A Coaches Balancing Act

I married my basketball coach’s son. Yes, while this makes for a fun, juicy love story it isn’t my leadership message for today. I do, however, want you to see how close I am to the coaching world. I live in a coaching family, I was a coach, and I was a player who was coached from elementary school through my college years. As a parent, I have enjoyed being a spectator for my children’s sports, and I enjoy observing the relationship between a player and their coach.

I have always been amazed by the balancing act that is associated with the career of coaching other people’s kids. Right or wrong, there are 3 P’s that influence a coach’s world:

Players, Politics and Parents.

I think we’d all agree that the players should be the No.1 focus for the coach. Adding pressure and competing with this focus are the politics of who makes the team and who gets cut; who starts and who sits the bench; the win loss record; grades, practice time, and commitment levels, and so on. Then, yes, I’ve saved the best for last: the parents. Well, I am one, so I figure it’s politically safe for me to open this can! (more…)