Coach like you’ve been there before

I glanced up at the Seahawks-Cowboys game just in time to catch Coach Carroll screaming in celebration after a touchdown. The Seahawks were winning for the first time in the game. After seeing the antics of Carroll on the sideline I immediately regretted my prediction of a Seahawks win. I sent out a text requesting to change my wager in a friendly bet even though the team I was betting on had just gone ahead.

Although there is some debate over attribution, most say it was Lombardi, I got thinking about the quote:

“When you get to the end zone … act like you’ve been there before.”

It was clear that Carroll was having great difficulty controlling his emotions. When emotions are running high it significantly compromises your ability to think. If the coach cannot contain his/her anxiety (excitement is a form of anxiety) it may negatively impact the performance of the players. In this case, the Seahawks lost the game.

According to Forbes’ global research: most people rate “coaching and developing others” among the top three most important leadership competencies. However, despite the rated importance of this critical competency, it actually scores as the lowest practiced competency around the world.

So what if you are a leader and have actually never “been there before”. How can you start to become more “coach-like” in your leadership presence? The next eight blog post will explore this question and the topic of coaching.

One way to show up like you have “been there before” is to develop skills on the practice field.

Think Leadership has partnered with APEGS to offer a “Coaching Skills for Professional Leaders” seminar.

Find out more by clicking here.

Photo by Andrew McFarlane