How To Be A 21st Century Parent

In case you missed the article about how parents were charged in a youth league baseball game, check out the following link: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6758108/colorado-parents-charged-youth-baseball-brawl.
This is an absolute tragedy to see parents take it to this level.  The sad part is that the kids are the ones who always suffer because they tend to grow up and parent the way they were or they end up quitting sports due to their parents.  How can we change the culture behind this?  The following are 7 helpful tips to relate to the 21st century child:

1.  Show Unconditional Love:  great parents base their relationship with their child on love not on athletic ability or performance.
2. Be Process Driven:  focus on development and process not talent or results.  Focus on work ethic and perseverance.
3. Control the Controllables:  teach your child to control the only two things they can: attitude and effort
4. Parent With The End In Mind:  understand that success is defined by what a child becomes, not wins and losses
5. Capture The Heart:  great parents are 3D and focus on capturing the heart of the child.
6. Speak Greatness:  great parents tell their kids what they can be by speaking greatness into them.  They don't berate them.
7. Behave Consistently Well: great parents are a model of what it means to lead morally during competition and at home.

Remember, a parents job is to work in concert with the Coach to help each child discover the greatness that is inside of them.

For more information on these and other helpful tips on coaching and parenting the 21st century athlete,  go to  http://www.coachesofexcellence.com/

Non-Negotiables Of A 21st Century Coach

Here are 7 areas on how to be a Difference Maker:

1.  Relationship Driven: Today's coach must realize that 90% of Motivation lies in Relationship not Fear.
2.  Values People Over Productivity: Today's players don't care what you know until they know you care about them.
3.  Show Unconditional Love: Great coaches make their players feel safe, secure, and significant every day.
4.  Coach With The End In Mind: Understands that success is defined by what a player becomes not wins and losses.
5.  Capture The Heart: Great coaches are 3-Dimensional and can capture the hearts of their players.
6.  Speaking Greatness: Great coaches tell their players what they can be by speaking greatness into them...they don't berate them.
7.  Behave Consistently Well: Great coaches are mature and are a constant role model of what it means to lead morally during competition and at home.

Master Coach

I wanted to share with you the 7 Marks of a Master Coach as given by Rod Olson, founder of Coaches of Excellence.

1.  Master Coaches are Process Driven

2.  Master Coaches are F.A.T.C.

3.  A Master Coach is a simple person in a complex world.

4.  Master Coaches control the controllables

5.  A Master Coach doesnt build dungeons.

                         6.  A Master coach controls their tongue.

                         7.  A Master Coach is All In

What can you do to move away from the infancy of Coaching toward being a Mature Master Coach at each checkpoint? 

Reflection...

Alot has been in the news lately about the accusations pointed towards Jim Tressel and Ohio State.  Was Jim Tressel wrong in not reporting the two instances involving players in their roles in drug trafficking as well as the sale of memorabilia?  I would have to say that if he knew it was wrong and didn't report it, then yes he was at fault.  In His book, The Winners Manual, one of his quotes states: "The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour"  I love this quote and it is so true and Jim Tressel has went on to take responsibility for his actions and how bad he felt for letting people down.  Instead of being so quick to cast stones, stop reading his book,  and knocking him for what he did, lets remember the grace God has for us in our lives.  Lets take a look at ourselves in the mirror, find areas we need to admit fault, fix fault, and don't repeat fault.  God sees what man does not see (1 Samuel 16:7) and regardless of this outcome, lessons will have been learned by Coach and others involved in this process. 

Greatest Coach of All Time

John Wooden is the greatest coach of all time and he cared more about the individual he was coaching than the sport he loved so dearly.  Coach used alot of quotes in his coaching days but the one that sticks out to me the most is: "Talent is God given.  Be humble.  Fame is man-given.  Be grateful.  Conceit is self given.  Be careful."  As coaches we can tend to overlook this at times depending what season of life we may be in.  This is a great reminder that we need to give thanks to God for the talents He has given to us and we have achieved what we have due to His grace in our lives.