The following contains excerpts from the book, The Little Book of Coaching (Ken Blanchard, Don Shula).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. At the top of understanding how relationships work is the subject of Leaderhsip.
In this book Blanchard enlists the aid of his colleague, legendary football coach Don Shula, to highlight principles of leadership, revealing the mindsets a coach should have in bringing his players to their highest potential.
The book is divided into five sections, creating an acronym from COACH:
Conviction-driven: Never compromise your beliefs
Overlearning: Practice until it’s perfect
Audible-ready: Know when to change
Consistency: Respond predictably to performance
Honesty-based: Walk your talk
Conviction-driven
“You can’t be a successful leader if you don’t have a clear idea of what you believe, where you’re headed, and what you’re willing to go to the mat for…Beliefs are what make things happen. Beliefs come true. Inadequate beliefs are setups for inadequate performance. And it’s the coach’s- the leader’s- beliefs that are the most important, because they become self-fulfilling.”
“It is exceedingly important for a leader of any organization to communicate his or her vision constantly to ensure that there is no doubt about the direction a team is heading. Week in and week out, the difference between success and mediocrity is often how deep an organization’s leaders can get that vision to inspire people to be their best.”
“Character is the sum total of what you believe and how you act.”
“You win with good people. It is just as important as ability…in today’s world, if you want to be successful, you need to have people of character who act according to the vision and values you believe in. If you don’t have people who have the inner character you want, you’re constantly distracted. And in today’s world you can’t leave character to chance.”
“The crux of a mission statement is identifying what it is you enjoy so much that you lose track of time when you’re doing it…You can achieve greater success in your responsibilities as a leader when your mission statement keeps reminding you of your passions while making important decisions regarding your career and your people.”
Overlearning
“Remember, there is no easy walk to excellence…The best of the best know that there is no such thing as a shortcut. All great results are built on the foundation of practice and preparation.”
We train students at our music school in Odessa, Texas how to prepare deeply in core competencies that give them the ability to function successfully in whatever artistic endeavor they may pursue.
“When players have absolutely no doubt about what they’re supposed to do or how to do it, they thrive on pressure.”
“The way leaders, coaches, managers, or parents treat people is powerfully influenced by what they expect of people.”
“More important than setting the goals is the follow-up – attention to detail, demand for practice perfection, and all the things that separate the teams that win from those that don’t. All good performance starts with clear goals, but it’s the day-to-day process of observing and monitoring your team’s performance that makes the critical difference in the end.”
“If your people are worrying about what they should be doing, they have a tendency to hold back.”
“Perfection happens only when the mechanics are automatic.”
“There’s no such thing as a small error or flaw that can be easily overlooked.”
Audible-ready
“Part of readiness is the ability to shift your game plan at will, as a battlefield commander who has the guts to make the right moves in the heat of combat. Prepare well with a plan- then expect the unexpected and be ready to change that plan. As a leader you must preserve the right to change plans- even to change them at the last moment- as circumstances may dictate.”
When students at our music school in Odessa, Texas have assimilated core competencies, they then add to that the ability to adapt at will, using those same competencies. Understanding music theory, scales, and other pattern-based exercises gives the student the tools they need to stay flexible.
“Audibles aren’t surprises- just new ways of doing what you already know how to do.”
“Good coaches listen to their staff, and once they’ve heard all of the important information, they’re prepared to make the best decisions under any circumstance.”
Consistency
“With great coaches, the treatment of individuals is predictable. Their focus is always on getting people to be their best. Their consistency is legendary….It’s not the mood they’re in but people’s performance that dictates their response.”
“A wining coach can’t afford to let the little things go unnoticed because that often spells the difference between success and failure.”
Teachers at our music school in Odessa, Texas make it a priority to give their students constructive feedback in an encouraging way to help the student immediately adjust to corrections that help them grow and stay on course to mastery of their craft.
“Spreading out praise so that every contributor receives attention, especially those unsung heroes in some of the less visible positions, is vital to the unity of any team.”
“After you deliver a reprimand, it’s important for people to understand that you still value them as human beings.”
Honesty-based
“Finally, and maybe most importantly, champion coaches operate out of unquestionable integrity…They do not manipulate people. They are genuine and sincere. We promise you that you can only be at your best when you are being entirely authentic. That means you’re not trying to be anybody else. You are being true to your own character. You are being honest not just with other people, but with yourself as well. Remember, if you remain true to yourself, you cannot be false to anybody else…If you are honesty-based, you will not waste energy trying to be what you’re not, or try to cover your tracks because you keep telling people different stories. In fact, only by being honesty-based can you sustain high performance. People who are not honesty-based lose the game of life, because they lost the trust of the people around them. And the moment you lose other people’s trust, you lose everything.
“Victory if possible, integrity at all costs.”
One of the greatest gifts teachers at our music school in Odessa, Texas can give to their students is honesty and integrity. As a living example of these traits, teachers can inspire their students to live lives in which they can be honest with themselves.
“The number one characteristic people are looking for in a leader is integrity. More than anything else they want to be told the truth.”
“Never ask your people to do more than you are willing to do. As a coach, your own preparation for everything you do has to be exemplary. If you are dedicated to success and will do whatever it takes to achieve it, the rest of your team will be, too.”
“It’s not our skills or our know-how or our experience that makes the biggest impact- we are the main message!”
“Popularity is temporary. Respect is timeless.”
“The only way you can get respect is to earn it. Not by talking- but by having people see you doing things, time after time, that make sense to them.”
“As long as you have credibility, you have good leadership, and that’s something people can hang their hat on- something they can immediately believe and accept.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we maintain a culture of respect among teachers, parents and students. The successful combination of these elements provides the right ingredients for a winning team.
“Effective coaches confront their people, praise them sincerely, redirect or reprimand them without apology, and, above all, are honest with them. Dealing with others in a leadership capacity will test your character, especially if your roles are highly visible. You should expect the pressures and be ready for them by becoming transparent about what you believe, what’s good enough for you, and how you need to treat people in order get the job done.”