There was a post from the AVCA blog (no longer available) that offered some advice from administrators to coaches. It was about how we can grow as professionals away from the court. There were some valuable ideas, especially for college level coaches. In this post I want to speak to a general concept that came from the article.
Administrators don’t just care about what you do on the court.
I alluded to this in the When winning doesn’t matter post. Let me go a bit deeper here.
Management of an organization, like a school or a club, thinks mainly in terms of that larger organization. Yes, they definitely narrow their focus from time to time to concentrate on one specific team. Generally speaking, though, they spend their days working on more collective things.
At least it’s supposed to work that way. Often it doesn’t, however, because of issues at the team level.
This is something we need to keep in mind. Our job as coaches is to direct our program to the benefit of everyone in it. The management of the broader organization (Athletic Director, Club Director, etc.) is there to direct things in a way that benefits the whole organization. The degree to which you contribute to and/or detract from that will influence your job security, recommendations for future positions, etc.
So, first and foremost we don’t want to be a source of problems – especially problems without solutions. Don’t be a complainer. I’m sure you hate having players like that. Flip that around and think about how your boss would feel if all you do it gripe about things.
Second, find ways to contribute to the organization outside your team/program. Obviously, our first priority is to make sure things are operating well with our players, staff, etc. If we really want our administration to think well of us, though, we need to find ways to help out with bigger picture things. That means going above and beyond our assigned duties.
If you want a long, positive career – either with a single institution or with a strong set of references to carry with as you move up the ladder – keep these two things in mind.
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One Response
Love this post as I do exactly make this effort all the time. I don’t do it for promotion. I do this for the better of the organization. I my previous job as JV coach of a HS, I come across articles that not only benefit the volleyball program, but any athletic program. Besides sending to the Head Coach and coaching staff, I send to the Athletic Director. He then decided if sharing with all the coaches in the department is worth it. Once she sent it to an article I passed on to the principal who then shared it with the teaching staff and school administration board. That definitely felt really good, as I felt I this was in an effort to help the school as a whole.
Keep ’em coming. I ready all of these.
KD