Talkin’ Turkey About Coaching
My son, Heath, and I had a tremendous lesson in coaching that culminated in success this past weekend. Heath loves to turkey hunt and took his first turkey Sunday morning (4/18) at 7:35 a.m. in Parke County, Indiana.
Heath, age 9, and I learned an important lesson on coaching. We have the greatest hunting coach imaginable in Shawn Brown of Royal Flush Enterprises, Inc.
Shawn gave us a list of areas that we needed to work on for Heath to be successful. Here’s what we needed to know and work on: pattern of the gun, outside range of the gun, shots from several positions (left, right, straight, sitting, kneeling, in blind, out of blind, and from several distances).
So here’s the deal. Heath’s turkey took 71 shells to take. Why, you might ask, did it take so many? Because he started practicing in January and had his final disciplined practice on Thursday (4/16)before our hunting trip. He had used 70 shells up to that point. Therefore he knew that his gun had a range, with a good pattern of 25 yards. So, when the turkey was at 27 yards, he knew not to shoot. At 23 yards, it took one shot that he had taken several times before at targets to bring in his first turkey- A 23 pound Tom with a nine inch beard. A great trophy bird for a nine year old boy!
The point of this post is that having a great coach like Shawn, and then acting on that coaching with disciplined practice will end in success.
Go HUNT out those great coaches.
Byron
Good Leaders Motivate
Yesterday I had the priviledge to reflect one more time on the Coach and Be Coached seminar put on by The Kevin Eikenberry Group www.kevineikenberry.com I did this reflection with Kevin, Jenny, and Guy of the Kevin Eikenberry Group.
During our call Jenny brought up a great point that we should strive to be the athletic coach that we still remember affectionately as “Coach.” Part of the reason we have that attachment is because of the relationship we have formed.
This morning in my devotional time this was driven home to me in the words of John Maxwell (someone I consider a coach even though I have never personally met him – but want to) when he said, “If you become a major nurturer in the life of another person, then you have an opportunity to make a major impact on them” Maxwell, 2003).
Reference
Maxwell, J.C. (2003). Leadership: Promises for every day. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Coaching vs. Mentoring
Yesterday I had the incredible opportunity to be in involved in one of the greatest experiences of my life. My good friends at the Kevin Eikenberry Group – www.kevineikenberry.com – invited me to be a part of their Coach & Be Coached: Coaching to Achieve Remarkable Performance – for others and yourself – www.remarkabletv.com – webinar. The line-up was the “whose who” of leadership of coaching.
I would like to share a thought that I had afterward:
Betty Clipman, Past International President of Sweet Adelines International and one of the presenters, made a comment that she was glad we were finally getting coaching back since mentoring had gone away, or something like that. Therefore, I looked up the word mentor – a wise and trusted counselor. Then I looked up coach – besides being a railroad car, it says: one who trains or directs athletic teams; one who gives private instruction; to train, instruct, or teach. Not a lot of difference, right? So why is mentoring now not the word of the day, but coaching is?
Here’s the reason for the comments: In education, as with a lot of other areas people cringe when they here mentoring and when mentoring programs talked about. So why have people left mentoring and moved over to coaching? I’ll tell you what I believe. Many look at mentoring and coaching as a “thing.” “Things” are not sustainable. Yesterday, the seminar drove home the fact that coaching must not be a “thing,” but a relationship, specific, appropriate, continual, and lifelong. Far from being a “thing,” it is a never-ending journey or process.
Byron's Babbles 
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