By Meg Burns // July 5th, 2023
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Sure, its cliché, and you probably hear it all the time, but this statement carries a lot of power and truth. This business is not just a strength and conditioning business, it’s a life-changing business; we’re here to change lives.
The role of a coach goes beyond the x’s and o’s of training and plays a far bigger role in the life of every athlete or client that walks through the door. Yes, the training is important, but no one will express interest in the training, or you as the coach, until you show them you care. As a coach you have a unique opportunity to produce a long-lasting impact in countless lives, and it all starts with the person, not the training.
Relationship is the key. Coaching is all about relationships and great coaches build authentic, meaningful relationships with their athletes and clients. You can know everything there is to know about strength and conditioning but none of that matters until you first show someone you care. Express genuine interest in one’s life, build rapport, and earn their respect and trust. People will choose to believe in you because you’ve shown that you believe in them.
Learn names. Athletes and clients should never feel like a number. As Dale Carnegie says, “A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. Remembering and calling someone by their name makes them feel important and well respected and should be one of the top priorities of every coach. Knowing someone’s name is a simple, yet profound way of showing someone that you care for them and are interested in them. Think you’re not good at remembering names? That’s not an excuse. If you truly care, you will know their name!
Learn each person. Be who they need you to be. Remember, you were created with two eyes, two ears, and one mouth for a reason. It’s important to truly get to know your athletes/clients to better understand their needs, their aspirations, and how they want to be interacted with. This is how you can offer them an even better training experience. Everyone’s situation is going to be different, look for signs. Some athletes are already pushed to their limits physically and mentally by their sports coaches, while other athletes may need more discipline. For adult clients, training is often a social time for them, and you are there to be their friend. This is where you have the responsibility to adapt as a coach to be who your clients need you to be each day.
Consider yourself a mentor. A coach will impact more people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime. Like it or not, you will have an impact on every person you coach and it’s up to you to decide whether that impact will be positive or negative. What kind of impact do you want to have? I love this quote from the book InsideOut Coaching by Joe Ehrmann that states how a true transformational coach will “affirm, and encourage, rather than demean and defame”. You have the power, as a coach, to help people discover their inner strength and potential and boost self-confidence. Take advantage of that!
At the end of the day, clients won’t know the difference between a good program and a bad program, but they will know the difference between a good experience and a bad experience. So, remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Prioritize relationships, learn names, really get to know each person, and remember that you are a mentor and have the opportunity to impact lives beyond the realm of sports.
Become a life-changing coach in a life-changing business!
Meg Burns 