Best Coaching: Be Genuine

People are perceptive. Kids are excellent observers. They will not follow a man who isn’t true to himself because of insecurity or a mistaken belief that a coach must be a football genius, must be a dictator, must be a great speaker, etc. You will find very different personalities among the best leaders in any field. The reason they are effective is because they know themselves and are comfortable in their own skin. A good coach is aware of his strengths and takes advantage of them. He also accepts his weaknesses, working to improve in those areas and surrounding himself with assistants who can help offset them.

The need for a coach to be genuine is not an excuse for a failure to put the kids first, respect other adults, or set a good example. These are non-negotiable expectations. To put it bluntly, a man who does not have it in himself to do these things should not be coaching youth sports.