Hired! Now What?
Tools for Making Your Next Job a Success
by: Aaron S. Lee©
More from this issue
Last month,
American Football Monthly gathered a panel of experts
to give you the tools you need to get your next job in part one
of a two-part series focused on career management.
AFM discussed
everything from networking, resumes, interview skills, salary
negotiations, coaching agents and dealing with the media.
This month,
AFM pulls out all the stops in part two as we show
you what to do once you get that new job.
AFM has once again
invited some of the nation’s
best advisors, along with some of our big guns – that’s right,
our
AFM legends. Coaches like Grant Teaff, R.C. Slocum, Marv Levy and Don Nehlen
provide our readers with some of the key ingredients needed to achieve your
goals and reach new heights.
If by chance you missed the November 2003 issue of
AFM please visit
www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com.
Also, don’t forget to check out our Web site and utilize the back issues
(unlimited access with paid subscription) where you can hear from the industry’s
finest on what it takes to achieve coaching longevity.
Dealing with the Media
By Kathleen Hessert
The new coach will soon be duly presented, bringing with him the
nucleus of his staff. Speculation has run rampant for a while.
If you’re the one who said “Yes, I’ll go,” please,
please, please, personally tell your team before it leaks in the
media, because now you’re straddling two administrations
both of which have a major public relations job ahead of them.
Let’s focus on the program you’re moving to.
The administration probably went one of two ways. Either you’re a big
name coach who imbues hope and a degree of gold-plated confidence in their
fans or you may be a “no name” on his way up, extremely talented
kind of guy and your persuasion skills won out.
For either coach, managing expectations and developing and adhering to appropriate
ground rules are the two over-riding priorities when it comes to media and
subsequently, public scrutiny.
Let me explain. When I talk with clients about the Nine Stages of Reputation
Management, they start with the discovery stage. The world is finally recognizing
your talent and possibly even star quality. The cycle then moves through three
additional stages on the positive side of the scale: cheerleading, respect
and - at the peak position -cult-like reverence.
Obviously the big name coach is at least at the respect stage and possibly
even cult-like reverence. Either of these carry extremely high expectations
from fans parched by a win/loss record heavy on the loss side or heady with
conference and national titles and rich in recruits. Unfortunately, the reality
of the Reputation Management Cycle is that when you go as high as you can,
the only direction left is down. The cycle dips downward into the criticism
stage, then confrontation, conciliation, outreach, and hopefully ends on the
upswing with you and your reputation garnering respect once again.
Whether a proven product or newbee clawing for credibility, follow these three
sure-fire tactics to enhance media exposure for your new leadership team:
1. Build a close working relationship with your sports information
department.
2. Challenge your SID to provide healthy doses of strategy not just tactics.
And then learn to lean on them and of course, hold them accountable. An SID
isn’t just there to clean up messes. They’re in that position to
prevent the messes whenever possible. Caution though – even the best
advice must be followed to benefit from it. You must be willing to listen with
an open mind to their counsel and when you don’t take it, explain why.
3. Opt for a “single source philosophy” which means one message
goes to the public. Usually that means one voice – you – but not
necessarily. If you choose to give your assistants a public voice, be confident
that they know your message(s) and can adequately and religiously articulate
the same message whether walking off the practice field or in a prepared interview.
If the AD is in the forefront, make certain you’re in sync with the boss
as well.
There are no guarantees when dealing with the media; however, failing to plan
is planning to fail both on ... and off the field.
Kathleen Hessert is the president and CEO of Sports Media Challenge and New
Game Communications (www.PrepToWin.com). Contact Kathleen at khessert@preptowin.com.
Breaking the News that You are Taking Another Job
Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D
You have found a new coaching job recently and you will be heading down the
road with new opportunity waiting. You are both excited about coaching a new
team and saddened about leaving the team you have coached for many seasons.
Telling your team and staff that you are leaving the team can be both an emotional
and trying time for you.
You have many memories associated with your old team and sometimes it’s
hard to “move on.” It is easy for you to dwell in the past and
reminisce about the good and bad times you have had with the current team.
Now is the time for you to embrace the future and new challenges that await
you. Get focused on your goals for next season and gaining trust in your new
players and staff.
When the time comes to break the news to your team, I would suggest that you
tell them rather than they find out from an assistant coach, AD or owner. Call
a team meeting and use this time to set a good example for your players. I’m
sure you will find the words when the meeting arrives as you will want to carefully
think about what you will say to the team members.
