The Role of Mentoring and Coaching to
Create Culture Change That Lasts
Coach John Wooden: The 4 Things All People Best Learn to Do – 3 minutes, 58 seconds.
To all our highly valued clients and acquaintances:
Coming off of Father’s Day Weekend, I wondered again if I was the best dad I could be for our precious four children, now freely out on their own.
I’ve also wondered if I had received better mentoring and coaching on different aspects of my life, what would have I requested? Knowing what I now know, what can I provide for others who are coming into their own?
I’ve been speaking with many people about what can be born out of today’s world that may brush wings with the eternal and have some timeless, universal, relevant value that may serve people well into the foreseeable future – books, online courses, and mentoring programs – art, if you will.
This issue intends to serve you as you, as well as help you to help others.
For example, let’s look at mentoring. How can it work to serve us all well?
Some people like to keep it simple. Mentors do 2 things and two things only
Let’s look at The 8 Habits Of Highly Effective Google Managers.
Almost 10 years ago, Google’s “people operations” team (HR) has applied the Google Way (data analytics) to management analysis and developed a manifesto entitled The Eight Habits Of Highly Effective Google Managers.
Google has used this manifesto to turn crappy managers into acceptable ones. The “good habits” are listed in order of priority, from most-important to least-important. Not surprisingly, it turns out that the eight habits of highly effective Google managers are the same as the eight habits of highly effective managers everywhere!
The #1 habit is to “be a good coach”
Now, let’s look at Jack Welch, who in 1999, while still CEO at GE, discovered the concept of Reverse Mentoring. Later, he introduced it to senior management at GE.
About Reverse Mentoring, from Jack Welch – 54 seconds
At the turn of the century, he was called The Manager of the Century.
Next, let’s look at John Wooden, the greatest coach of the 20th century
As an exceptional human being, what can we learn from Coach Wooden?
Legendary college basketball coach, John R. Wooden received the nation’s highest civilian honor when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on July 23, 2003. Coach Wooden was the mastermind behind 10 national championships at UCLA and was the first member to be inducted into the college basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is given annually to individuals of, “significant public or private accomplishment” and recognizes “exceptional meritorious service.” John Wooden is also a Hall of Famer, one of the only two enshrined both as basketball player and basketball coach. In a legendary career, Coach Wooden led his teams to 885 victories, with only 203 losses. His players included some of the all-time greats: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Walton, and Gail Goodrich, to name a few.
But all his players will tell you, the most important man on their team was not on the court. He was the man who taught generations of basketball players the fundamentals of hard work and discipline, patience and teamwork. Coach Wooden remains a part of their lives as a teacher of the game, and exemplifies what a good man can be.
For me, John Wooden led an extraordinary life of values & accomplishment
Resources for us to consider to serve and support us in this arena:
From the legendary basketball coach who inspired generations of athletes and businesspeople, an inspiring book about the power of mentoring and being mentored.
After eight books, many of them bestsellers, A Game Plan for Life was the one closest to John Wooden’s heart: a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his father, his college coach, his wife, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. The second half is built around interviews with some of the many people he mentored over the years, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Their testimony takes readers inside the lessons Wooden taught to generations of players, bringing out the very best in them not just as athletes but as human beings.
In all, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring is an inspiring primer on how to achieve success without sacrificing principles and how to build one of the most productive and rewarding relationships available to any athlete, businessperson, teacher, or parent-that of mentor and protégé. Next, I want to recommend the book Reverse Mentoring by Earl Creps
I first read this next book when I was serving as interfaith adult advisor to a youth ministry of nearly 250 young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.
While reading this book, I also learned about THE RULES FOR BEING HUMAN. Here’s 3 Steps to Pulling off a Successful Reverse Mentoring Program
Lastly, here is an example of a larger scale, longer-term, inter-generational mentoring programunderwaythat also is working to collaborate with other like-minded organizations to serve a much greater good. This program is also via sport – this time, it’s soccer vs basketball.
Developing Champions in sports and life since 2004 Knowing what we now know, what can we provide for others who are coming into their own, to Create Relevant Culture Change That Lasts?
You’re welcome to share this newsletter with anyone you think will benefit.
Let’s keep connecting and authentically communicating – at your service…
Coach Don
Special offer – free (no fee) – for 30 minutes – I’m here to add value & to serve – to be my best and to do my best – I promise at least one idea to help improve your work performance and your well-being.
