It is too easy for us to focus on what we CAN’T do or what is NOT happening. We tend to look at how much better something can be rather than appreciating how good it is at that moment and building off of that. Let me give you an example.

We started something at my school this year that has the opportunity to grow into something pretty exciting. Last spring I was talking with a couple of our more experienced coaches, and one of the things we discussed was how young/inexperienced our coaching staff was as a whole. We were brainstorming ways in which some of us more “seasoned” coaches could invest in the younger ones. The hope was that we could find a way to help them grow professionally while showing them that we valued them. We were hoping that by investing in our staff, we could build buy-in/loyalty and curb the turnover that is all too common in the coaching world.

We tossed around the idea of putting together a leadership class for our coaches, so I started working on it over the summer. In September our “Coaches Leadership Academy” was born.

There are two parts to the Coaches Leadership Academy that we have put together for this year. We meet once a month to hear from a guest speaker, and our district leadership has stepped up to help us. Our superintendent, one of our assistant superintendents, our athletic director, and both of our assistant athletic directors have either already spoken at one of our meetings, or they have agreed to come speak in the spring. We are also doing a book study together. This year we are reading through “Legacy” by James Kerr (What an incredible book!). To facilitate that book study and honor everyone’s time, we have set up an online forum where we answer three or four discussion questions before gathering for our monthly meetings. It has been great to see the thought and effort that goes into some of our coaches’ responses.

Now that you have some idea about what we are doing, let me loop back around to where this post started. I was discussing our Coaches Leadership Academy with one of my buddies one day earlier in the fall, and as he was asking me questions, it was so tempting to focus on what was not happening or how much better it could be. For example, we only have about 11 or 12 coaches out of our entire coaching staff that have really committed to going through the Leadership Academy with us this year. Also, some might argue that the ones who are going through it with us are the ones who need it the least. My buddy brought that up, and he doesn’t even know anyone on my campus. His line was, “The ones who need it the most probably won’t come.”

If I let myself think that way, it would be easy for me to feel like I have failed. However, as I was talking to my buddy, I told him that I was not going to allow myself focus on what I could not control. I am not forcing coaches to participate. All I can do is put it together and offer it up. If we have 12 coaches committed to it, they are going to get the best I have to give. If the youngest and least experienced coaches on our staff decide not to be a part of it, that’s fine. Our athletic programs will still benefit because the coaches that are there each month will take what they have learned back to their offices and share it with the rest of the coaches on their respective staffs. More importantly, they will be sharing these lessons with our student-athletes.

We have to fight against falling into the trap of focusing on our shortcomings. Instead, we should focus on doing all of the good that we can do while we have the opportunity to do it. If we do that, great things can happen. I’ve been reading and listening to guys like Gary Vaynerchuk (@GaryVee on Twitter) and Joshua Medcalf (@JoshuaMedcalf on Twitter), and one of the things that they emphasize is doubling or tripling down on our strengths and forgetting about our weaknesses/shortcomings. There’s a lot to be said for that.  I will acknowledge that it can be a tough mind-shift for coaches because it runs so contrary to the way we have been brought up in sports. I wrestle with it every day, but I’m growing through it. I would definitely recommend looking into some of the content these guys are putting out. It’s excellent (and challenging) stuff.

Our Coaches Leadership Academy story, while there are still four more meetings to be had this year, is starting to seem like it is going to have a happy ending (or should I say beginning?). Word has started getting out across our school district. I have had coaches from multiple campuses reach out to find out about what we are doing with the Coaches Leadership Academy. Also, a couple weeks ago our athletic director gave me the green light to start putting together a curriculum and a plan to expand it to include all 10 of the high schools and 16 middle schools in our district next year. I’m glad I didn’t allow myself to dwell on my “failures.”

Be faithful in the small things. You never know which one might, as Steve Jobs once said, “send a ripple right through the universe.”

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading this post. I hope you found some value here that made it worth your time.

By the way, If you have not ever read “Legacy” by James Kerr, you have to check it out. I bought it on the Kindle app for less than two dollars! No excuses! You won’t regret it!