Coaching Values
When preparing for the parent meeting and reviewing the agenda, there are five core values coaches need to consider. The following values are important to understand before the parent meeting because it speaks to purpose of the meeting:
- Connect
- Expectations
- Evaluate
- Integrity
- Listen
Connect
First of all, the best relationships start with a proper introduction. So, you must introduce yourself as soon as possible. Perhaps you can just greet them at the door.
Like it or not, as a coach, you are now a public figure in the minds of the program, players and parents. Therefore, you have to honor the respect given you and take the lead by making the connection. Especially make sure you learn and use their first name. After all, they are part of your team, coaches and parents, responsible for building strong kids.
The respect you earn as a coach directly relates to your ability to connect with players and parents. Hence, a pleasant introduction ensures your relationships starts at the beginning of the season the most positive and hope-filled context possible.
Maybe you can learn more about strategies and tools to build connections by checking out our club page for connection.
Expectations
Secondly, you need to set clear and fair expectations for the rest of the season. Parents and players will strive to meet your expectations. However, that can only happen when you make those expectations clear. They can’t follow your lead if they don’t understand where you’re going.
Keep in mind, youth sports is important to many parents and kids, but it is not the only thing in their life. In fact, it isn’t the most important thing. Therefore, don’t set unreasonable expectations. If you set expectations that can’t be met on a regular basis, you will have to enforce them. The expectations you set should be met most of the time. Otherwise, you will lose respect when you have to adjust your expectations.
Learn more about setting expectations in our club page for expectations.
Evaluate
Additionally, coaches need a plan to evaluate player progress which includes feedback. Players and parents need feedback to know how you perceive their progress. The feedback gives players the information they need to adjust and learn how to react, also known as coaching.
During the parent meeting, coaches should share how they plan to evaluate skills of each player and provide feedback. When parents know your approach, they can help you by providing advice to their kids on how to communicate with coaches.
The parent meeting is the first place you should be sharing your approach to evaluation. You may not have statistics and charts to share, but if you don’t have tools or strategies to evaluate both player and team progress, you should have a few. You also need to share your summary on a regular basis.
Learn more about evaluating your team on our club page for evaluation.
Integrity
Coaches need to model integrity to get respect from players and parents. Your integrity, even in the smallest matters, will earn the respect and trust you need. Consequently, chose your promises and commitments thoughtfully.
Demonstrate your integrity at the parent meeting by sharing your plan and goals for the season. Then, make sure parents know you are still human and there may be failures along the way. Take responsibility for those mistakes in advance. Let them know how and when to communicate with you any time they see issues unaddressed, because integrity matters to you. The humility and candor of mutual accountability reinforces the teaming of coaches and parents.
You don’t expect perfection from players, but you will provide respectful feedback. Make sure you expect the same in return from players and parents. The mutual respect is healthy for any relationship. Parents don’t expect perfection from you, but if players or parents see hypocrisy, your credibility goes out the window along with any respect you earned. That means it important to recognize and address as soon as possible.
Learn more and share your strategies regarding integrity on our club page.
Listen
Finally, the most under appreciated core value is listening. Make sure you are clear to parents you will be listening to them and players at all times. They need to know explicitly how you will be listening throughout the season. Especially relevant to realize is every team is different and changes in its own way. Therefore, you need to listen in different ways depending on the team.
The openness to different perspectives and feedback is a great way to acknowledge you don’t, and can’t, know everything. Plus parents and players will tell you what they see and expect. That doesn’t mean you react to every suggestion or idea, but you need to listen. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a team, just a kingdom with you on the throne.
Just to be clear, listening in this sense has many methods both passively and actively.
Learn more about the various approaches to listening on our club page.
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