The Ultimate Value of the Super Coach
And an introduction to Strategic Performance Coaching
In 2012 a bidding war erupted between two American universities for the services of this man. At the time he was being paid US $5.3 million per year by the University of Alabama, a big pay packet by anyone’s standards.
But when the University of Texas expressed an interest in hiring him, $5.3 million suddenly seemed a little cheap. And so the bidding war began.
In the end, Alabama were able to retain this man’s services, paying him more than US$8 million a year.
The man’s name? Nick Saban. His job? American Football Coach.
Why was Nick Saban in such high demand? Thanks to his coaching expertise, Alabama’s football team went from a 30% win record to an 87% win record. Put another way, Nick Saban turned a losing team into a champion team.
Over a 17 year coaching career with the University of Alabama, Nick Saban coached its football team to multiple divisional and national football titles. And in January 2024 Saban retired from coaching at the ripe old age of 72. His legacy? Nick Saban is one of the greatest ever college American football coaches.
INTRODUCING THE SUPER COACH
The war for Nick Saban’s coaching expertise is not unique. In fact, the best coaches, sometimes referred to as master or super coaches, are highly sought after for their services.
Why?
Super coaches are experts at helping teams and individuals to dramatically improve performance. And, the best of the best are renowned for turning:
- Average performers into exceptional performers
- Underdogs to top dogs
- Perennial losers to consistent winners
And it’s not just in sport either. These days master coaches in multiple domains word hard to transform client performance in all sorts of areas such as:
- Improving business results
- Boosting team morale
- Losing weight
- Getting fitter
- Developing a stronger marriage
- Getting one’s s#%t together
Where do you find a super coach? A coach who transforms performance?
That’s a challenge because the fact is, super coaches are few and far between. Matter of fact, there are a lot of unqualified, poorly skilled and inexperienced people calling themselves coaches.
Some people think that buying a coaching franchise, attending seminars or being a member of a coaching association automatically makes them a good coach. Wrong!
Others believe that completing a course or getting a coaching certification means they are a good coach. Wrong again!
And, there are so many varying definitions as to what a coach actually is and does, it can become quite confusing. So let’s clear up the confusion and outline what coaching is really about.
What coaching is really about
First of all, let’s clarify the primary objective of a coach. Quite simply, the objective of a coach is improve performance.
To explain, let’s look at the origins of coaching.
The origin of coaching dates back to 1830, according to etymology, which is the study of word origins. And, as defined by the etymology dictionary, coaching is:
Meaning “instructor/trainer” is c. 1830 Oxford University slang for a tutor who “carries” a student through an exam; athletic sense is from 1861. A more classical word for an athletic trainer was agonistarch, from Greek agonistarkhes “one who trains (someone) to compete in the public games and contests.”
(Source: http://www.etymonline.com/word/coach)
This definition highlights three key things:
Firstly, the purpose of coaching is to improve performance. This is what is meant by “‘carries’ a student.”
Secondly, the coach performs several roles including those of a mentor, motivator, helper and teacher.
Finally, the definition suggests that as a tutor, instructor or trainer, the coach has a high level of technical knowledge and expertise – and part of the coach’s role is to pass that expertise onto the student.
Ultimately, the concept of coaching is quite clear cut. That is, coaching is a process of improving skills and performance. It involves a coach, which is the person doing the coaching…as well as the coachee/s, who is the individual or team being coached.
Let’s get back to Nick Saban for a moment. What is he really coaching? What’s his role in other words?
He is coaching his team how to develop and skillfully execute a good football strategy.
What about a fitness coach. What does she coach? A fitness coach coaches clients to develop and skillfully execute a good personal fitness strategy.
And the main role of a business coach? Isn’t it helping businesses to develop and skillfully execute a good business strategy?
Here’s the key. The ultimate role of the coach is to coach strategic performance.
Yes indeed. Coaches coach strategic performance.
More to the point, they coach the complete process of strategic performance, which is the planning and skillful execution of a good strategy. Or at least it’s what they need to be coaching to help their clients get awesome results.
Ben M. Bartlett offers a coaching service dedicated to improving strategic performance.
With our coaching services we apply the science of strategic performance to help individuals and teams make huge performance gains at work and in life. Specifically, we help clients to excel at the modules in the Strategic System:
The Blended Coaching Model
The actual coaching approach we use follows the Blended Coaching model, illustrated here:
The Blended Coaching model integrates elements of high-level sports coaching with apprenticeships and traditional learning. Traditional class-based learning makes up only a small component of the coaching, with most of the coaching having a high practical component.
As shown the model highlights the two key people in a coaching initiative or session – the coach and the coachee. The ultimate objective of a coaching program is to get the learner up to a high skill level. And to do that the coach uses a variety of techniques including active coaching, modelling and game sense training.
The coach coaches Strategic Performance!
For more than 150 years the concept of a coach has stayed true to its etymological roots. This has been helped no doubt by the popularity of sports and the role that the sports coach plays in the development of sporting performance. The fact is, the domain or field most associated with coaching is sports.
Unfortunately, the concept of coaching has become somewhat muddied, especially since the early 2000s, with the emergence of the professional coaching industry. This is the industry where coaches are tasked with improving the performance of businesses, business teams, career professionals, executives, business owners and so on.
It is generally accepted by many in the professional coaching industry that coaches don’t have to be strategic, tactical or functional experts. In other words, they don’t need to be experts or skilled in areas such as leadership, sales, management, strategic planning, team-building and so on.
Furthermore, some coaching industry leaders hold the view that coaching does not extend to solving a problem or giving advice.
In effect then, under a model favored by many in the coaching industry, the coach is primarily a facilitator.
The reality is that this model goes against the original definition of coach. That definition is very clear cut.
Coaching clients should get more than a facilitator. A coach should be a subject matter expert. Furthermore, a coach should educate, tell, push, encourage and, when occasion permits, demand.
And most importantly of all, a coach coaches strategic performance.
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The very best in coaching
The late Paul J.Meyer, one of the world’s top personal development authors and speakers once stated that “The best investment you can make is an investment in YOU!” He’s right on the money.
With our strategic performance coaching services you will learn critical skills designed to help you improve business and personal performance. You will also be taught how to better balance work, family and self, so that your overall performance is much more balanced.
In sports, good coaching can do much to improve an athlete’s skill levels. The same principle applies to business and executive coaching. Simply, good business and executive coaching will improve your business skills and those of your team members.
For more information on how to get the best out of a coaching relationship email ben (at) benmbartlett.com