The Revolution In American Education
“Top Twenty Teachers”
Chapter 15
Top 20 Coaches
By: Ramiro Daniel, Leticia Chavez and Jacqueline Padilla
Success = Good Results + Good Ride
Top 20 Coaches are always aware of the
Ride and keeping a watchful eye on how a
team operates. Awareness of how
participants conduct themselves when
they are not participating.
Basic Change Model
Typical Bottom 80 responses are to change nothing, change
what we do or blame. These are things that keep coaches
awake in the middle of the night.
Three Rights: R = R+
Some times, coaches might be right, but there is always more
to the story. Read the Story of Tom and the basketball team.
His judgment and lack of curiosity created an embarrassing
experience for him and a disappointing experience for his team.
Paradigm Shifts: Seeing Things Differently
The ability to ask others how they see it is a valuable tool.
However, this tool is rarely used by coaches.
Top 20 coaches ask for help. They know that no two people
think alike and have the same perspective.
Openness, humility and willingness allows one to see more and
make a positive difference.
Life Looks Different:
Top 20 coaches are aware of their thinking, especially in a
battle. They are wary of their thinking and decision making
when they go below the line. This is important when game
officials and players’ parents are present in a game.
Read the True Tales about Willow and Tom
Decisions Become Messes
Coaches get many invitations to go below the line.
Tom cleaned up some of the mess after the officials gave him a
technical foul, filed a compliant with the state league office.
However, years later, some people still base their opinion of
Tom on below the line.
Communicating “You Matter”
A student’s name, voice and sense of belonging are vital in the
classroom including in any co-curricular activity. Top 20
leaders need to be sensitive of how they treat each student.
Some players will get preferential treatment when it comes to
playing, awards, or media attention.
Every student’s name and voice must be honored to ensure that
they have an equal feeling of worth and belonging.
Messages from the Circumference:
Many coaches are not aware of the impact of their messages
toward students. What we intend to communicate may be very
different from the impact of our message.
Read the True tales about Willow’s team.
For example: If a drama director rolls her eyes at a high school
actor during a rehearsal, that message immediately becomes a
Not-Good-Enough Belief.
• Throwing his hands into the air in disgust
•
Gestures and facial expressions
The Bamboo Tree: Persistence
Coaches need to persistently use encouraging words
because so many negatives messages exist in a
student’s world.
• Tops 20 coaches know that persistence will pay off
• Continued belief will eventually produce positive
results
Help Others Succeed:
• This life skill is probably even more teachable outside the
classroom than inside.
• One important lesson to teach students is how to help
teammates succeed.
•
After a game, coaches or team members will point out
positive things about the game and individual achievements.
•
Top 20 coaches will take it a step higher by asking students
to provide him/her with an example of how one of the
members helped another teammate succeed in the game.
Honor the Absent:
Nothing is more harmful to the emotional safety of a group
than the dishonoring of its absent members.
Dishonoring Example: “Tim’s gone again…third time this
month. Obviously he doesn’t care about this team.”
Honoring Example: “Tim’s gone again…third time this month.
I’ll give him a call and see if he’s okay.”
Coaches have a unique advantage over teachers when it comes
to teaching young people about listening and focus levels.
Example: Students might not want to be in a math class, but
they probably attend basketball practice by choice.
Once a young person has discovered the pitfalls of Life on My
Mind, Judgmental, Distracted and Processing, this awareness
can make a great difference on his concentration, focus, and
ultimately his performance.
Coaches should utilize the rainouts, late buses, and awkward
gym times to teach Listen to Understand concept to young
people.
Youngsters involved in co-curricular activities constantly fail or
make mistakes.
They miss shots in basketball, commit errors in baseball, etc.
A coach’s response in these situations is powerful, especially
because these are public events.
A pat on the back or supportive comment will help deal with
mistakes more productively.
Participating in debate, tennis or mock trial
will most certainly challenge young people
and provide confusing situations for them.
We must learn to celebrate confusion as a
learning process. We must encourage them,
by saying , “It’s okay. You just don’t get it
yet. The only way to get it is to keep going.”
Learning In the Moment and After the Fact
Young people learn, make connections and get insights in
different ways. Some participants need just one or two
repetitions to learn; others may require numerous repetitions.
What’s in it for me ? STAR Qualities!
Star qualities are those powerful intangibles that help us deal
effectively with life’s challenges.
Persistence, teamwork, optimism, self motivation.
Top 20 leaders know when a tornado watch is in effect.
o
o
o
o
After a tough loss, especially if controversial officials’ calls were
involved.
After a game where many players did not have the opportunity to
participate.
After one player is acknowledged with media attention or an all
conference award.
During a pre-season or post season meeting with parents.
It is vital to take the necessary time to deal with these situations head
on.
Above or Below the Line
Resolution requires our best thinking, not our worst. Therefore , we
will often be more effective if we deal with the conflict later when we
are Above the Line rather than now when we are Below the Line.
Number one key is effective communication with parents.
When coaches monitor themselves and behave in a way that expresses
positive values, they set up successful future next time experiences
with officials.
Becoming Aware of our Power To Make Choices:
As coaches, if we pause between the hit and the reaction, we are more
likely to insert what we truly value into the situation and get better
results.
Top 20 Coaches young and old need to seek continual
improvement, both personally and professionally.
Kaizen is what distinguishes great coaches from good
coaches.
Humility is the first step to kaizen. Being curious and
wanting to grow personally and professionally.
“Strive for Excellence”