Teaching and Coaching

By: John Cotter

United Parcel Service discovered that many of its managers fell short as coaches and teachers. When surveyed, only forty-eight percent of UPS employees gave their managers favorable marks for helping them develop new skills. Employees don’t naturally know how to coach without special training, and successful coaching takes more than technique, it also requires healthy personal relationships. David Maloney, vice president for development at Carnegie Mellon University, formerly coached the school’s basketball team. As a manager, he found himself missing the close bonds he once developed with his players.

Great coordinators, like great coaches, can tell their players that they’ve made a mistake without destroying the player’s motivation. John Wooden, the legendary former head coach of UCLA basketball, said, "A coach must prevent, correct or help, and not punish. He must make those under his supervision feel that they’re working with him rather than for him. He must be more interested in finding the best way rather than having his own way, and be genuinely concerned about his players."

Common Characteristics of Good Coaches

• They focused on the development of each player and held a personal stake in their success and well-being.
• They believed in constant improvement.
• They didn’t view success as an individual accomplishment and continuously communicated with everyone who could contribute to a player's performance. 
• They stressed honest, straightforward feedback, and modeled the qualities they demanded from others. 
• They remained uncompromising in their approach to discipline, preparation and practice, paying attention to the smallest detail. 
• They obeyed the rules of the game, but didn’t let the rules limit their thinking. 
• They felt personally responsible for the game's outcome, but not in a way that robbed their players of their own responsibilities. 
• They loved the game and considered coaching a privilege.

As Casey Stengal, the legendary coach of the New York Yankees, observed, "It’s easy to get the players, getting them to play together – that’s the hard part." Unless an organization knows how to foster collaborative relationships internally, it won't succeed at developing partnerships with suppliers and customers on the outside. These are the relationships that are key in determining an organization's long-term competitive capability.