READY: “If a man’s gift is . . . leadership, let him govern
diligently” –Romans 12:6-8
SET: I want to look at the gift of leadership in regard to
coaching, because it is one of the most important gifts of the
Spirit. I want emphasize leadership because a team is only as
strong as its coach.
A good coach is a person of integrity. Integrity means that
you are the same person in private that you are in public. You
do not have a secret life. The thing that will sabotage your
leadership more than anything else is a lack of integrity. What
we are talking about is trust. Athletes will not follow someone
they cannot trust. Your biggest asset is leading by example. You
cannot take your team somewhere you have not gone or are not
willing to go. You cannot just teach good behavior, you have to
model good behavior. A coach is someone who has first of all
become a follower — a follower of Christ. The Apostle Paul said,
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1
Corinthians 11:1). To get athletes to follow Christ, a coach has
to first get them to follow him/her, and to get them to follow
him/her they had to know that he’s/she’s following Christ.
A good coach is a person of vision. A coach has to have
vision because he/she has to know where they’re headed. Most
often this vision comes from God who gives to all who call upon
Him. He enables us to see what could be and helps us to go after
the vision. John Maxwell says that leaders, “see things others
can’t, make changes, and move forward before others know what’s
happening.” A coach of vision is an innovator and is never
satisfied with the way it has always been done before.
If you’re going to lead you’ve got to have a plan. The
difference between a pipe dream and a vision is that a pipe
dream is only a dream without a plan. A vision is a dream with a
plan. Coach with vision dream big dreams, but they also see how
to get there. You need vision to be a leader. The Bible says,
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18,
KJV). “A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees
farther than others see, and who sees before others do” –author
unknown.
A good coach is a person of endurance. If you are going to
last as a coach you have to be willing to push through the tough
times. You can’t give up at the first sign of resistance. You
can’t be negative, cynical or pessimistic. You have to believe
in the vision and do whatever is necessary to make it a reality.
You have to be responsible and be a person who is willing to
work hard, very hard. If you’re going to be a leader, you not
only have to see what other’s cannot see, you have to do what
other’s are not willing to do.
Larry Bird became an outstanding free-throw shooter by
practicing 500 shots every morning before he went to school.
Tiger Woods will hit hundreds of balls at a driving range. He
will practice hundreds of chip shots and puts. He runs and works
out at the gym. His greatness does not just come because of a
God-given ability. It comes through hard work, a willingness to
endure through drudgery, disappointment and discouragement. You
have to be willing to press through these things in order to
reach your goal. A coach works hard and uses failure as a
learning opportunity.
A good coach is an initiator, an innovator and a motivator.
When you have a vision - you innovate. When you are willing to
work hard - you initiate. When you endure - you motivate. You
have to believe in your team. If you don’t believe in your
athletes they won’t believe in you. You lead by expecting the
best from them, even when they fail. As soon as winning becomes
more important than the athletes you have stopped coaching and
leading. Your athletes must always be the priority.
A coach has to be willing to sacrifice for the team. John
Maxwell says, “There is no success without sacrifice. The higher
the level of leadership you want to reach, the greater the
sacrifices you will have to make.” That’s what coaches do. They
make the necessary sacrifices and stay the course. They have
integrity, a vision and endurance. They keep their eyes on the
goal and the God who will get them and their team there. Psalm
37 says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and
he shall bring it to pass” (vs.5, KJV) – may that be your
confession – be a good coach! Upward bound, Coach Street
GO: 1. Are you committed to a lifestyle of integrity? 2. Is
“vision” hard for you to see? What have you done to “get the
vision” for your team? 3. Is Psalm 37:5 your confession?
WORKOUT: Psalm 37:23; Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 28:26
OVERTIME: Lord, give me the gift of leadership that I might
be the coach You want be to be and the coach my team deserves.
Amen.
