Building Connections

Three things help you get hired more than the average person. 1) You were a legitimate player and have college or professional playing experience. 2) You have a relative/friend already in the game that can get you opportunities. 3) You stay in the community you came from and are grandfathered into that program. Let me express that there is nothing at all wrong with having these things. If you played at the collegiate level you definitely earned that perk. There is absolutely no shame in taking advantage of the things you have. Some of you might have zero of the three of these advantages so you have to grind your way to opportunities. The very first thing you should focus on is building connections. Even if you have those things going for you, it is still incredibly important to build connections and network as much as possible. As a coach you should fight the urge to keep your circle small. You never know who you are going to need to make a call to or put down as a reference. The coaching community is very unique and special as a group that looks out for each other, compared to other professions. 

Social media has evolved into an incredible tool for coaching. It can be used for many things as a coach. There are several companies that post strategies for any and every sport. At the click of a button you can get a breakdown of how to run an offense or defense. Some accounts post highlights of certain aspects of the game you can learn from. One of my favorite ways to use social media is to build connections with others in my profession. This was not something I was expecting to gain. The head coach community is a tight-knit group. We know how hard the job is and have that appreciation for others that outsiders rarely have. One time I posted to Twitter a simple question: “Does anyone have a good motion offense with a four-out setup?”, and within five minutes a head coach from upstate who I’d never met, sent me his entire system. I read through it and to this day I use some of his concepts. Twenty years ago that concept was unfathomable. Coaches had to order instructional DVDs online and trade game film on CDs. Consider creating a team account and reporting your results from there. Doing so from a personal account gives people permission for people to contact you directly through social media. Report your scores and news from the team account because it is a good way to engage your community and grow a following.

Speaking of social media, let’s talk about phones. It’s really easy to send texts today. Almost too easy. Sending a simple text message allows you to avoid the awkwardness of a more personal conversation. But it doesn’t connect you at all. If you really want to leave an imprint on someone do two things. Make actual phone calls. I know. Scary. Here’s the thing, it’s easy for me to reject an offer over text. There’s no human emotion I have to face. It takes two seconds to say no. But if someone calls me and has a proposal I am going to give it much more thought because we’ve now connected personably. On a phone call someone can hear your emotions. I’m lucky, I was born without the social fear of awkward conversations. When I was 19, I started calling coaches who I had never spoken to and asked for coaching opportunities. One of those coaches in a post season banquet said, “I want to thank Hunter for joining us this year. After the 15th time he called me this summer, I couldn’t say no.” and I should also tell you I received a whopping paycheck of $0.00. This business isn't for shy people. I love hearing from prospective coaches asking for help. When you’ve risen to the higher position you will as well. The second thing is to hand-write thank you notes. A thank you text or email can be so meaningless. If someone goes out of the way to help you, you should equally go out of your way to thank them. It’s a message that will cause them to remember you. Let's say you get a chance to coach at a camp. Write a letter like this

Dear ____ ,

I just wanted to reach out and thank you for allowing me to coach at your camp. I found it to be a great opportunity for me to learn as I start my career. I learned _______ from you this week. I hope you’ll call me if you need help in the future. (Leave your phone number)

A note like this expresses much more intentionality and authenticity than a text message or email. It says that you are willing to put in extra time and effort. Sooner than later they may be hiring for a position you want. I guarantee you that the coach will remember you after that.

First things first, if you are new, be a sponge. Just watch. Watch the head coach carefully to learn how he or she does everything. Watch how they interact with the players and other coaches. Watch how they teach the schemes. Watch how they emphasize parts of a drill. You can learn so much information by simply standing back and paying attention. If you see the coach teaching their team a concept that doesn’t make sense to you, at a break in practice ask them why they teach it like that. That’s a great conversation to have. You may not be in a position early on in your career to reciprocate the sharing of wisdom. You can still balance the relationship by doing the small things: helping set up drills, picking up cones, passing for shooters, and other things of the like. Those small things go a long way to a head coach. Coaches notice when their assistants do the little unprompted things that help make life easier. Lastly, be grateful. When you have someone taking out chunks of their day you need to be thankful and appreciative. Thank you’s go a long way in relationship building.

Humility will keep you successful in this industry. Every coach should learn the value of asking for advice. Assume you know half of what you should and need to continue learning. Think of wisdom this way, the smarter you get the more you realize what you don’t know. For example, a high school student could think they know a lot about space because they know the names of planets, life cycle of stars, and how big the moon is. They don’t know a fraction of the knowledge an astro-physicist knows, who questions everything. How big is space? Is Pluto a planet? Are there other life forms out there? Do any other planets have the capacity for life? How do we capture photos of the furthest end of the universe? You can see how the people who have an abundance of knowledge are the ones who ask more questions. When you readily admit you don’t know it all and have curiosity you will grow more than you could imagine. When you have the opportunity to connect with someone more experienced than you , do it. Put your pride aside and ask for help. After many successful seasons of coaching I still find myself asking coaches around the area for advice. To me, it’s such a valuable asset and foolish to waste in the name of pride. Those who pretend to know it all will not grow.

Utilize the relationships you build to learn more about the process before beginning the process. These men or women have gained a lot of experience and knowledge that can best help you reach your goals.