Here are a couple ideas to help you with the team meeting. Discuss some of
the highlights of your career at your current team with a couple of pertinent
stories in mind. Discuss your reasons for taking a new job and opportunities
that wait for you. Focus on the challenges that lie ahead for you rather than
the disappointments you have had with the current team. Discuss with the team
about your faith in the AD or owner to find a highly qualified replacement
(if he or she has not already done so).
Mindset for New Head Coaches
You arrive for your new coaching job with anticipation and new goals for the
upcoming season. Everything is new for you – from the facilities, to
the players, to the town. Getting used to your new environment aside, your
challenge is to earn the respect of the players that you did not recruit, inherit
or draft, and a new coaching staff.
A priority is to develop not only trust but also a winning attitude. You might
start by setting your expectations for the team and coaching staff. It’s
not a popularity contest – every single player does not have to like
you, but they must be willing to respect your decisions and work for you. Discuss
your philosophy about coaching, teamwork, work ethic, and attitude of the team
members. Spell out your expectations along these lines.
Lead the team by example. There is nothing more powerful than modeling the
behaviors you want your team to follow. Hard work, intensity, a positive attitude
and spirit, confidence, ability to handle adversity are all the behaviors and
attributes a good coach would want to model. You are now in the role of salesperson.
You have to sell your philosophy about winning and the path to winning and
getting all team members and staff to buy into your system. Be confident and
hold fast to your system and set your position as leader from the beginning
for all team members.
Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is an author, professional speaker and renowned mental
game expert. Contact Dr. Cohn at PatrickCohn@peaksports.com.
A Few Do’s and Don’ts For the New Coach
By Grant Teaff
Being named head coach of a football program at any level is an exciting time
for any coach and their family. It can often mean an increase in salary, responsibility
and status. However, there are a few do’s and don’ts that any new
coach should always remember.
The first thing a new head coach should remember to do is to positively point
out the program’s past, such as championships, traditions or support.
Don’t negatively point out the programs shortcomings, such as the number
of losing seasons, rules infractions or lack of support.
When I took the Baylor job in 1972, I was shocked to find the facilities in
a dilapidated state and then realize how other coaches in the Southwest Conference
looked at Baylor. To put it mildly, Baylor was not thought of too highly. Their
record against teams in the Southwest Conference had been really bad over a
number of years, and most folks felt like their recruiting was way below par.
I never had anyone tell me how to handle myself when I became the head coach
at Baylor; it was purely from my previous experience of being a head coach
at two smaller institutions who had had similar problems to Baylor. I basically
took the high road and never criticized the previous coach or their staff for
the institution being in the shape that it was in nor did I put down in any
way the obvious lack of facilities. During my first press conference, a member
of the media asked me a question that was a trap, and thankfully I answered
the question in a positive way. Unbeknownst to me, the previous coach had felt
that the way to fix a problem was to paint it. Therefore, everything around
Baylor Stadium, the dressing rooms, and the press box had fresh new paint each
year. The question to me was, “Coach Teaff, do you plan to paint anything
here at Baylor?” My answer was, “No, because paint only covers
the exterior and the problems we face here at Baylor go much deeper than that.”
Just remember, you can’t build your program up by putting someone else
down, and that is true in life, as well as in coaching.
Two of the best examples that I’ve seen in recent years on how an incoming
head coach should act are Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Texas’ Mack
Brown. Both coaches did an excellent job of taking programs that were down
and revitalizing them by immediately embracing and celebrating their program’s
rich history, and vowing to restore national prominence through a hard work
and positivity.
Here are other do’s and don’ts that coaches at any level can learn
from:
Do a lot of listening, ask a lot of questions and get a lot of advice. The
more help you get in turning a program around when it is down, the quicker
you will get things turned around.
Don’t act as though you have all the answers – be flexible in thought
and action.
Do know what you want to do, but as much as possible let it be someone else’s
idea.
Don’t use a closed-arm approach on campus. Build relationships with individuals
and show that you are going to be inclusive on all facets of the game – take
an “it’s not mine, it’s ours” approach, because when
you open your arms people will respond in a more favorable manner.
Do have an open door policy, so that coaches, players, and staff can have access
to the head coach.
Do form a player committee made up of representatives of all four classes,
they will be your sounding board on major issues that affect the players.
