My goal through this series is to challenge you coaches to think of yourselves as more than coaches and grow yourselves into leaders.
Your personal leadership is ultimately your DNA to greatness.
To reiterate from last months piece, I believe coaching is about the X’s and O’s and leadership is all about the people. We have the title of coach, but we have the responsibility of a leader. We certainly need to be adept at the coaching and it can win games, but it is in the leadership that we win championships.
Antonio Conte, the celebrated Italian soccer coach now with Tottenham Hotspur of the British Premiership, said it well:
“The word coach has to encompass everything. You can’t only be good at tactics, just as you can’t only be good at motivation, just as you can’t only be good from a psychological point of view, just as you can’t only be good in how you manage the club and the media. You have got to try and excel at everything. To do this you have got to study and since I became a coach, it has been continuous study.”
This requires work – a lot of work, as well as a strong commitment to your craft, on a daily basis.
Successful leaders think differently. They are extremely intentional about where they are and where they want to go, and they think strategically about how they can get there. As leadership expert, John Maxwell says time and time again, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
Maxwell has developed the proven paradigm titled, The 5 Levels of Leadership. I believe these five levels are applicable to a hockey coach and their journey to being a leader.
- Coach to Leader Series: An Introduction
- Level 1 – Position (Rights) – people follow because they have to
- Level 2 – Permission – (Relationships) – people follow because they want to
- Level 3 – Production – (Results) – people follow because of what you have done for the organization/club
- Level 4 – People Development – (Reproduction) – people follow because of what you have done for them
- Level 5 – Pinnacle – (Respect) – people follow because of who you are and what you represent
Today we will delve into Level 1 – Position – ‘Position is a poor substitution for influence’
Position is the lowest level of leadership; it is the entry level. The only influence a positional leader has is that which came with the job title. The day you were named Head Coach or Assistant Coach is the day you became a positional leader.
This leadership is based on the rights that are granted to the job title. It has great responsibility no doubt, but the key here is to grow and study to move out of this level as quickly as you can, it is too easy to stay at this level and be complacent.
Remember, the job title is just the beginning of your coaching/leadership journey, and really it doesn’t require a whole lot of ability and effort, anyone can be appointed to a position.
Within this level are 3 Laws that govern the Positional Leader.
- The Law of the Lid – Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness
The key for our growth as a coach and growth as a leader is to raise our own personal leadership lid by growing and learning and investing in yourself daily. Ultimately, you cannot give that which you do not have. If you don’t grow and develop by raising your leadership lid, you are letting your team down and your influence will wane as a result.
- The Law of the Process – Leadership develops daily, not in a day
It isn’t something you can turn on and off in an instant, you have to pour into yourself every day and strive for consistency in your growth plan.
- The Law of Navigation – Anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a Leader to chart the course
So, you have become a Head Coach, now what? You have the title, and you have the position, now you must chart the course, set the vision of where you want to take your team. This is about bringing in the people around you to help with the process and doing the right thing today to get to the right destination tomorrow.
As mentioned at the outset of this, leaders think differently, and I want you to grow in your personal leadership so that you can think differently and not only view yourself as a coach. There is so much more to the role.
Remember, as stated before, you do not want to stay in Level 1 for too long.
Until next time… BE OUTSTANDING!!!
