Coaching Wisdom

Throughout my blog, so far I have written many articles about power and influence, which are the two main tenets of leadership.  These articles and posts are centered on a manager’s perspective and as such I have talked considerably about managers and leaders but one group seems to be underrepresented.  That underrepresented group is coaching, which is the second part of the site’s title.  The goal today then is to provide a great resource on coaching that easily extends beyond athletic fields and into the corporate world.  The topics covered in this book are topics that leaders and managers will find very relevant to the business world, while a coach can find great value in the topics covered to implement on the athletic fields.  At this point, you are probably wondering what resource I am referring to here and how it can help you in your life.  The resource is a book written by Mike Harrity, an associate athletic director at the University of Notre Dame, titled Coaching Wisdom. 

There are so many great things to say about this book that one of the only things I did not like about this book was its length.  At less than 200 pages, it left me wanting to read more from the hall of fame coaches included in the book.  With the amount of time that Mr. Harrity spent with these coaches I was hoping for a little more of those conversations to make their way into the text.

As I just mentioned there are many hall of fame coaches included in this book.  That is definitely a strength of the book.  Mr. Harrity sat down with 13 coaches for conversations on all things coaching and leadership.  These are coaches with names you know even if you are not a diehard sports fan, with the most recognizable name being the late John Wooden.  Pulling wisdom from this group of coaches who have combined for over 100 championships in their careers, you can trust that the ideas they share and their techniques and tactics can help you no matter the level you coach or your place in the business world.

The bulk of the text written by Mike Harrity, in Coaching Wisdom, is very easy to read and comprehend which is another strength of this resource.  With stories and examples from some of the best coaches, the text is a very quick read.  One of the strongest parts of the text is the coaching wisdom call-out boxes, which include quotes from coaches featured in the book.  Overall this book follows a similar style to that of another leadership author I am rather fond of reading, John C Maxwell.  You get the feeling that you are reading a book written by Mr. Maxwell about coaching, and after examining the acknowledgements page, it is discovered that Mike Harrity listed John C Maxwell as someone who supported his book.  If you are familiar with Maxwell’s books and enjoy his writing style then this book will have a very similar feel and will make for a very easy read.

As stated previously Coaching Wisdom looks and feels very similar to a John C Maxwell book and there is another component of the book that draws on this.  This component is the “chalk talk” section at the end of each chapter.  These short sections provide a brief recap of the chapter and usually are actionable statements that provide practical advice and can be implemented both on and off of an athletic field.  Another strong points about these “chalk talk” sections is they are a great resource to come back to after you finish the book for a quick refresher on what is important from the chapters.  Coming back to this book once a month has helped me stick to the principle that I have implemented in my life from it.  It takes no more than 5 minutes to read through all these short sections and keeps these ideas fresh in your head. 

Another place where this book sets itself apart from other books in this category is the coach’s profiles at the end of every chapter.  These profiles are single page anecdotes to more than four page stories that are all about a coach featured in the book and a way they have used one of the ideas in the previous chapter to help their teams win or even more importantly develop as human beings.  One of the best profiles is on Coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”.  This profile breaks down every piece of the pyramid which is one of the most widely utilized tools for both personal and organizational success, whether the organization is an athletic team or not does not change the effectiveness of these ideas.  Other profiles focus on communication or dealing with a difficult situation such as those involving playing time.  The point I am really trying to make here is that this book is about a lot more than just coaching.  This is a book about leadership and about how to succeed in life. 

Perhaps the best recommendation I can give for this book is the one found on the cover that drives home the point I am trying to make and that quote is from a former professor in the Stanford Business School named Jerry Porras.  His quote, which is the only quote to grace the cover of Coaching Wisdom, goes as follows, “Loaded with lots of stories and concrete examples, Coaching Wisdom is a fun and insightful read.”  This just drives home the point that this book is more about coaching and Xs and Os. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in a coaching position from Tee-Ball to the professional ranks of coaching, but this book is also just as useful for a person in an entry-level position through an executive level businessperson.  Coaching Wisdom includes valuable material for everyone looking to improve his or her leadership.  For these reasons, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Coaching Wisdom by Mike Harrity for yourself or to give as a gift to someone you know trying to become a better Manager, Coach, or Leader.  Included here is a link where you can purchase this book for yourself, where it is available for less than the cover price of $18.95.  

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