HoopDirt.com Guest Blog: Leadership – Kevin Sutton Assistant Coach Georgetown Recently, I was having a conversation with one of my former players, who I like to call my “living trophies”. He is an assistant at another high major program and we were discussing leadership. As a player, he was one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching. And now as a coach, I feel like he has maintained and even improved his amazing ability to lead. That conversation drove me to write down my thoughts on how one can be an effective leader as a coach. Here are my thoughts on leadership: Great Coaches and Leaders: I. Know how to manage and lead different personalities well: A. They create an atmosphere where opinions are welcome. B. They allow for ownership of the team to be shared without sacrificing the whole for its parts. II. Know that their egos must come last: A. They understand the importance of the proverb “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle, but creates twice the illumination.” B. They know that when one person on the team has success, we all have success. III. Are great at communicating: A. They have an understanding of the many different forms of communicating: verbal, non-verbal, written, email, twitter, facebook, etc. B. They have the ability to clearly and consciously articulate the mission, vision, objective and strategy of their program or company that will lead to success. IV. Treat their staff, and everyone affiliated with their program, with respect and dignity: A. They take the time to get to know their people on a personal level. B. They foster a family atmosphere. V. Have a thirst for knowledge, for learning and for teaching: A. They are willing to learn different ways to do their job better and experiment with new methods, even if their old ways are proven to work well. B. They are constantly asking questions. C. They try to stay on the cutting edge in their profession. D. They use every opportunity to teach. “Teachable Moments” are when they shine the brightest. VI. Have a tremendous “feel” for their profession or craft: A. They know whom to play, when to play them and for how long.
