do my best to articulate a response based off of what I believe to comprehend.
My mission as a coach is to be the best at what I do in order to create an experience for my student-athletes. An experience can differ based on individual, some will be more invested from a development standpoint, while others could find satisfaction from being a part of something bigger than themselves. I want to be able to be in a position to serve all of their ambitions while breeding a culture of competitive success. In order to have sustainable success that creates experiences, develops young men, and fosters winning habits I believe that consistency as a leader is imperative.
See Previous Chapter 1 Issue and/or Challenge – Consistent Leadership
Struggling to relate my challenges to the ‘Transformational Longing’ reference in this chapter. So, I will put it this way and hope that they connect in some capacity.
My Transformation of Condition
I want invested athletes.
Therefore I create my practice plans, scouting reports, in-season activities with the intention of fueling those that care. A consequence is that it can lead to doing too much, essentially overloading the invested and boring the hell out of the hobby participant. By applying all of those methods of handouts, weekly newsletters, or film sessions I find satisfaction in demonstrating my commitment. Hoping that it will become contagious. Consequently, I can feed them so much information that I can get frustrated how much doesn’t stick. I struggle to relate to the lack of retention.
My Transformation of Circumstance
If it isn’t this job, then it will be the next job.
My coaching career has been one year to the next. Learning from previous circumstances and transferring it into the next opportunity. Thinking that each spot will present a new experience, that can either allow me to run away from challenges at the previous place or naively think new will be different.
My Transformation of Being
Understood this concept the least. Each day I attempted to press refresh.
For the most part, I tried to focus on being ‘plus one’ every day – indicating that our guys got one day better today. That wasn’t always the case, but on gamedays sitting at a losing record I still went into it with the hope that they would be better than before and competitive enough to win. Unfortunately, I think my frustration grew threw constant hiccups in discipline or competitive effort that my elasticity of support wavered as the season progressed.
Again, not sure if I completely grasped the meaning behind this chapter. However, I think one of the most important concepts was identifying what is most integral to YOU in coaching. Referring to having a mission, what is it that you are trying to accomplish as a coach? And along with that journey what influences shape how you continue to evolve attempting to accomplish that mission. The successful mission is predicated on your malleability and resolve. The transformations that occur are your adaptations to those challenges.
Someone tell me how wrong I am, add some comments below that may maybe provide some clarity to this cloudy perspective of mine.
Coach's Climb 