Finally, folks may listen to what you say initially, but eventually you will
be judged on your actions. Therefore, if you are truly going to be inclusive,
you need to let the parents know their role in your new program. The faculty
and administration, as well as any booster organizations should clearly understand
your plan and how they can assist you in being successful. Let everyone know
your guidelines for discipline and the action that will be taken regarding
various violations. A strong emphasis on academics and holding student-athletes
responsible for their class attendance will increase graduation rates and the
faculty, administration, and staff will grasp your priorities. The rules and
punishment for discipline must not only appear to be fair, but indeed must
be fair.
Remember, success will come from all members of the team on and off the field,
taking care of their responsibilities, and doing their job at the highest level
of excellence.
Grant Teaff is the president of the American Football Coaches Association and
an AFM coaching legend. You can contact Coach Teaff at www.AFCA.org.
Making Your Next Move Easier
By U-Haul
Moving is one of the most stressful times in a person’s life, especially
for football coaches, whose lives are already stressed enough. Our goal is
to make moving easier for them. So U-Haul has teamed up with American Football
Monthly to bring you some tips to make your next move a little easier. Our
center and dealers are moving experts. For over 58 years we have been helping
families move, and for nearly a decade AFM has been providing the football
coaching industry with the best coaching publication. So, now it’s time
to start packing.
10 Suggestions and tips for do-it-yourself movers:
•
Plan your move in advance. We recommend making your reservations at least two
to four weeks prior to your moving date.
•
Visit our Web sites, such as www.uhaul.com and check out the “Hot Deals” section
for specials on one-way rates.
•
Prior to your move, stop by or contact your neighborhood moving and storage
center to get help with selecting boxes and packing supplies.
•
Check out Web sites like www.eMove.com to get help with pack/unpack, load/unload
and other moving services.
•
Most do-it-yourself movers plan their move for Friday and Saturday. Avoid the
weekend rush. Typically, Sunday through Thursday offers greater equipment availability.
We recommend planning your move during this timeframe. Also, rates may be lower
during this time.
•
Allow time for the rental process. Conduct a walk-around inspection of the
equipment at the time of pickup to become familiar with its features and operation.
•
Ask questions during the walk-around.
•
Read the equipment user guide for tips on driving and safety.
•
Monitor the equipment while it is in your possession, just as your would your
own personal vehicle. For instance, periodically check the oil level, tire
pressure and lighting system.
•
Take advantage of special offers, like U-Haul’s 30-day free storage offer
prior to or after your one-way move. Available at convenient locations throughout
the U.S. and Canada.
3 Tips coaches must know when moving items on their own
•
Plan ahead. Make your reservations as far in advance as possible. Move on a
weekday if you can, when banks, utilities and government offices are open.
•
Pack your boxes “strategically.” Choose a “packing room” ahead
of time and box up a few things each day. Mark each box with its contents and
destination room. That way, you and your helpers will know where each box belongs
at your new home. Pack items you know you’ll need (sheets, towels, toiletries,
tissues and a change of clothes) in your clothes hamper on moving day and you’ll
know just where to find them at your new place! Have all your boxes packed
before you go to rent your truck.
•
Load the heaviest items first, in front, and on the floor. Pack items firmly
and closely.
3 Most common mistakes people make when moving
•
Not planning ahead. Waiting until the last minute to reserve a truck or trailer.
Remember, summer is the busiest moving season of the year.
•
Not packing their boxes ahead of time.
•
Not making arrangements at their destination for help unloading.
U-Haul has been helping families move since 1945. For more detailed tips on
moving and storage on our Web site, www.uhaul.com. Or visit www.eMove.com for
Moving Help services, such as packing, loading or unloading.
First Step: Evaluate
By Marv Levy
As the great basketball coach John Wooden used to say, “Be quick but
don’t hurry.” In other words immerse yourself in the process, but
go in without being overcritical.
For example, I think a coach is a fool if he comes in with a “My way
or the highway” approach. In other words, I feel that one of the most
distasteful things a coach can do is come in and simply clean house and fire
a lot of people with no second thoughts.
After all, sometimes the staff you are replacing has set a lot of the groundwork
that you will build from and achieve success. Just look at what Tony Dungy
did with Tampa Bay. He left that program in pretty good shape for Jon Gruden,
so you can’t be too critical because you are inheriting athletes and
staff that can be very loyal to the previous coach.
