 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
 |
||||||||||
  |
||||||||||
|
|
Player Coach
I had never heard the term "Player Coach" before the sudden passing of Tim Russert. However, when Andrea Mitchell used the term to explain the role that Tim Russert played as Washington Bureau Chief, it made complete sense. It refers to a person that is a colleague who is also a mentor to his team.
Wow, I can't count the number of times I have played the role of "player coach." Most of the times, I had no idea that I was a mentor until a colleague said to me, "After watching you in action, I tried your approach myself. It worked!" Have you had similar experiences? Have you been secretly watched and noticed others imitate like you or take on your approach? Have you ever made an effort to coach another team member? Isn't imitation is the greatest form of flattery?!?! Dictionary.com defines mentor this way:
It is easy to be a mentor. All you need to do is identify what you have to offer. Once you know your strengths, you will spot others that may be struggling. That makes you qualified in a specific area. Knowing your strengths and seeing others struggling does not give you the right to be a mentor. You must EARN the right to be a mentor. If you do not realize your strengths, watch what others are copying. If they are copying something you wouldn't want to teach, then change your ways. You have influence but need to work on your character. For example, if you use a big stick and demand work without encouragement and coworkers start managing the same way you are a very poor example. However, if you inspire and encourage others to meet their goals and your coworkers follow in that tradition, you are a person of good character and a potential mentor. Listening to the NBC family express their views of this larger-than-life man, Tim Russert, a recurring theme was evident:
Before you can mentor anyone, you must have the character to be a mentor. If you are arrogant, no one will want to learn from you. If they do, you are propagating a character flaw. If you have your own career or ego as the primary reason to mentor, you will not become a mentor to anyone. No one will trust that you will share the credit. A great mentor knows what they have to offer but does not force it upon anyone. They illustrate their knowledge by the simple act of performing their best all the time. When they notice a struggling teammate, they offer help by teaching them how to perform the task. They teach by letting them do the work. After the struggling teammate succeeds, they announce their success (avoiding taking any credit for themselves). A great mentor notices they are being watched by a student. The mentor invites them to participate. The mentor lets them fail a little but never fall to the point of feeling defeated. They encourage them to continue until they succeed. Over the years, I've been surprised by innocent comments made by others about me. Positive comments about my accomplishments that I didn't realize were noticed. I was just performing my role to the best of my abilities. That is the key point of being a player coach. You must perform your role to the best of your abilities because you do not know who is watching. To be a great mentor, you must first be a silent mentor. People are always watching you without your realizing it.
After they watch while you are not looking, they determine:
It is only at that point they seek your knowledge and advice. It is only at that point that they will vie for you to be their mentor. (Oh, executives are watching, too. They want someone that can get the job done. More importantly, they want someone that can motivate and COACH a team to get the job done.) What's in it for you? No project is successful without the help of others. People flock to those that are exceptional. People want to be part of your team so they can learn from you which means you have reached the level of "best." The "best" get the better assignments, best teams, and career opportunities. People go out of their way to help a "mentor" in need. They want to do their best for you to earn the kind of respect from you that they have for you. The "best" player coaches are highly sought after. These are the individuals that become the true leaders that are remembered long after the project, the job, the career. Every single one of us can be a mentor. Everyone can be an enthusiastic leader. It doesn't matter if we are a knowledge worker or a senior vice- president. We can still be a mentor and lead others to do and be their best. Mentoring is a reflection of your character. We all can take on these traits that describe Tim Russert. These traits can be the central part of our own character. To do so, we need to strengthen our softer skills that will polish our character. Tim Russert was brilliant. He knew his craft and was always prepared. What differentiated him from the rest was his softer skills that were just as strong. He realized that time is our most precious commodity. Once passed, you never get it back. His book Wisdom of Our Fathers provided many stories of fathers and mentors that used that special commodity of time to help someone. No one will remember the invention, the project, or the product as much as they will remember you as a human being. Mentor stories last beyond a lifetime. They impact the many who take the challenge to follow with respect. My greatest achievements took a great deal of time-my time and the time of others that encouraged me, coached me, mentored me, and gave me the kick in the butt to get me to my goal. My greatest achievements are not derived from the end result, it is from the journey and those that walked with me. My greatest achievements are those individuals and teams that I mentored and helped. I don't talk about the keynote speeches, the books and articles or the specific projects as much as I talk about the people involved in all those activities. My greatest accomplishments have been seeing those that I mentored achieve their goals. In honor of our memory of Tim Russert, let us all strive to be a player coach and mentor others to reach their potential. May our coworkers, colleagues, family and friends be as generous with compliments because we were their player coach. Adopt the characteristics of a mentor...spend a moment of your time helping others reach their goals.
SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.
Top of Page | View Archive | Get Tips in Your Email!
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator
