Coaches lead their players onto the field and then put their teams in the best position to win. Managers are typically the last ones out of the tunnel, then walk to the sidelines to put the equipment in its proper place.
It boils down to area of focus. Coaches emphasize the person while managers attend to the problems. Equipment, facilities and schedules are managed. Champions are led.
Vince Lombardi, with five NFL championships and two Super Bowl wins, knew a thing or two about leadership. He understood that leaders aren’t born. Leaders are chiseled out of the timeless granite of focus, dedication and the “hard effort,” required “to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
Sports provides a great view of the action where five of the best traits of leadership play out larger than life.
- Honesty. Legendary hockey coach Herb Brooks was known for his honesty. He told his gold medal-winning Olympic team that the name on the front of their uniforms (USA) was “a hell of a lot more important” than the player names on the back. His players, each superstars in their own right, connected with his honesty and trusted their coach.
- Confidentiality. Confidentiality is so important in coaching relationships that it has its own section in the International Coach Federation’s Code of Ethics. Unless it violates ethical rules, confidentiality is a lot like Las Vegas: what happens in private meetings stays there. Period.
- Commitment. Both coach and player must commit. Too often the instructor plays the passive-aggressive role of a manager, barking out commands from the sidelines when mistakes are made. That’s not how coaching works. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is committed to his players and, even with four Super Bowl trophies and more than 220 wins, the team pursuit of excellence through preparation.Take, as an example, his relationship with outside linebacker Barkevious Minko. Traded to the Patriots from the Browns, Minko made that commitment a two-way street. He flew directly to Charlotte after being traded in order to meet his new teammates and coaches. A different man might’ve been tempted to fly back home to Cleveland, get his stuff, then saunter into Foxboro later. Belichick characterizes Minko as a “work in progress” but recognizes Minko’s commitment and intends to chisel him into a leader.
- Humor. Dallas Cowboys legendary coach Tom Landry always sought perfection, even if it meant running a bootleg play himself, just to demonstrate the technique to quarterback Roger Staubach. As retold in the book Press Box Perspective, because of an old knee injury, Landry’s run downfield was more “limp” than sprint. But it was effective, so Captain Comeback gave it a try. Roger “the Dodger” Staubach took the snap and ran to the end…limping the entire way. The whole place burst out laughing, even Landry. He knew that telling – or graciously receiving – a joke raises morale and cuts tension.
- Rejection. There may come a time when the coaching relationship has served its purpose. Perhaps the mentee is moving in a different direction. Maybe you are. It’s okay to break up. In fact, many medal-winning Olympic athletes believe there is a “shelf life” on successful coaching. Stability can become stagnation. Gymnast Gabby Douglas switched coaches in 2014 in her Olympics comeback quest then earned a team gold medal in Rio. The net-net? Don’t hang on too long if it’s not working.
Want to be a great coach? These five qualities are a good place to start.