The Little Book of Coaching

I recently read the book The Little Book of Coaching that I want to share some of the key points made throughout the book.

The Little Book of Coaching:
by Ken Blanchard and Don Shula:

Conviction-Driven: Never compromise your beliefs
Overlearning: Practice until it’s perfect
Audible-Ready: Know when to change
Consistency: Respond predictably to performance
Honesty-Based: Walk your talk

You can’t be a successful leader if you don’t have a clear idea of what you believe, where you’re headed, and what you’re willing to go to the mat for (p. 11).

If you don’t seek perfection, you can never reach excellence (p.15)

Success is not forever, and failure isn’t fatal (p 23).

Remember, there is no easy walk to excellence. All great results are built on the foundation of practice and preparation (p .23).

The things they complained the most about they later credited for the change (p. 36).

More important than the goals is the follow-up—attention to detail, demand for practice perfection, and all the things that separate the teams that win from those that don’t (p.43).

If you let errors go unnoticed, you’ll ensure that more of them will occur (p.47).

Today’s leading organizations share a common commitment to consistent improvement (p.51).

There is no point in sticking with a game plan that’s not working. The sun does not rise and fall based on one person’s judgment (p.59).

Good coaching means being present, on the spot, constantly giving appropriate feedback on your players’ performance. I just don’t think you can coach from the press box (p.71).

Are you willing to push your players beyond their comfort zone so that they can experience excellence? Being a great coach means sacrificing popularity and being liked for doing the right thing, so that you are respected. In the long run, you’ll be remembered as the best coach they ever had (p. 99).