Have you ever been an assistant before?
As a leader, part of your responsibilities should include developing those around you. As a Head Coach, you should be focusing on developing your staff as well. For me, I was fortunate enough to have five of my assistant coaches become Head Coaches as well. In the #CJJblog this week, I give you some eight tips on how you can get your assistants from top assistant to top dog. Enjoy.
- Be curious. You don’t have all the answers. But, in many cases, your team members do. How often do you meet with your team members on-on-one? Are you asking the right questions? Ex: What is working? What is not working? What should we keep/stop doing?
- Vision. What is your vision? How are you developing it or changing it over time? How are you establishing your identity as a leader? Josh McDaniels (recently fired, former Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach) did not.
- Confidence. How is your humility? Do you actively seek the opinions and ideas of others? Find the best answer for the team, not your answer.
- Non-negotiables. Are these established and clear for your team? Make them: 1) Clear, 2) Consistent, and 3) Accountable (to yourself).
- Relationships. How do you build relationships with others on your team? To develop a trust plan, you must: 1) Align your words and actions, 2) Be truthful, and 3) Catch people doing the right thing.
- Culture. Build the culture consistently day by day by: 1) Caring simply, 2) Be a powerful story-teller, 3) Lead by example, 4) Inspire others, and 5) Be consistent with both your correction and praise.
- People. Are the right people in the right roles? Make sure your people are: 1) Talented, 2) Coachable, 3) Passionate, and 4) Selfless (we > me).
- Flexibility. As you step into a new leadership role, take a look at the current team and what is working. Try not to change things (or people) that will fit well into your vision and structure. Put your own flavor into it, but make sure you are utilizing everyone’s strengths.
Did You Know? Coach Jim Johnson will be speaking at a local basketball camp this weekend at Wayne High School here in Rochester, NY.
Life Tip #40: Focus on adding more disciplines to your life to become a more attractive person.
Deckard & Company