There are some unbelievable coaches out there. These are women and men who coach athletes at all levels who selflessly and intentionally use their sports as tools of transformation in the lives of those whom they serve. These coaches have impacts that are felt in significant ways for generations, as the young people whose lives they affect become parents, business people, community leaders and coaches themselves. It’s not a tough concept to understand: training those who will in turn train others.
In the past few months I’ve read a few books that tell the stories of coaches, both real and fictional, who journey on the path toward leading/coaching with the primary goal of being used to significantly change the lives of those whom they lead. I highly recommend:The Sacred Acre by Mark Tabb (about the late, legendary Iowa HS football coach Ed Thomas)
InSideOut Coaching by Joe Ehrmann (which I’ve mentioned in the past, but is certainly worth mentioning again)
All these books do a great job in their own way of inspiring us to lead with greater purpose and significance. They tell the story of people who coach or are learning to coach in a way that’s uncommon. (In fact, Tony Dungy has written a book called Uncommon about finding one’s ‘path to significance’). I think all these books have tremendous value and great ideas. And so now, here’s the thing….what would it look like if coaches like Tony Dungy, Joe Ehrmann, Ed Thomas, John Wooden and others like them weren’t uncommon? I mean no disrespect; those men are exceptional and their lives have changed people’s worlds forever.
What I mean is, what if coaches like those were the norm rather than the exception? What would happen in communities across this country if that was how nearly everybody coached? It would be unbelievable. This country would be turned on its ear, in really good, important ways. With the role that sports play in American society, having a majority of coaches who build legacies, lead for God’s sake, and coach from the inside out would alter the fabric of our nation.
There is some great research that indicates that roughly 95% of coaches at all levels “transact” (to use Ehrmann’s terminology) with their athletes. The ultimate goals of these coaches focus on winning, climbing a career ladder, etc. That doesn’t make them terrible people. Of course most of them aren’t. It doesn’t make them anything other than normal. And it makes coaches like the ones discussed earlier stand out as being uncommon and exceptional.
But I can’t help but wonder what would happen if 95% of coaches were intentionally transformational rather than transactional. What if the numbers were flipped? It would be outstanding, as so many young people in America would grow up much healthier, which would have a ripple effect for many, many generations. This idea is what I am praying for every day, and if you’re the praying sort, I hope you’ll join me.
80’s Lyric (close enough)
I’m in…Coach Bom