The Coach

My colleagues and I are searching for a new faculty member in our Business Department.

After reviewing resumes, conducting interviews and witnessing teaching demonstrations of prospective candidates,  my team and I come back to asking ourselves a basic question:  "what really is a great teacher?"

I realize hundreds of titles have been written on this subject.

But based on the great teachers I have witnessed both as a student, and as an instructor, I believe a truly great teacher resembles a great COACH.

That's right--a COACH.

I heard an instructor at a four-year school credit his students' success to the fact that he "

"...gets them (his students) to do the things they don't want to do--but will thank him later on for making them do."

Sounds like a coach.

A coach does more than just explain the rules of a game .  A good coach, a GREAT coach, a coach that consistently wins games does the following:

1.  establishes the direction and strategy of the game
2.  inspires his players to do their best--especially when those players don't believe they can
3.  has the guts to be brutally honest--especially with players that don't WANT to do their best
4.  enforces the rules of the game--in other words, no cheating, no shortcuts--ever.

Joe Newton, Joe Vigil, Tony Dungy, Vince Lombardi.

Different coaches.

Different sports.

But the SAME APPROACH to winning. 

An approach that applies to any leadership position.

The classroom.

The boardroom.

And in raising kids.

Perhaps, instead of another leadership book written by another leadership guru, or another manual discussing the latest teaching theories to reach Generation X or Y....

Or another parenting book on raising an honor student...

Perhaps we aspiring executives, teachers, and parents should peruse the SPORTS section of the library.

And read about the great coaches.

The coaches that made a difference.

To their game.

And to their players.

So we can learn to be "coaches" that make a difference.

To our games.

And our players--at work, at school, and at home.


AMJ