The article we posted yesterday on coaching vs. family time, which itself as a response to Gene Chizik's decision to leave coaching to spend more time with his family, has received quite a response. I've decided to share one of those with the class.
Derrick Rider is a former high school head coach in Kansas that now coaches running backs at Shawnee Mission East High School in Kansas while teaching P.E. at a local elementary. "My dream was to be head coach and make name for myself, but look back and see a lot of family moments I missed," Rider told FootballScoop. "Mainly I see the moments I missed with my now nine-year-old son. I feel many coaches may have the same feelings at some point."
With that in mind, Rider shared with us the ten things he's learned as a head coach.
1. Enjoy your time as an assistant.
2. Those that are most passionate about your hiring may be the most passionate about your firing.
3. Do what you know is best. Someone is always going to want something else.
4. Don't try to please other people and do too much. You will stretch yourself thin and not be good at the things that are important.
5. Delegation is good. People want responsibility and accountability for something.
6. It's a lot of work. Something will have to be sacrificed. In fact, many areas of your life will sacrifice. Your family. Your finances. Your health. Your spiritual grounds.
7. Coaches always say they want to thank their family for giving them the opportunity to do what they love to do. My question would be: While you're doing what you enjoy, are you missing out on those you love?
8. Be conscious to be present with your family. You will look back at pictures and look into the eyes of your kids and regrets the moments when your head was in another place. You're drawing up the next play, envisioning the next game. Those family moments will flee fast while there will always be another game.
9. Having the control of your organization is not all it's cracked up to be. The weight is truly all on your shoulders. When it goes great, you're well-liked. When it doesn't, you're not.
10. Go home.
Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?