Time to Reflect...
This blog will focus on being a reflection of the past season as I look back on some huge areas of
realisation and development this year as I continue on the everlasting journey of improving my
coaching practice and all the other facets that come with the day to day challenges that come
with working full time in sport. Here are my three main areas of reflection this season...
Leading from the shadows...
Having been a lead coach for 99% of my coaching career, this has been my first full year as an
assistant and safe to say it’s been a huge eye-opener and a massive learning curve, which I have
loved and which I needed in the past, I must admit, that ego has taken over at times in a lead role
to want to do everything on my own, or for myself. This new role has further uncovered my
appreciation for the staff around me and the contrast in types of people and personalities. Others
can add value in places where you naturally can’t and you have to be ok with that, and now, I feel
that I am. Maybe I have just grown up more to and matured. But I also feel that experiences in the last season have opened my eyes to this as well as reflecting on past season in more depth,
which, at the time I didn’t have the ability or maybe the correct mindset to use them experiences,
especially the negative ones, as instant opportunities to reflect and learn. I think, too often, I
buried them.
Helping the ‘penny to drop’
This is the hardest but most rewarding process of coaching. With some players it can be an
instant connection and just works from day one, and with other the process can take a little
longer, or potentially even longer than that as I have found out. The penny may drop with some
players years after you have coached them but I feel that I am experiences now to undertone that the process differs. I was watching the Netflix series ‘Last Chance U’ recently as I seem to do this when out of season. This is a must watch along with Coach Carter, Moneyball, The Last Dance Documentary, The Playbook and anything else that involved sport, working towards success, innovation and how champions live their lives. These programmes all have great lessons and messages. In Last Chance U, Coach Brown makes a statement to his players when try to get across why he endeavours to push them every day: ‘Hate me now, love me later.’ I believe this is a great way of looking at things and can help coaches to go the little bit further in trusting the process that we can all get caught up in at times sometimes lose a little faith. Every ounce of energy that we are putting in to helping a player will go somewhat further to helping the ‘penny drop.'
Find somewhere that you are appreciated...
Lastly, opportunities came to the for this year in the form of new job opportunities and these were tempting. So tempting that the decision to stay or go became a huge stress and burden at times as you go back and forth over ‘what is the right decision?’
In the end the decision cam from past experiences and having an understanding and an
appreciation of my current role, and also the environment I am in. The pull of another job and
people showing a want and a need for you skill set to move to another place of work and impact
them can massage your ego really well, and I will admit, it was a really nice feeling to be offered a job and was ever increasingly pulling me towards making the move. However, in the end, the
overpowering emotion and feeling of belonging helped me and persuaded me to stay. I enjoy
where I work, I’m appreciated and I enjoy going into work every day. Is that what everyone wants?
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