Getting Better As A Coach

In what ways are you a better coach now then you were back then?

Somebody asked me that question recently in a conversation about coaching. After 13 years as a head coach, where we experienced both sustained, elite success and some awful losing seasons, how will I be better the next time I’m a head coach?

It’s a great question to think about, whether you are an assistant coach or a head coach. Every day you spend as a coach is an opportunity to get better, so now matter how long you’ve been doing it you should be better at it tomorrow than you are today.

One way I feel strongly that I have gotten better is in my approach to teaching and leadership. As a young head coach you are convinced that you are the person in charge, you have to set the tone and you tell the players what to do and they do it. But eventually I learned that leadership isn’t about you, it’s about them. Telling them what you want them to do and having them follow orders isn’t the best way to get the most out of your team.

I learned over time that I don’t want to give commands. I want to give intent. I don’t want to tell them what to do. I want to show them what we are trying to accomplish and teach them how to solve the problems to get us there. I don’t want to teach them how to jump through hoops. I want to develop problem solvers.

When I first started as a head coach I was telling the players what to do. Now I’m trying to teach them how to figure out what to do on the court.