So you want to be a head coach, huh? Well, I’ve always said that each coach in an athletic department is like the CEO of their sport. Then I got to thinking…is that actually true? Do I actually know what the job description of a CEO entails? So I did a handy dandy internet search and found a website called CEO to CEO with a list of eleven things that every CEO should be doing. So, during “I Love Coaching” month, you’ll appreciate why the bossy lady living in side of me loves being a coach. You see: I like to be in control, I like that the buck stops with me, I like (for lack of a better term) being the boss.
Check out these things that are vital to a head coach’s job. Notice how many times we have to operate on dual planes…with our staffs and our teams at the same time.
Head Coach Action Items
- Planning: Overall program direction, fundraising strategy, season plan (which should be the origin of our practice plans).
- Organization: Org charts for program professionals (assistant coaches, operational directors, administrative staff), job descriptions for those folks; also org charts for your team (captains, leaders, etc.) and a clear idea among your staff of what those players roles entail.
- Recruitment and development: The list calls it succession planning, I’ve always heard it said that we should always have a “replacement list”. In other words, when our assistants get plucked away for the next big job, we’ve got to have someone in mind to fill their spot. Clearly while they’re with us, we should be preparing them to be a head coach, if that’s their ultimate career goal. Additionally, we’ve got to recruit, recruit, recruit when it comes to our student-athletes and I think it goes without saying that we should focus on their skill development while they’re with us.
- Policy: Program rules for students and staff as well (especially for those of us with assistants that may have just graduated, rules for Facebook, going out, etc. will be necessary). Also important are annual policy reviews to make sure they are up to date.
- Standards of performance and performance reviews: How will our staffs know if they’re on the right track to success if you don’t have standards for them to meet? Same thing with our teams. If they don’t know what they need to in order to get better, success will be hard to find. Regular team and individual meetings will help clear the air.
- Controls: These are management tools. They include monthly recruiting reports (where does your school stand?, what contacts have you made with them?) and quarterly reviews (of fundraising efforts, alumni contacts, etc.).
- Morale: In terms of our staffs, that means everything from job satisfaction, communication styles, and salary negotiations. With our players it comes down to happiness at the institution, satisfaction with their position on the team, and their perception of how much they feel there will be opportunities for movement within the team.
- Product development: For teams, our “product” is the competition. We’ve got to evaluate our team after each competition and develop practice plans to address our needs.
- Community relations: This one is huge! Our team and our staff should active on our campuses as well as within the greater community. Not only is giving back good for the soul, it also gets bottoms in the stands to watch our games.
- Profitability and growth: As I said before, our product is competition, so that’s how we need to judge ourselves. How did our season end in comparison to what we anticipated? Did each individual player reach their potential? How are we improving in comparison to other teams in our conference? The answers to those questions should drive the next season’s recruiting plan, season plan, and development plan for each player.
- Relationship with board of directors: For most of us, this is our athletic director. I can’t imagine that it would benefit us or our programs to have a strained relationship with our bosses, so if that’s the case…time to work on that. At the very least, we should give them an annual report of everything we’re doing…especially the stuff that’s not in our job description. We can’t expect them to just know it, we’ve got to tell them.
That’s a lot huh? Being a head coach is fun, it’s awesome, and it’s fulfilling…it’s also a lot of work! So the next time someone outside of athletics asks you what you’re up to now that your season is over, you can whip out this list.
