“InsideOut Coaching” Analysis
Author’s Main Thesis
Joe Ehrmann and Gregory Jordan share their personal experiences with two different types of coaches starting from his youth until he became an NFL star. The book has two parts, one part focusing on coaches who were impersonal, authoritarian and at times abusive, and compares them to the transformational coaches in the second part of his book. In “InsideOut Coaching”; he delivers to his readers the pillars that form transformational coaching. According to the author effective coaching can only be made possible by coaches employing a succinct philosophy of coaching. They have to think through their philosophy of coaching, motives behind coaching and what coaching goals do they want to achieve.
Effective coaching from inside out should not just involve turning a team into champions. It should include the coach directing the individuals towards the success of their team but still ensure their personal needs and growth accompanies that success. A coach who fulfills his team’s individual needs and growth does not need to use force in ensuring the overall team’s objectives are met. The players themselves will willingly put their best efforts towards the team’s performance. This will only be successful if the coach is congruent and authentic.
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The process of coaching always starts by building a personal character and then it moves outward to enrich others. It should not just involve skill building and competency, but it should see that it creates the character and personal development of the people being coached. The coach should possess a psychological maturity that is born out of a servant leadership relationship. For coaches to determine the contribution and value of the service the have provided to the team, it is only possible if no authoritarian means were used. An active coach is one who would want to give his players better memories. The coach should also not try to teach his players any critical skills of life if they have not learned them personally (46-47).
Transformational and Transactional Coaching
According to Ehrmann and Jordan’s real life experiences, there are two types of coaches, transactional and transformational coaches. Transactional coaches are those who use players as mere tools of meeting their personal needs such us improving their status and public images. Such coaches have only one thing in mind, which is winning thus, put their interest before the team. According to Ehrmann "They held their power over us to elicit the response they wanted" (6). Most players obey this type of coaches just as a mere necessity, but they do not believe in their systems or programs that they bring forward. They are also not concerned with the needs and growth of their players. These types of coaches will not have their players believing in them, but the players will still do as they are told.
When teams start believing in their coaches and their coaches, in turn, have trust in those teams, it forms starting point of a transformational coach. A transformational coach is one who helps his players build their character through teaching and helping them model it. The definition of a true transformational coach is "I coach to help boys become men of empathy and integrity who will lead, be responsible and change the world for good" (110) as argued by Ehrmann and Jordan. For a transformational coach, they believe that winning comes out of teaching, prioritizing the player's needs and growth and nurturing them. The transformational coaches will not just teach about the Xs and Os but will ensure the team also learns about the Ys. This is because they would want to leave a long lasting legacy among the players and be remembered of the good they impacted on them.
Personal Coaching Philosophy
In my coaching philosophy of athletes within my program I believe that if one has knowledge, it is essential to pass it to others who do not possess it. The playing of any sports, especially as a child, will not only help in the development of character and confidence for them but also will make them have a sense of accomplishment. “InsideOut Coaching” by Ehrmann and Jordan has been a very useful book towards the development of my coaching skills. It is through this evolution that I adopted the philosophy.
The environment I have created for my athletes is one that is relaxed and conducive not only for training but also learning. I give my athletes the opportunity to develop their skills in an environment that is structured to offer challenges to athletes. In ensuring they do not lose heart, I continually encourage and support them through the program. The importance of these challenges is to ensure that they can execute their actions under pressure. These drills are repetitive during our practices, and they are aimed at developing their competency and confidence once in the field.
Individual communication is imperative to the team. The athletes are given an opportunity to provide input towards the programs. It acts as motivational factors for they feel part of the entire program. All these activities I have introduced in my athlete's program match a transformational coach as per the book “InsideOut Coaching.”. I would like to see my athlete's personal needs and growth being met and not just focus on winning. These include their mental health, social and emotional wellbeing. My primary motivational words from the book are "I coach to help boys become men of empathy and integrity who will lead, be responsible and change the world for good" (110). This is an indication that I lead my team in various activities not just them to be winners but to gain some interpersonal skills. They are aimed at ensuring they get positive character development. This will help them as they interact with different people even in my absence.
In summary, it is evident that for one to become an active coach, it does not necessarily have to be based on how their teams win from competition. An effective coach is one who has the power to ensure that they meet their players' needs and growth. They should not put themselves first before the team. When a coach puts their effort toward making the team believe in him, they will attain all they would have desired. It will be a win-win situation for both the team and coach. After they retire; they will leave a good legacy behind.
Reference
Ehrmann, J., & Jordan, G. (2011). InsideOut coaching: How sports can transform lives . New York: Simon and Schuster.