A coach must realize and see that there may be some people currently employed
that may be able to provide you with some infallible advice and support. The
first thing a new coach must do is a complete evaluation of what is there,
what is working and what needs to be attended to or corrected.
Now if after taking the time to evaluate the staff and study the situation
you see that there are merited changes to be made – then by all means
make them. But every now and then you will find a gem that would be an excellent
addition to your staff.
I believe that one of the things that helped make us successful in Buffalo
was a tremendous working relationship between myself and the entire coaching
staff and administration.
Being as genuine as possible will help a coach at any level when dealing with
staff, athletes, boosters, fans and media.
Marv Levy is the former coach of the Buffalo Bills and the only coach to guide
a team to four consecutive Super Bowls.
Attracting & Retaining the Best People
By Joan Schaffer
The key issue for any competitive group is how to attract and retain the most
talented people. Of course, position, remuneration and benefits are important.
But over the long-term, the degree of commitment and enthusiasm of any individual
depends on how aligned their personal values are with the culture in which
they are operating.
It’s all a matter of values. Every person and organization make decisions
on a daily basis, whether it has to do with what direction they want the group
to take or how they choose to interact with others. These decisions are made
based on the personal values of the person and the values of the organization
(culture). When the values of an individual are the same as the values of their
culture, values alignment exists. If there is misalignment between these two
sets of values, then confusion, cynicism and lack of motivation result.
Research shows that organizations that actively seek to align the values of
the people to that of the organization (or vice versa) are more successful
because it shows they respect the needs and beliefs of the people involved – thus
enabling the people to live according to what they believe is most important
and achieve a sense of personal fulfillment.
Strong, healthy cultures are defined by a common set of values that the people
and management share. Values are what drive behaviors, and are therefore what
produce consistent behaviors and performance.
For an organization to reap the benefits from a values-driven group, the management
involved must live and overtly demonstrate these core, shared values on a consistent
basis. For a leader to espouse one thing and behaviorally demonstrate another
leads to mistrust and disrespect of that person.
How does a group define what its core values should be? It may be tempting
to select the values from other successful groups under the assumption that “if
they worked for them, then they will work for us.” This is a penalty
flag. Geerte Hofstede defines organizational culture as “the collective
programming of the mind (values, beliefs and behaviors) which distinguishes
the members of one organization from another.”
If you are the leader, your task is to discover what values your group shares
and thus want to espouse – through thick and thin. There are a number
of values survey instruments available or you may want to create a long list
of values that would represent a culture and have the people choose their top
ones to determine what defines your particular group.
Your mission tells what you do. Your vision tells why you are doing it. Your
values tell how you are going to achieve your objectives. Let the values that
reflect your strongest beliefs guide how you play on the field and in life.
Joan Schaffer is a senior partner of Richard Barrett and Associates who support
leaders in building values-driven organizations. Contact Joan at joan@corptools.com.
Establishing
Your Recruiting Program As a New Head Coach
By Thom Park, Ph.D.
The first big challenge faced by the newly hired college head coach is immediately
getting his recruiting program up and running as he is hired and consolidating
his new staff. The best college coaches today must be excellent recruiters
because acquiring top talent is the lifeblood to program success. The personal
skills needed to do this center around being able to make friends quickly in
a genuine fashion with all sorts of people, building relationships that endure,
and having salesmanship skills to sell the program. Smart head coaches hire
assistant coaches who can recruit effectively.
It is imperative that the new program follow the NCAA and other association
rules. Every school today has a designated compliance officer who helps in
this endeavor with enforcement and education but the fact of the matter is
that the cheater today eventually gets caught and ruins his career. You can
certainly win by “taking the high road” but it is harder. The scrutiny
today through media transparency via the Internet, radio talk shows, television
and the like make it imprudent to do anything but to just follow the rules.
To fail here is career suicide and program destructive. Tell your coaches that
the only way to recruit is to be honest and follow the rules. This means that
they and you must know them.
Setting up your recruiting areas should be thought through as to historical
talent demographics. The Rooney study on the 1970s from an Oklahoma State University
demography professor was what I used at Maryland to compete for a national
championship five years from inception. You must determine where to assign
coaches by school history, state tendencies, talent pools, alumni coverage,
institutional reach, tradition and media coverage. Junior college talent may
be used to jumpstart the program for specific position needs in working with
the admissions people. The athletics director’s football recruiting budget,
which the head coach must follow, will drive much of what is possible.
