Coach or Captain

I recently saw a quote by Albert Gray “Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don’t like to do.” I have an issue with the winners vs. loser scenario in that I don’t believe that there are really losers out there. Sure there are those that are not as successful as others but that doesn’t make them losers. In my opinion there are at least three types of people, Coaches, Captains and players.

The players are those people who are all members of the team that do their jobs, some do it well, some don’t, perhaps because they are on the wrong team. In time they either quit the team or they get traded to another team where they have a better chance of being successful in their own right.

The captains are those who, although they are players, are also leaders. They often (but not always) do well in the spotlight. Where they truly excel is in rallying their teammates, organizing the troops and getting everyone going in the same direction and working towards the same goal. These people are natural leaders of people and they often are exceptional players too.

Coaches on the other hand are the planners, the people that sit in the shadows and organize, strategize and construct the game plan. These are the people who bring the concepts, tactics and lay the course to success. Their main goal is to make others successful both the players and the captains. Yes they want to be successful but they are driven by a different mindset. They don’t necessarily want the spotlight; they want the championship, not just the win.

Captains and Coaches are both leaders -both want the ultimate prize and they want to win. The difference is that coaches want, no, they need to be the driving force that leads others to that prize. Captains want to rally, to work as a part of a winning team. Players play for the love of the game.

In the business world the players are those workers and co-workers that are happy doing what they do and if they move up the ladder of success that is just a happy circumstance, overall they just like doing what they do. The captains are the team leaders, the managers and the stars of the team. A captain can be the top sales person or they can be the support person that is always there when you call, the one helping you have the tools and the knowledge to do your part well. They help the coaches, the players, even the fans to reach their full potential.

Coaches are often the humble CEO, Vice President or business owner that has set the plan. She or he has set the course to success and makes sure all the parts of the team work together to get to the end goal. But the coaches aren’t content with the single win or even the first championship. Coaches are those people that want to lead not just the team but the entire league to new heights, to new places and to new successes. Coaches are often pleased with a win but will still focus on the next challenge, the next championship and the next season. They are the ones who drive discovery of new challenges for the captains and the players alike.

Which are you? The player, the captain or the coach? What discoveries lie ahead? Let me help you bring those discoveries to life.