In the Old Testament book of Nehemiah we find that Nehemiah had become so exasperated with some of the men under his leadership that he finally decided to write a job description for those that served the people of Judah. In Nehemiah 13:30 we read, “So I…assigned tasks to the priests and Levites making certain that each knew his work.” Why did Nehemiah give them a job description? So that “each would know his work”. Pretty good advice 2,500 years ago and still good advice today.
When I first began my coaching career, I worked for some good coaches and a few not so good. However, none of them gave me a formal job description. I was simply told, "You're the assistant freshman coach." So, I did the things I thought I should do and tried to watch and learn. I can remember being very unsure sometimes about exactly what was expected of me. I think I would've benefited from having the head coach or the head freshman coach sit down with me and explain expectations. A written job description along with that would've been very helpful. In my second school I taught at I even had the head football coach give me no direction at all. His strategy was to sit back and see what kind of initiative I had. I found that out after I had been at the job for a couple of years. Whether right or wrong-I'll let you decide.
In my years as a head wrestling coach I'm afraid I didn't do very well at communicating my expectations. Oh sure, my assistant would coach the JV team at wrestling meets and help run practice. But there is so much more to being a good assistant coach. Sit down sometime and write down all the duties of a coach and the list will be long. I had one assistant coach who just sat against the wall in the practice room. I would get steamed at his lack of energy, but you know what? It was partly my fault because I did a poor job of communicating my expectations. It's a lot like coaching your players, you can't hold your players accountable for something you didn't coach.
These days I'm seeing more coaches, going to a detailed job description for all coaches, including the head coach himself. I think it's a great idea and I wish I had been exposed to it as an assistant and utilized it as a head coach. By giving your assistant coaches a job description, they can have a clear idea of what is expected of them. At the end of every season it can also be used as an evaluation tool-whether self-evaluation or by the head coach.
Whether or not a written job description is used, I'm convinced that clear, concise expectations should be made available to everyone involved in the program. You won’t be sorry. And make sure you keep checking www.chiefpigskin.com for more great coaching tips.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Lone Wolf
Some time ago, an old acquaintance of mine told me a story of a police officer who served in a northern native settlement in Canada. One day a rabid wolf wandered into the aboriginal settlement. The police officer eventually shot it, but not before it attacked a young man and his grandmother in their home making kindling out of the chair the young man used to protect himself and his attacker.
There were about 150 sled dogs in the village - more than a match for one sick wolf - yet the intruder was left alone to do its work. Why? My friend explained that in order to prevent the dogs from fighting and wounding each other, they had been tied to wooden stakes spaced far enough apart to prevent them from reaching any neighboring animal. Because of this the wolf walked freely among the dogs killing some and badly wounding others. In isolation they were no match for their foe and they suffered terribly for it.
What a picture for the need for every man to be a part of a bigger body of like minded men. (PreachingToday.com, Awlwyn Balnave, Calgary, Canada) As football coaches, husbands, and fathers, we need other men in our lives for accountability and support. We all share ideas about football. That's part of what www.chiefpigskin.com is all about. Football coaches are very generous in sharing ideas and techniques with others. That’s how we continue to improve. Do we also share ideas on how to be a better husband?
A few years ago I began meeting with a group of men on Monday mornings for a bible study. Before beginning the meeting we ask each other how the “Trail” has gone the past week or so. We get varying answers as each man has the freedom to share as little or as much as he likes. This has been a great opportunity to learn from other men on many subjects including such topics as being a better father or husband. It also serves as a certain degree of accountability with each other. It’s been my experience that most men aren’t crazy about sharing such personal subjects. We like to “go it alone”. I don’t think we were made that way; we need the support of others.
Whether it’s through a group of friends, joining a bible study, joining a church, or just getting together with another guy for a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning, I would encourage all of us to have one or more men in our lives that can ask the hard questions, not just, “how about that game Saturday?” Let me know what you think, or better yet, give it a try and let me know how it’s going. I’d love to hear from you.
There were about 150 sled dogs in the village - more than a match for one sick wolf - yet the intruder was left alone to do its work. Why? My friend explained that in order to prevent the dogs from fighting and wounding each other, they had been tied to wooden stakes spaced far enough apart to prevent them from reaching any neighboring animal. Because of this the wolf walked freely among the dogs killing some and badly wounding others. In isolation they were no match for their foe and they suffered terribly for it.
What a picture for the need for every man to be a part of a bigger body of like minded men. (PreachingToday.com, Awlwyn Balnave, Calgary, Canada) As football coaches, husbands, and fathers, we need other men in our lives for accountability and support. We all share ideas about football. That's part of what www.chiefpigskin.com is all about. Football coaches are very generous in sharing ideas and techniques with others. That’s how we continue to improve. Do we also share ideas on how to be a better husband?
A few years ago I began meeting with a group of men on Monday mornings for a bible study. Before beginning the meeting we ask each other how the “Trail” has gone the past week or so. We get varying answers as each man has the freedom to share as little or as much as he likes. This has been a great opportunity to learn from other men on many subjects including such topics as being a better father or husband. It also serves as a certain degree of accountability with each other. It’s been my experience that most men aren’t crazy about sharing such personal subjects. We like to “go it alone”. I don’t think we were made that way; we need the support of others.
Whether it’s through a group of friends, joining a bible study, joining a church, or just getting together with another guy for a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning, I would encourage all of us to have one or more men in our lives that can ask the hard questions, not just, “how about that game Saturday?” Let me know what you think, or better yet, give it a try and let me know how it’s going. I’d love to hear from you.
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