If this year has taught us anything, it's that we can't control a lot of things. Things happen in life and we learn to deal with them as they get thrown at us. So what can we control? The short answer is you can control your plan, your goals, your staff, and the way you run your team.
What do we mean by that? Your plan is everything, it is your foundation. What are you planning for? Maybe it's to finally make it to the next club excellence level. Maybe it's making top three at conference. It could be growing your team by fifty members by registration next season. Whatever your plans might be, you control them. Learning how to plan, and plan well, is your biggest strength. Harness it.
For some, this might mean working with your team dealer or brand sponsor in advance so that your athletes actually have branded gear to wear to your championship meets so you can walk in looking more like a team than ever before. For others, that might mean committing to a staff meeting once a week that you know will help everyone stay the course but you can never really seem to actually stick with it. For many others, this means learning to actually use a planner to get your priorities lined up at the beginning of the week so you can really stay on track because you let yourself become distracted and end up with a to do list that's so long you can't see the bottom. Whoever you are, you can always plan better in all areas of your team, you just have to prioritize planning.
Knowing what your biggest weakness is helps you improve. The same way we correct technique for our athletes so they can excel, we need to do the same for ourselves. By self evaluation, figure out what you do well and what you don't then discuss with your staff, take their input and adjust accordingly. Just as we ask our swimmers to"stay hungry","keep improving", and "stick to the plan" we need to hold ourselves to those same standards. We are not above improvements.
What is your plan? How do you expect to reach your goals? How can your staff help you get there? What will help you run your team better? We encourage you to ask the hard questions. Nobody ever said it would be a breeze to get where you want to be. Get the feedback and take the criticism, it will only aid you in your process to becoming the coach you desire to be. No coach is perfect, each of us has faults but we can't fill the holes in our plan if they remain unnoticed or ignored. Bonus, once you know what your weaknesses are, you can ask for help and maybe give those tasks to a staff member that has a strength in those areas. This in turn will make your team stronger and feel more connected to the overall goals for your team.
You will be amazed how much progress you can make when you take the time to control the controllable. Here at Streamline Teams, we believe in you and your success!