Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / serrnovik
There are countless books, articles, and videos about the importance of being mindful and living in each moment. Authors before me have written about the many benefits of being in the now, not fixating on the past, or worrying about what the future holds. All of that is sage wisdom and valuable advice. However, as a father of three young children, I have come to realize that as a youth-development professional, each and every time I’m working with children is a day, a program, a moment, that they will never get back. As a result I (and we) owe them the absolute best we have to offer—each and every day!
No Scrimmages
Parents trust us to provide the best experience for their children. And, in many cases, they choose to send their child to a program, join a team, or attend a camp at the expense of other priorities. When that child arrives at a program, they (rightfully) expect the best. So, even if it’s the first time for the program, we owe it to participants to do our best. Of course, we all make mistakes, and performing at the highest level takes practice (more on both of those shortly), but it’s never okay to go into a program already excusing a subpar effort because someone is new.
Game Plan
Winning coaches never go into a game without having first thought about the best strategy (aka a game plan) for their teams. And, likewise, it is never okay to go into an activity without a thoughtful plan. Good programs just don’t happen. That’s not to say we need to have every moment of every day planned out, but we must know what the goals are for the participants, what we plan to do to help get them there, and have at least a few contingencies ready if things don’t go as planned.