In assigning coaches to geographical areas, the recruiting coordinator must
hope to build continuity of relationships to get referrals and help over time.
Some great programs make a partial living on recruiting walk-ons. Once a coach
is established in a recruiting territory, be slow to change him as his work
accumulates. Relationships are built. The recruiting coordinator hire is a
critical position to oversee and organize all of this.
I have long believed in “wholistic talent analysis” which means
that you recruit the entire player, that is, his talent, character, attitude,
academics and persona. Build a program by surrounding yourself with great people.
Coach Jerry Claiborne used to remind us at Maryland that “you never give
up on talent but potential will get you beat.” Turn down players who
are just good enough to get you beat.
Talent analysis is a learned skill. Build an evaluative process to decide how
to offer a prospect that will avoid staff dissent. This might mean that before
a prospect is ever offered, the head coach, the recruiting coordinator, the
position coach, and the area coach should try to agree on him. Taking the subjectivity
out of the talent analysis discipline will make for a happier staff as great
and lingering fights can break out with the lobbying over whom to offer. The
recruiting coordinator must build a process of both immediate and long-term
prospect acquisition through the areas assigned to staff as well as from the
various conduits of information available today such as Internet scouting services.
You might start administratively each year with 1,500 prospects on paper, screen
them to 500, then visit who you can to invite 85 just to sign 25. It is a winnowing
process from a barrelhead, to a funnel, to a high quality straw. Rely on the
opinions of high school coaches with whom you have confidence but heed your
own counsel at the end. Use laptop computers on the road. Keep good notes.
Quality control must prevail all the way through tape study, personal observation,
visitation and all of the inputs. Coaches who turn down prospects must “face
the music” and call the family as soon as possible. Take “the hit” from
the mothers because it is their son who you just recruited for a year and now
turned down. They will never forget.
Recruit the entire family and the influential persons around the prospect and
do not forget the players after the signing date. Always honor your word as
they will remember what you said. Try to under-promise and over-deliver in
your sales pitches. Projecting where players will play in your system must
be done with intelligence and as much realism as is possible. Expressing this
is ultimately the job of the head coach at the closing. If you are well organized
in your recruiting program, persist with integrity, maintain high quality selection
and “work like dogs.” your revitalized football program can excel
by gaining the best players to attend your school. Remember that the game is
won by the best names on the backs of the jerseys, and not by the X’s
and O’s.
Thom Park, Ph.D., is a contributing writer for AFM, author, advisor, agent
and recruiting expert. Contact Dr. Park at DrThomPark@aol.com
Making the Adjustment
from Assistant to Head Coach
By R.C. Slocum
Among the many challenges facing a “new” head coach, learning to
manage time effectively will be the most important. Over the years, I have
told assistants that no matter how well prepared you are to become a head coach,
you cannot imagine the increased demands you will have on your time.
Several of my assistants have gotten head coaching jobs and one of the first
things they told me was that I was sure right about the demands on their time.
You have all the demands of an assistant plus many, many more. There are many
responsibilities that can only be handled by the head coach so it is important
to be well organized. One of the first realizations is that you cannot get
it all done everyday.
With that in mind, it is critical to decide what is most important and what
cannot wait. There is a book entitled “First Things First” that
is good reading for coaches. It describes a system of deciding what on your
schedule is:
•
IMPORTANT AND URGENT
•
IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT
•
NOT IMPORTANT BUT URGENT
•
NOT IMPORTANT AND NOT URGENT.
I have found it very helpful to divide my daily tasks, calls, etc. into these
categories.
I keep a sheet on my desk divided into four quadrants with the above categories
as titles. Everything that comes up, I put in one of those categories. The
things that I HAVE TO DO each day are put in the URGENT AND IMPORTANT category.
One of the basics of time management is to make sure that you are in charge
of your schedule and that you have decided the category for each thing that
comes your way. From time to time there will be those that want to meet with
you or talk to you on the phone, their business may be a high priority for
them but it is not on your list of URGENT AND IMPORTANT. You may have other
things that are more pressing. It is important that you spend your time dealing
with the things that you have chosen as most important.
The one exception I always had was for one of my players. My assistant was
told that anytime a player comes to my office to see me, I want to be interrupted.
If I am in a staff meeting, come let me know. I did this to signal to the players
that no one was more important to the program than them.
R.C. Slocum never suffered a losing season in 14 years at the helm at Texas
A&M.
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