Principles of Coaching #8 - Give coaches a piece of the pie; let them own a part of the culture, the culture statement, and their coaching (Bot9 #313)

William Deresiewicz said “true leadership means being able to think for yourself and act on your convictions” (“Solitude and Leadership” transcript). When you build and lead successful programs, more people will be attracted to join what you’re doing. That seems like a good thing. However, most of the people who come your way just want to be told what to do. They’re either intimidated by the success and fearful of messing it up, or they haven’t taken the time to think through the deep implications of all of their actions and decisions. In either case, while there is a place for worker bees on any coaching staff, you really want more queen bees so the program can grow and take new territory.

Currently, I’m in a pretty decent spell of rest away from the field. I’d been going nonstop since the Covid pandemic began and I needed to refuel. When I’m at my best in seasons like this, I’m open to see and hear what God brings to me. This process happens through reading the Bible, books, watching new movies and series, listening to podcasts…content consumption. The prayer for this period comes from the song “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship - “Jesus bring new wine out of me.” I’ve been struck by how clear the message has been for me right now - think for yourself, keep doing things different.

Whether it’s been reading the transcript from the Deresiewicz lecture, reading The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell, or watching King Richard starring Will Smith, those words are screaming through the pages and screen. In God’s Kingdom, He’s provided us with creation in abundance and not in scarcity. There are so many wonderful ways to lead and help people grow. We should all develop our own ideas and think for ourselves. Deresiewicz cites Ralph Waldo Emerson saying, “he who should inspire and lead his race must be defended from traveling with the souls of other men, from living, breathing, reading, and writing in the daily, time-worn yoke of their opinions.” We should continue to lead towards new directions, a new grace, and not simply put yourself at the forefront of others who share conventional wisdom. If we had done that in the past, we wouldn’t have the Air Force as we know and we may have missed out on the genius of the Williams sisters in tennis.

So what does this have to do with the statement above? Simple. Be drawn to people who are going to own their piece of the culture and run with it. Yes, you’re going to need worker bees, but you need other leaders so the honeycomb of your program can grow (I actually have no idea if that’s how bees and honey and this process works so just go with me on this for now). If you have a hunch that this new method of catching is going to be the right thing to do, make sure to hire a guy who believes it and can implement it. If you’re sure that individualizing movement and arm development is the most impactful thing you can do for every kid in the program, go for it. If you’ve got a vision for infielders and outfielders, find the guys who can implement even better than you could imagine. Don’t hire people who need you to tell them what to do. Hire people who ask you if it’s okay if they try something new and then encourage them. Trust their intentions, have faith in what you can’t see, and believe in their abilities. When you do, you’ll replicate a culture like the one that started with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I have no idea if anyone tried anything like what Jesus did in terms of culture replication before He died and rose again, but stop and think about what He did for a minute. Jesus had what He believed to be clear pictures of what God intended for His people and the culture we should create (I phrased it this way intentionally - we all have to wrestle with the idea that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or spoke the truth). He passed those teachings on to the disciples. Then He died. He left. And then He rose again to provide some final instructions. Then the disciples (and Paul) wrote the rest of the story. Jesus gave the disciples a piece of the pie, He let them own a part of the culture and wrote the culture statement for the church moving forward after the resurrection. If a movement started this way 2,000 years ago and still exists today, maybe we should use the same method in our coaching today!