I’ve always been awestruck by how simple the greatest sports coaches keep their work. When India’s earstwhile cricket coach, John wright was famously asked, how he could coach Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest cricketer of the time, he said ‘I don’t. I can’t teach him anything he doesn’t already know”.
Yet that partnership yielded greatness.
And then today, India’s out going bowling coach, Bharat Arun was asked by the indianexpress about his coaching and bowling philosophy.
Put simply, how did he created this formidable, world beating line up of bowlers. The simplicity of his answer reflected his raison d’etre and his success mantra. To quote him:
“You don’t coach the sport. You coach the person. It’s not about reinventing the game or talking too much technique, it’s in the background. You build a rapport, mutual trust, you playfully challenge them or be strict at times. Ultimately, it’s about ‘I am your big brother, I will support you and be with you all the time, but I will challenge you. I might irritate you but it’s for your own good….It was about empowerment. Every bowler needs to be aware about what he is doing; why is the ball behaving in a certain way after it shoots out from his hand? What’s happening? How can he tame it and control it? How can he make it a deliberate act, rather than a vague ‘natural’ way? The strengths and the weaknesses, so that you stick to your strengths in the match….The challenge is to understand everyone’s unique style and blend it as close to the basics of bowling, which frankly hasn’t changed in 150 years.”
I could have spent a lot of time explaining the work of a coach or the leader who seeks to be a coach. But no where as efficiently as Bharat Arun did.
As a leader and a coach it is my job to hold the space for the Sachin Tendulkar and Bumrah in each person I work with, to be self aware, thrive in “being” who they are, working off their strengths and discovering their own answers. Good reminder.
As a coach, as a leader do you believe there is greatness in everyone around you, waiting to be unleashed in their own unique way? Are you holding space for that potential?
Would you like some one to help you be the best version of you? Always happy to chat more at The Core Questin
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