I’m a big believer in having clarity. Simply put, I like knowing why. I ask this question because I need clarity in my life, my family, my business, and pretty much everything I do. If I don’t have clarity, I have a hard time giving it my best. If I can gain clarity as to why, I’m able to give more energy and passion to the task at hand.
In his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” I hope everyone has had a coach that you’ve loved. I’ve truly been blessed to have a lot of incredible coaches. Looking back, a lot of them weren’t probably great technicians of the game, but they loved what they did and they did it with passion. They had a great WHY!
So when it comes to coaching, we need to ask why. We need to ask ourselves as coaches or parents why we do what we do. If you’re a coach and you don’t have a clear and direct answer to the question, “why do you coach?” You need to get clarity. I suggest taking time to write down your why. Make it part of your mission, vision, values of your coaching philosophy. Keep it in your coaching bag and remind yourself of it often. As a coach, you will get challenged and get asked why. Having clarity to why you coach gives your thoughts, actions, and words alignment and cohesion. Answering WHY gives us clarity to everything we do. We all make mistakes but if we can act, talk, and coach based on a positive WHY, we will be better for it.
I hope as you’re thinking about your answer to the question WHY, I hope part of your answer is because of the kids. A good coach coaches for those around them, not for themselves. Coaches need to be great leaders and show young people love, toughness, integrity, and responsibility. If your WHY revolves around just yourself, you’ve lost an incredible opportunity to positively impact your players. Make your why more about those around you and not so much about yourself.
Why do I coach? My answer to that question is simple. It’s because I believe it’s really really important. I’ve had great coaches that have positively influenced me and I believe I can positively influence others. I believe coaches are some of the most influential people on the face of the earth. A great coach can show love while teaching toughness. They can show grace while expecting responsibility. They have influence over the lives of millions of young people all over the world. The bottom line is coaches are incredibly important to young people.
As a coach you have incredible influence. That influence can be extremely positive and it could be extremely negative. If we have a positive WHY we can hopefully influence those around us in a positive manner. The point of all of this express how important you are as a coach. What you say, it matters. How you act, it matters. How you treat kids, it really matters. I don’t care if you’re coaching 5 year old T-Ball or coaching at the professional level, what you do really freaking matters. So answer your why. Treat your players well. Be impeccable with your word. Earn their trust and show them you care.
Thanks for reading,
Kyle Hanna
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