Where does a coach focus support?

With the Miami Dolphin regular season ending at 11-5, where does a coach focus his support? Even the home/loss record appears insignificant with a difference of 1, how would a coach know where to begin? You need to look at the details. If a coach approached improvement with a desired state that focused on just the Wins, will this provide enough information to produce results? I’m not sure, but I would not want to bet season tickets on that choice. Perhaps if the desired state focused on Takeaways then the goals can address skills related to when a defense forces a fumble or registers an interception. Improving a specific skill will eventually help with the W column.

Coaching: Nice or Helpful?

It is unfortunate that Randy Pausch’s death on last Friday led me to write this post, and I am fortunate that Randy Pausch’s life has led me to write this post.

While rummaging through the endless videos and blogs honoring Randy I found an article on mentoring by Professor Kirk Martini who shared his experience when he had Randy as a college mentor. The title of his paper reflects a belief that I have about mentoring and the relationship you have with your client, “Usually Nice, Always Helpful: A Mentor’s Approach”.

Kirk begins immediately with a belief statement that I know will rub some experienced coaches the wrong way. He starts, “Being a mentor is not about being nice, it’s about being helpful.” Now this does not mean that a coach must approach the client by providing cruel and unusual punishment, when providing support effective coaching behaviors such as building trust and effective communication skills must not be overlooked. Yet at the time of support a coach must be the one who should push the hardest, demand more, and irritate you the most. A Coach should know that as hard as he/she can push, reality will always deal a stronger blow. Kirk explains that while he felt relieved when his time with Coach Randy came to a close, he knew that “Randy understood my long-term future was more important than my short-term comfort.”

Would you rather have your coach as someone who is always nice, usually helpful or usually nice, always helpful?

Who is on your Induction Team?

Thinking about who should be on your team? Is just wanting to be there to offer support enough?

Watching the Dolphins develop their roster for the new year made me wonder about their strategy to determine who should be on the team. It was obvious that Dolphin’s owner Wayne Huizenga wanted a leader of football operations by hiring football legend Bill Parcells. The next few weeks the Dolphin’s administrative staff evaluated each player (and coach) and assessed their value and future on the team. One player I believed to have a future with the team was running back Lorenzo Booker. I was shocked to hear of his trade. What I have learned is that even though he emerged as a valuable player, he was limited to being just a third-down receiver on short passes. It was determined that the team needed a player with more depth.

When building their team it takes more than to be just productive and valued, you need to have a purpose for the good of the group.

Avoiding Relapse

Not during this lifetime did I expect to think addiction and rehabilitation had anything to do with Induction.

As Induction in Broward County is not a “one-shot orientation”, but systems of processes embedded in all that we do to grow as educators; recovery is just not a “one-shot stint of rehab”, but a system that draws upon beliefs, values, and collaboration that focuses on new learning.

When attempting to make a change in your life, Dr. Drew from VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” points out that “Creation of Change” and “Sustainability of Change” are two completely different and equal components of growth. He not only introduces new choices in life, new approaches in decision-making and problem solving, but also prepares the patient to identify support systems that will reinforce the new paradigm after the doctor has left.

It appears that without a plan to sustain the new behavior, the creation of change might just be an exercise of futility.

The Devil Needs Induction

I am not going to bother you with a complete synopsis of the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”, but the story tells the professional adventure of Andrea, whose greatest dream is to become a journalist

This was not my first choice of film (nor my second), and I managed to watch the entire film and publicly state that it was “OK”. Translation= Pretty good for a rental.

The hook for me was the trials of Andrea’s first job: the weak orientation and and the lack of new hire support. This is a classic non-example!! If you have seen the movie, what areas of Orientation and Induction need improvement?

Instructional Coach Jedi Master

I was only nine when I first learned the way of the Jedi, and almost thirty years later there seems to be a lot more to learn. As I discovered the Jedi mentoring principles (see below), I wondered if George Lucas participated in HRD’s Induction Site-based Professional Development event.

1) Though some small Force abilities may be instinctive or learned from experience, to become a powerful Jedi you must train. For a student to learn skills at a more advanced level, he/she must be trained by a mentor. Training with a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master is the fastest way to learn and a Jedi trainee may also have multiple mentors in their lives.

2) A Jedi Master is extremely experienced in the ways of the Force. A Jedi Master can function as a teacher or a mentor. A Jedi Knight, although he knows the Force, still has much to learn.

3) When training with a teacher, the student gains the benefits of the experience and insight, which that teacher has to offer. The teacher knows what works and what doesn’t. He/she knows a proven method of learning because he has already been a student. Without a teacher, a Jedi student is at a severe disadvantage.

If you missed Star Wars on the big screen, from September 12 to December 31, the original Star Wars trilogy is available on DVD.