Many coaches will say they want to be successful.
No they don’t. Not really.
They want to be successful again and again and again and again and again. They want to Sustain success and Always have a competitive program, winning athletes and quality players.
So how do you it?
How do you Sustain Competitiveness And Sustain Success?
There are FOUR simple rules to Sustaining Competitiveness And Success:
Rule 1: Make Sure You Are Accelerating Your Learning And Improvement As A Coach At A Faster Rate Than The Rate Of Improvement Of Your Athletes .
This is important. If an athlete or player comes to your program and says, “I want to be the best footballer, swimmer, sailor, runner, rower etc etc” – your own rate of development as a coach must be equal to or greater than that of the athlete.
It does not make sense any other way. Think of it in terms of school. Kindergarten teachers work with kindergarten kids. High school teachers work with high school students. University lecturers work with university students. At each level of development, the teacher (coach) must be able to provide learning opportunities appropriate to that level and be ahead of the student.
If an athlete wants to be the best – you must also strive to be the best OR….send them to another coach who is.
Rule 2: Develop And Maintain A Culture Which Can Support And Sustain Success
Lots of people talk about culture but few understand it. Bit like the engine in my new Honda – I tell lots of people about it but I doubt I could even change a spark plug – not sure it even has one!
A successful culture is one that encourages and embraces continuous improvement and one which provides opportunity for people to accelerate their rate of performance improvement through quality learning.
Does your culture attract people who can change, enhance and add value to your program or do you recruit people who will fit in, not rock the boat and merely maintain what you already do?
Sustaining success means recruiting and retaining “unreasonable people” who will challenge, change and champion new ideas and innovations.
Rule 3: Think Like A Futurist – Do Not Think About What Has Gone Before – Only What Is To Come.
Many people talk about the future but few see it, smell it, taste it and can bring it to life. Most people talk about the future in very limited terms – a future which is more or less an extension of what they are already doing.
Sustaining success means seeing the future clearly, communicating that vision to other people and working hard to bring it into existence SOONER than your competition.
Rule 4: Work Harder Than Anyone Else
Sorry – no short cuts.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Do what you love to do and commit everything you have to doing it. Only good can come from it”.
An important difference between those who want to succeed and those actually do succeed is plain, simple, consistent hard work.
Seeing the future is important: working hard to get there first is critical.
Wayne Goldsmith
