How are we coaching the people who serve our organizations?
Throughout my teaching career I coached wrestling and a little football, but one year I coached baseball. That year, I was coaching some rambunctious 8th grade boys who only wanted to have fun and weren’t serious about practice or games. I was sharing my frustrations with a friend about their misbehavior and players not showing up for practices. Without hesitation, he looked me square in the eyes and said, you’re the coach, coach them up. I was furious because I wanted my friend to hear me and sympathize with me, I was mad because he was right. I have experienced that same feeling in other situations throughout my life. We think we’re mad because of what someone says to us, but in reality; we are mad at ourselves. These are the moments when the truth hits us right in the face.
If we lead an organization, we must understand that at the end of the day, we must move our people towards a set goal. The first difficulty is assessing what that goal is for everyone in the organization. That alone, is one of the most important details; how do we individualize goals and still meet the organization’s needs? Our next major step is assessing whether the people have bought into this plan or idea. We all have thoughts on what needs to occur or what direction we should head, and it should be no surprise that everyone believes in something different. When I was a kid my dad shared the phrase, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.’ This is truewith the individuals of our organizations. Once we can establish a direction and what parts we all play, we are set to dive into a plan for the organization.
Moving an organization and its people forward is how we keep providing the services needed in our communities. The big picture is the service of others, period! This includes the people of our organizations. Periodically, we need to evaluate what we offer for training and enrichment to the individuals of the organization. Bringing in outside sources and individuals that can enrich the current practices or show new ways of conducting business will keep our organizations fresh and relevant. An easy way to stay abreast to current practices is to offer an environment rich in idea sharing. We need to be willing to review all the past practices of an organization and determine if these practices are still appropriate for the times.
How do we coach everyone? We first must determine what each person needs. Its easiest to ask. When we choose to ask our people about their needs and learning plans, we unlock hidden potential for our people to assist the organization. People come with great ideas for their own enrichment and improvements. We offer them a path to self-improvement and potentially meeting their purpose or their why. If we invest in others, we open the door to improving our organizations and communities. This is a form of serves we often take for granted.
How do you align organizational goals with individual personnel goals?
What trainings or enrichment opportunities could you offer your people?
Is the environment of your organization open for idea sharing?
How are you planning for your enrichment and learning?
When it was pointed out years ago, that I was the coach, and it was my reasonability to correct the direction of a team; it stopped my complaining and gave we an opportunity to reset my mind. This has continued to play in my mind years later to remind me of the awesome responsibilities of a leader. We are all given a set of cards to play. We don’t always get the cards we want, but we still need to play the game and meet expectations. The people in our organizations are our teams, so let’s coach them. Thank you for checking in with this week’s post, please leave your comments below. I wish you a great week ahead, as you determine your team’s direction.
Steven C. Bucks- Leading Conversations
