It is often said the greatest enemy to future success is current and previous success. This is because we live in a changing world and people can begin operating from a foundation of assumption. Smart leaders, however, know what got you where you are, won’t keep you where you are. Yesterday’s solutions do not solve today’s problems.
But there is one issue which if successful leaders are not paying close attention to will eventually sink them. That one thing is when you minimize little things and no longer elevate their level of importance. Little things should always be BIG things to a leader. To help keep little things in the forefront of your mind and avoid assumptive behavior, I would recommend hiring a performance coach. Allow me to explain.
Chris Foerster
Chris Foerster is the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the San Fransisco 49ers. Most people think creativity in professional football is found in the passing game. But if you watch any 49ers game, their use of formations, personnel groupings, and how they get the ball into the hands of their playmakers through the running game is every bit as creative. In addition, the team’s tackle, Trent Williams, is considered by many to be the best offensive lineman in football and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. But as good as Williams is, he is even better because of Coach Foerster and his active role in his performance.
Recently, Foerster addressed the importance of little things when it comes to individual and team success. Watch the video below and then I will provide eight leadership lessons on how coaching helps even the best leaders get better and have long-term success.
Chris Foerster shares a little detail here. The little details aren’t little. #49ers #OLCollective pic.twitter.com/tKLZP9nve7
— QB COLLECTIVE (@QBCollective) October 1, 2022
The following are eight leadership lessons on the importance of coaching the little things we learn from Coach Chris Foerster. All quotes are from the video above.
- Great Coaches Look At Fundamentals. – “I look at fundamentals.”
- Bad Habits Eventually Show Up. Great Coaches Spot Them Early And Course-Correct Potentially Negative Behaviors. – “I can see things that while it may be productive, it may not be good in four weeks.”
- Everyone Has Good And Bad Tendencies. – “when he starts developing a library of plays”
- Great Coaches Are Not Passive. They Address Issues And Those Individual Tendencies. – “Dude, if you don’t fix this stuff now there going to be a problem.”
- Because No One Is Perfect, Great Coaches Are Relentless Evaluators. – “Everybody has them. You’re constantly picking at guys.”
- Bad Habits Eventually Show Up Against Elite Competition. – “When you get against that elite guy on the road with a silent count, that’s going to be a problem.”
- Great Coaches Create Individualized Development Plans For Those They Are Coaching – “They all have their little things. I could probably punchlist three things for every guy.”
- Everyone Gets Better With A Coach. – “Work on these three things in practice every single day and you’ll be a lot happier with our production going forward.”
Do you want to get better as a leader, get a great coach who can help you. For the record, the coach I recommend to all pastors and business leaders to help them build great teams and improve overall performance is Shawn Lovejoy of Courage To Lead. You can learn more about Shawn and connect with him by clicking HERE.
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