Excerpt from High Performance Training: The Art & Science of Coaching Wrestling
The other people you should get to know prior to teaching & coaching any wrestling program are your administrators, staff, parents, volunteers, sponsors, and the media (who all will be referred to as stakeholders). In many cases, these stakeholders are apart of your team and will help your program achieve its goals. On the other hand, these same stakeholders may be in positions to thwart your goals unless you as the coach have used your communication skills to let them know they are important, respected, and central to your program’s goals.
I believe stakeholders should be treated with respect in all areas of communication. Below are several ways to communicate with your stakeholders in a respectful manner:
Respond to questions, concerns promptly & w/tact
Ask stakeholders their opinions
Ask stakeholders how you are doing
Invite stakeholders to your office
Invite stakeholders to view one of your practices
Listen to stakeholders attentively
Avoid complaining to stakeholders
Everyone has a boss and generally there is a chain of command that must be adhered to for any organization to be successful or a high performance system. In most cases, your administrators, athletic directors, or board will be your immediate bosses and these folks generally want to see you succeed. That is pointed out because if you as coach do your job well, and adhere to the bullets above, you are more likely to build great relationships with your bosses and the other stakeholders (your team).
Part of your job as coach is to let your team know your plans i.e. what is going on, why it is going on, how it is going on, & when goal(s) will be completed. Essentially, great communication with your stakeholders allows your team to feel and be successful with you plus know what is going on without being left in the dark or being surprised.
