Best Job Ever

Athlete 1: Miss Billie, do you have a job?

Athlete 2: No, she just stays at home with her kids.

Me: Silent (Not sure how to respond to that one.)

This was a question that really made me stop and think. I definitely had a job. As a small business owner I was forced to wear many hats throughout the day. Anyone who owns a business knows you work long hours and you never really have a day off when you run your own place. People call you day and night no matter what day of the week it is. All of this work is done behind the scenes away from the athlete. For most coaches, I would be willing to bet the part they truly love is the coaching and not the business side of their job. I know for me this was very true. Simon Sinek has a quote I love which he says, "Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion." I loved coaching, I loved the kids, I loved my staff, and I loved walking into my gym where it felt like home.

I have always said coaching is the best profession in the world. When an athlete accomplishes a new skill or achieves a new goal, you are there to celebrate with them. When they struggle or fall short of their goals, you are there to help them pick up the pieces. It is an awesome responsibility to be a coach as you are helping build a better future for the next generation. One of the most important things a coach can communicate to an athlete is they genuinely care about them. Understand caring about them as an athlete is completely different than caring about them as a person. "The whole is more than the sum of it's parts." (Aristotle) If you only care about their statistics you are clearly just interested in them as an athlete. If you know how their day was, if they had any tests at school, or what they did over the weekend or on vacation, you see them as a whole human.

Most coaches can look at an athlete and know what their physical strengths and weaknesses will be in their chosen sport. I would say that is one of the easier tasks a coach has. Figuring out what makes them "tick" is the tricky part. This is where getting to know them on a more personal level becomes extremely helpful. If a coach does not take the time to talk to their athletes and learn something about them then all they have is a group of kids placed in groups or positions with the hope they perform well when the time comes. When you really listen to your athletes, you learn no two athletes are the same and they are not going to respond to you the same either. What motivates one will not motivate another. In time, you learn who your leaders are, who will be your caretakers, who your cheerleaders will be, who will stand up for themselves, and how the all of these different personalities will work together. Sometimes simply standing back and observing will give you the insight you need as well. A big part of coaching is figuring out how all the different personalities will fit together to create the most positive sports experience for everyone.

Getting to know your athletes also gives them a glimpse of who you are as well. This is when they learn your favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate chip or your favorite color is purple. They will learn your favorite songs and your animal's names. This makes you seem like a real person to them. In the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching lists these key characteristics athletes look for in a coach. They want them to be knowledgeable, passionate, inspirational, and enthusiastic. On the emotional side they want their coaches to be genuine, honest, loyal, and non-judgmental. Athletes want to have committed, professional, and respectful coaches. They want someone they can look up to and model their behavior after. Yes, this is a lot to live up to coaches. Your job is not an easy one. It is tremendously rewarding though.

I love that one of my athletes felt comfortable enough to ask me if I had a job. The best part of the question is knowing she saw my coaching as something I wanted to do and not something I had to do. Sadly, too many people do not wake up every day and look forward to going to work. A 2019 Gallup poll showed 85% of people are unhappy in their current job. There were days I maybe wanted a break, but there was never a day I didn't love working with the kids. If I could go back to that moment and answer her, I would say, "My job is having the opportunity to work with all of you and to me, it is not a job at all."