166 - Power is a tool, influence is a skill - See one, do one, teach one

Power is a tool, influence is a skill; one is a fist, the other a fingertip. Nancy Gibbs I'm not sure about you, but I never took a course in coaching. Most things I've learned about coaching I've come from my own experience, and speaking with other people who have coached for years. It's easy to get better coaching. Go to other coaches practices, have them come To yours and critique you. I think it's a lot harder to get better at influencing. One of my favorite John wooden quotes is a poem that says "no written word nor spoken fully can teach young minds what they should be nor all the books on all the shelves it's what the teachers are themselves. To be a good influence for our players, means to live a good life, and to be that example all the time. That's probably not what we signed up for. And that's really hard to do. If influence is a fingertip like Nancy Gibbs says it is, that means it takes precision and skill to use it correctly. If used correctly, It can change the world for better or worse.  Power is a fist, which sure, can be helpful at times, but the delicate and precise nature of guiding young student-athletes cannot be accomplished with the power of a fist. It takes a gentle hand, a skill that is difficult to master and requires self discipline and awareness to be that example for our kids.