In our Coaching Effectiveness class our task is to create a 5 minute video on our Coaching Philosophy. We are supposed to talk about our Mission, Vision and Values. In order to do this I made a list of the 10 most important values that I personally feel are important to me.
- Family
- Friends
- Health
- Happiness
- Honesty
- Equity
- Fairness
- Sustainability
- Longevity
- Passion
Although the order of importance might change depending on what stage my life is at but I think that these points capture what I personally value in my selfs and others. Recognizing that Family, Friends and Health are my top 3 values always guides me in developing my own career and life goals.
When I first started coaching most of my values were much attached to winning and creating the best performing program possible. Over the last 10 years that has shifted significantly since I realized how much more important all the other factors are to the development of a person. Personal growth will be at the core of my coaching philosophy. It will be my mission to help athletes to personally grow as an person and become not just better at athletics but life in general.
Wade Gilbert explains in his book “Coaching Better Every Season” when creating your coaching philosophy you have to understand who you are as a coach and person. Secondly you have to know your athletes and last but not least you need to understand your Sport. These 3 pillars are important will guide me in the creation of my Philosophy. I have created a 1 page philosophy outline when I attended the Advanced Coaching Diploma and some of my values are reflected in the outline but some are not. However when it comes to the implementation of the Philosophy I think I still have much room to grow. I will expand and elaborate on my current Coaching Philosophy that will then reflect a more holistic approach. I’m looking forward to formalize and organize my thoughts and then clearly communicate to my athletes and assistant coaches.
Hi Ueli,
It’s so refreshing to see your values reflect being a “good person” and not just a “winning coach”. Do you think any of your change in coaching philosophy is connected to the group of athletes you are working with now (para athletes)? I feel as though any change in athlete group can/would alter your coaching philosophy (e.g. switching from FUNdamentals coaching to HP coaching etc.) and I wonder what impact your journey through coaching has had.
It would be an interesting exercise to compare the final product of your coaching philosophy video with your 1-page philosophy from the ACD.
-Chris
Hi Chris,
For your comment. Indeed I think my philosophy has changed from the begnnings to toady and I anticipate it will change as I develop as a Coach. I think the coaching philosophy is something that is evolving as we grow and for sure the type of athlete (environment) we coach in. I would not say that it is just because I coach Para Athletes that’s why want to see more of a holistic outlook to sport. I believe that sport is a tremendous tool for personal growth and giving some body guidance, dreams and goals in life.
Great idea about comparing my 1 pager with what is coming out on my presentation. I feel it’s going to be more elaborate and holistic then the one I did 5 years ago for our advanced coaching diploma.
Being a parent with my 2 kids (5 years and 8years) for sure has influences how I see coaching and sport and I’m starting to realize how hard it is to be a parent and that parents in the end just want their best for their kids when participating in sports and winning is so secondary. My kids are not involved in any competitive sports yet and I might change my opinion on this again though (:
Hi Ueli,
So true. My kids are too young to be in competitive sports yet but I can easily see how it will change my perspective on coaching when they get there! Maybe an interesting future blog post to compare your two coaching philosophies?
Hi Ueli,
I like your 10 “most important values”. You mention the influence your kids have had on your coaching philosophy. It reminds me of something that Shaunna said at our class sessions at UBC. She was commenting on how she approaches and views coaches that are coaching her kids, and how to her, the most important thing, and I’ll paraphrase, is “how that coach will make her kids feel about themselves”. That certainly resonated with me, perhaps watching your own kids enter sport for the first time brings back memories, and widens your adult view to what the purpose of sport is. Your values #3,6,7, and 8 have jogged my memory regarding reflections from this summers Canada Summer Games, that I think might be a blog post for me….
Thanks Kevin,
I’m interested to hear what your blog post on Equity, Fairness and Sustainability will be. I’m still breaking my head over how to present my Coaching Philosophy in a Video. I feel there are so many factors playing into my role as a coach and looking at the full picture coaching really depends on the situation you are in. I feel the challenge is to nail down the most important values that can be applied in any situation. We often start out with thinking that everything is going to be awesome and great but often reality presents challenges and the values we have should guide us. Also having a shared vision sometimes can be an issue as not everybody has the same values of getting to the end vision. I’m really looking forward to view everybody Philosophy and discuss the challenges that come with it.
Ueli, thanks for the reflection. Does one’s philosophy change? That is an interesting discussion in your comments. In my opinion, your values probably stay the same, however, as you point out values can also fit into categories. Core values are the ones that you hold most deeply, whereas, situational values may waiver depending on the context. Your list of 10 values are impressive, but I would question which ones are core and which ones are situational. Like you, family is a core value for me and having children has reinforced this value.
Perhaps the hardest part of one’s philosophy is finding a vision or purpose. What does you really see in the future and can you paint a compelling picture of what this looks like? My vision is to legitimize the role of coaches in Canada. That is something that drives me in my career. This said, I often wonder whether that vision would be present if I left my career. I think that there will always be a piece of me that advocates for coaches. The mission, or how one gets to the vision, can change depending on the path and the context that one finds oneself. However, for me there are likely core principles that guide my mission like; education, advocacy; and professionalization. How each of these are “lived” is key to our interactions with others and being consistent with our philosophy.
I often use the analogy that leadership is like the air we breath. In everyday life we may not notice how leadership (or the smell of the air) affects us. Good leadership cannot be seen, yet it is something we feel or sense. The point here is when the air (leadership) goes sour it can be uncomfortable on the senses. Hence we really don’t get a sense of leadership until it goes bad! I think it is similar to our philosophy. When things align to our philosophy we flourish and do not think about it that much, however, when our philosophy is challenged, that is where we take notice and usually feel uncomfortable. So I guess if you were to present you philosophy, it might be good to address how one feels or could feel. Anyway, just a thought.
Thanks for your input David,
I think you have touched on something important that I have been ignoring during my last couple of years. As I’m progressing in my HPCTC I’m starting to understand where my gaps are. In fact ever since Rio I have had a bit of a identity/vision crisis and that probably was one of the reason why I enrolled into the HPCTC to find back on having this vision. Before Rio it was my vision to get Nova Scotian Para Athletes on the national team and get them to the Paralympics. Over 8 years of coaching 10 athletes from Atlantic Canada made it to a national team level and 2 of them ended up making the Paralympic Team in Rio placing 4th and 5th. The one athlete that I had been working with for over 5 years now leaving to Ontario and work with another coach who is a good friend of mine. Just before she made her move we had a meeting and I asked her for her honest feedback. We have a really good relationship and she is pretty open and direct with me. She told me that after Rio she felt that I was not as enthusiastic and committed to the program and that I spend more time going camping with my family and she felt let down. Initially that really surprised me and I felt somehow offended. However I took some time to reflect since and she is right…..Since Rio the fire is gone and I need to have a new vision. My Core Values are Family, Friends, Health and Happiness. So I guess the task for this year is to find this “new vision” and see where I want to be for my selfs and for my program. I really enjoyed being the Head Coach for the Provincial Athletics Team for the Canada Games but I was doing this as a volunteer and it is not sustainable. My hope is to get involved with the National Para Athletics Team or be able to offer my Expertise to other Sports. I do believe in the power of sport and what it can do for people. So I guess my greater vision is to develop people to become the best they can be. It’s a journey and I’m very much looking forward to where it will take me I just need to find that right path.