Coach Wooden has established four essential elements to being a successful coach:the coach as a philosopher, for example, as a teacher, and as a leader. Let's talk about what it means to be a teacher.
Related: John Wooden's Legacy of Leadership
An important characteristic of being an effective teacher is setting a good example. Consistent behavior provides an example, and it can only be produced if we have a philosophy that governs our actions. Without philosophy, our actions will lack coherence because they will simply be reactions to the behaviors of others.
The coach's philosophy guided his personal behavior. It created the example he set, which was his greatest teaching tool as a coach. One of Coach Wooden's favorite poems encapsulates this idea:
No written word
No spoken plea
Can teach our youth
What they should be.
Nor all the books
On all the shelves.
That's what the teachers
Are themselves.
In his book Practical Modern Basketball , Coach Wooden discussed the role of the coach as a teacher in the following way:
"Since the most important responsibility of a coach with regard to the real game is to teach correctly and effectively to his players in executing the various fundamentals of the game, he is first and foremost a teacher.”
The coach went on to explain the laws of learning:
“A fundamental must be explained and demonstrated, the correct demonstration must be imitated by the players, their demonstration must be constructively critiqued and corrected, then the players must repeat and repeat the execution of the appropriate pattern until the correct habit is achieved. trained to the point where they will instinctively react in the right way. »
Related: 5 Essential Lessons You Can Learn From Basketball
The Laws of Learning work environment can be beneficial. Sometimes we hastily give a team member an assignment with a deadline and walk away. We are disappointed when the work product does not meet our expectations. This delegation technique can be described as "drop and run" and it is a methodology that does not always produce desirable results.
The coach would warn us, "Be quick but don't hurry. »
"If you don't have time to do it well, when will you have time to do it again?" »
The first step in the laws of learning explanation is to communicate the purpose of the task, and sometimes how it fits into the big picture. This communication makes it possible to transform an employee into a member of the team. In the delegation/teaching process, it helps to feed our team members the corporate breakfast of champions:facilitating feedback. The simple question, "What are your thoughts?" will further energize team members as they begin to understand that they are really working with you, not for you. essential because they ensure that you and the team member are both on the same page.
The extra five minutes you spend following the laws of learning when assigning a task may seem like a lot in today's fast-paced trading environment. But the value of extra time is summed up in one of Coach's favorite quotes:"If you don't have time to do well, when will you have time to do it?" ”
Confucius presented a student’s perspective on the art of learning:“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. As the coach liked to say, "You didn't teach until you learned." »
Related: The Legacy of John Wooden is a Practical Guide to a Successful Life
