A tweet I saw yesterday by someone asking about reading material on how a coach can most effectively manage assistant coaches made me realize that this was a great topic that I had never posted about. It's something I speak to regularly when I give presentation on coaching.
Truth be told, in my 28 years of coaching, I have not often been in the position of assistant coach and knowing my make up and personality, not sure it is something I particularly enjoy. In one case, i spent a summer helping out with a club when I was at a crossroads in my coaching. I had just finished working with the provincial teams and was not sure what was next. I give credit to the coach who sought me out asking for assistance because I was more experienced and had coached a number of the players on the provincial teams so it was tough to take a secondary role and follow the head coaches lead. Some of the players ( and some of the parents) would approach me suggesting I correct the head coach, or trying to have my second guess decision he had made but it was important to remain in my assistant role and defer to the head coach. The other instances of being an assistant coach were my 1st time with the provincial teams ( which i saw as a stepping stone to becoming a head coach in the program), 5 years at the National Training Center and 2 opportunities with team Canada at the World University Games. In the first case, I was a young coach and used the chance to learn from the technical director of the center who to this day, I consider a mentor and someone who helped me significantly become the coach I am today. In the second case, it was a matter of being able to coach at a higher level, to represent my country. I think however as relates to the second games I participated in, it was an issue of not having the self confidence that I could be be the head coach at that level and deferring when perhaps I shouldn't have..... but that's a story for another day. So how does a head coach manage assistant coaches. Like on any team, each member has a role and this is no different than with assistant coaches? As the head coach, you are in charge of your program, and it’s your job to manage your assistant coaches. If your team were a business, you would be the CEO, responsible for overseeing and mentoring your employees. When a CEO fails to provide instruction, feedback, and encouragement, his or her employees can’t do their jobs well. And when a head coach doesn’t provide that same kind of leadership, his or her assistant coaches can’t thrive, either. Your role as head coach starts before the season begins. Before the first practice happens, develop clear expectations for your assistants and make sure they know what those expectations are. It’s helpful if you put your expectations into writing in the form of a job description. It is also beneficial to provide your assistants with a written description of your coaching philosophy and your plan for the season. Meet prior to the start of the season to give them these documents and talk them over. However it is important that you leave room for discussion and some flexibility. You want your assistant coaches to participate in the process and " buy in" and this is tougher when they feel that everything is imposed on them. In the same you build a team with players that have varied skill sets which make the overall group stronger, you should build you coaching staff in the same manner. Seek out assistant coaches that compliment your own coaching style and strengths. I have heard coaches say " I want assistants that think like me, that agree with me and coach like me". This is actually wrong in my opinion. I always tell my assistants that I want them to challenge my, to question my decisions ( in the right time and place), force me to reflect on what decisions might work best for the team, etc. To have assistant coaches who will always agree with me and tell me my decisions are great, just tells me that I don't need assistants. I have no issue with coaches who challenge my thinking as long as once we are in front of the team, the message conveyed to the athletes is consistent with the goals set. It is important to also have assistant coaches who can convey the same message as the head coach although not specifically with the same voice. Not every athlete with identify and connect with the same coaches in the same way and having coaches with different profiles with ensure that every athlete feels comfortable approaching at least one of the coaches. In my case, as a male of a certain age, coaching females, one obvious complimentary profile of an assistant coach is to find younger ( closer in age and with a facility to relate to the athletes) and female. In addition, preferably assistants who have been student-athletes and with with the program in which I coach, even better. So once the plans are in place, the message conveyed to the staff, tasks assigned etc, what happens next? Once the season has begun and things get busy—between practice sessions, scouting, and games—you may struggle to find the time to continue to mentor those under you. The following are some suggestions on how to fit in the important job of managing your assistants. After each practice or game, meet for 10 minutes to review responsibilities and quickly outline what is on deck for tomorrow. If there was an oversight or mistake made during a practice or game, correct it immediately so it won’t be repeated. In these brief meetings, it is vital that you communicate in a quick, concise manner while still covering what needs to be