Owens on Importance of Coaching
The current Vancouver Olympics cause us to focus on great athletes and, occasionally, the coaches who helped make them great. In any workplace, the difference between being an average employee and a great one is the person who coaches the employee to get better and better.
One of the most gifted athletes in Olympic history was Jesse Owens. Born in Alabama, Owens moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, in search of more economic opportunity, which wasn’t found. When Owens was a young teen, his school’s athletics coach, Charles Riley, picked him out of a crowd of kids running track as a future star.
Because Owens had afternoon jobs to help support his family, he wasn’t able to practice with the track team after school. Coach Riley was so impressed with Owens that he offered to meet him before school to work with him. The importance of Riley’s dedicated coaching wasn’t lost on Owens, who would later say:
“Every morning, just like in Alabama, I got up with the sun, ate my breakfast before my mother and sisters and brothers and went to school, winter, spring, and fall alike to run and jump and bend my body this way and that for Mr. Charles Riley.”
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About Chris Parker
Chris Parker's practice focuses on the representation and counseling of companies in matters pertaining to the workplace and the protection of their intellectual property and trade secrets. In addition to serving as an advocate for clients, Mr. Parker is also trained as a mediator and frequently serves as a third-party neutral.
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Jimmy Daniel provides counseling to businesses of all sizes related to the employment relationship. He assists in the drafting of employment agreements, policies, and handbooks, as well as provides guidance related to compliance with federal, state, and local legislation such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
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About Larry Bridgesmith
While serving in an Of Counsel relationship with the firm, Mr. Bridgesmith also serves as the Executive Director at the Institute for Conflict Resolution at Lipscomb University and as an officer and principal in Strategic Resolutions Group, LLC. In these roles, Mr. Bridgesmith brings over 30 years of legal experience in dispute resolution and innovative workplace strategies to clients, students and business entities alike.
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Nae Says:
Good post making a great point. If we want better employees, we should be better coaches (leaders).
February 24th, 2010 at 9:14 am e