I have been fortunate in the time since the Olympic games to
spend time with seven coaches of Gold medal winners in Athletics (Track & Field) from the London games. In two
instances I got to watch workouts and spend significant time with the coach and
athlete. These are the commonalities that all shared:
Passion – In most cases they wore their passion on their sleeves.
Technical Knowledge – They knew the basics and didn’t stray far from
them. None of them made what they did overly complicated.
Emotional Intelligence – They know their athletes and
themselves. They listened to the athlete.
Systematic – Nothing by chance, thorough plans, but still built
flexibility into the system
Humility – Not overly impressed with themselves, willing to
credit others and seek help. Did not go it alone.
Paid their dues – All except one has been coaching for quite some time;
they were not always coaching gold medal winners.
Interestingly enough these are the characteristics I see in
great coaches at any level. These characteristics are what it takes to be an
effective coach.