corrected. Another idea is to sit as a group before practice sessions and discuss what the objectives of the session are. If as a coach you have delegated certain parts of the practice to the assistants, review the drill to ensure it fits into the overall objective of the training session but also so that all coaches are on the same page so that any corrections or feedback given during practice are consistent. The same can be done before games. Explain what the assistants will be responsible for during a game. One might be in charge of charting the offense or defense and another may keep track of time outs, substitutions, individual and team fouls, or other items pertaining to your sport. Whatever your assistants’ assignments are, take the time to explain them well in advance so they can be totally prepared. Schedule a staff meeting once a week for 20 to 30 minutes. During this session, focus on the upcoming schedule and the responsibilities for the next week. Even though you probably created a season-long schedule, you want to remind everyone and cover any changes or concerns. It is much better to be proactive than to have someone miss an assignment and create a potential problem. Sit down with individual assistant coaches in private for one-on-one meetings to provide help with issues or to give pep talks as needed. Reassure, teach, correct, and guide in a non-threatening and supportive manner. This is most important if you are not just the head coach managing assistants but also a mentor to younger coaches. Meet with your assistants prior to sending them out on their first scouting assignment. Clearly explain how to approach the task of scouting. Provide hints about what to watch for so that the information they gather will be helpful when you prepare for practice sessions and make a game plan. Don’t forget to thank and give assistants feedback. Sometimes it is simply about letting them now when a job is well done, either in practice, with scouting, or during a game. Being appreciated is important to everyone and creates good working relationships, loyalty, and dependability.Managing your assistant coaches takes thought, planning, and effort—especially once the season is in full swing— but it pays big dividends. The better job you do, the smoother things will go and the more your assistants will grow and develop. If the athletes see disharmony or disconnect between the members of a coaching staff, it will create issues among the team. Seems pretty simply huh ? Trust me it isn't. Coaches are often ambition, assistant coaches look forward to being head coaches and something might overstep their roles trying to do too much, or trying to pass "their message" to athletes. On some teams, athletes will use the chance to play coaches off against each other and if the feedback they receive is not consistent it will worsen the environment. I have been lucky with my assistant coaches over the years but I have had some who second guessed decisions in moments that weren't ideal ( or with / in front of athletes) and affected the team. So what do you do with an assistant coach oversteps ? This is one of those tricky situations that nobody wants to deal with. However, it can be easier than you think. And for the best interests of your players, it's critical to get the situation under control. When you have an assistant that oversteps their bounds, it almost always comes down to a management issue that can be easily solved. As a head coach, you need to set clear expectations and roles for your assistant. Then communicate those roles. Managing assistant coaches is just like managing employees in a business. The same management tactics work. In a business, you document procedures for an employee. You document and define expectations and roles for that employee. You implement key metrics to measure the performance of that employee. You have regularly scheduled meetings with that employee to review goals, expectations, metrics, performance, and progress. You hold that employee accountable and communicate with them. Sit down with him/her. Review expectations. Talk about your stance on things so you both get aligned. Often times, an assistant coach might overstep not because it is malicious or they are trying to undermine you but simply because of a misunderstanding or unclear communication. Give your assistant specific responsibilities. If they over-step their boundaries, perhaps it's because they don't know their responsibilities. If your assistant is really good at defense, put them in charge of defense or maybe they can do stats, film, and so on. It's important to consider your assistant's strengths. Then it's your job to put the assistant coach in the position to use those strengths to benefit the team. Unfortunately sometimes the ambitions of an assistant coach will get the best of them and they will overstep as a way to prove their knowledge or coaching ability. They want to prove to the athletes that they are great coaches. However when it affects that team and when assistants can't or unwilling to work in conjunction with your vision, support your decisions, sometimes there is no choice but to make a change. It sucks and isn't easy but a team can't function with a coaching staff that is all over the place. Bottom line, set expectations and roles with your assistants. Meet with them on a fairly regular basis. Give it a shot and you'll end up with a much smoother and productive basketball program. And happier coaches too!
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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