Gold Athletic Coaching Style

According to the simple assessment you just completed, the majority of your coaching strengths are associated with the Gold Temperament as defined by the Four Lenses/Insight Personality System.

This doesn’t mean that you have a primary temperament of Gold, but that you prefer to coach in Gold ways. This could be by choice or it could reflect the way you were trained. Either way, if you exclusively use this coaching style, you will be most effective with Gold athletes.

Coaching Characteristics

Discipline is the key to success in sport. Coaches teach people how to carefully manage their lives and follow a careful regimen of physical and mental training that will eventually turn them into top athletes. The more they stick to that training, and obey the rules of the sport and the rules of their team, the more success they will find. Without discipline and obedience, they will lose more than they win.

Even with great leadership, individuals still need to be responsible for themselves. They should do whatever they need to do to become a better athlete. If they need to run a lot of miles, they should do it. If they need to lift weights, they should lift weights. If they need to do sit-ups, they should do them. All these exercises are important things that help them get ready for game days. If they are too busy to regularly train, then they are too busy to regularly play in the game. Only those who consistently stick to the training plan, consistently make personal progress, and consistently show up to practices, should be allowed to play.

It’s very helpful to be dedicated to something you like. Most people don’t want to be stuck doing something that doesn’t bring them joy. If you are training to be an athlete, and you hate working out to increase your physical strength and endurance, this could be a problem. But if you can figure out something that will motivate you to do the drill, such as a desirable reward you earn after you exercise, then you will be more likely to complete the routine. Just about anyone can be persuaded to do anything for the right benefit.

In order to be successful in sports, a coach needs to be firm, authoritative, determined, and consistent. This means that the coach has to be strong enough so that the players will listen to him or her. The coach should also be firm and authoritative because that will help to motivate his or her team members. A coach should also be determined and consistent so that they won’t change their behavior because they are tired or hungry. Finally, the coach should use positive reinforcement with the players.

In sports, there are always conflicts. If two players are having a disagreement, it is usually the coach’s job to settle it. In these kinds of situations, it is always important to show that you are in charge and to assert yourself. If you’re in the middle of something, you can say something like, “I am not interested in having a discussion right now. Let’s finish this later.” You should never appear angry, aggressive, or defensive—this just makes the other person even more upset and might create an enemy. As the coach, you are expected to show authority and avoid losing control of the situation. Then you are expected to create and execute a plan to resolve the conflict and prevent it from happening again.

It is also important that the coach makes sure his players understand the rules of the game and what is expected of them. From time-to-time the players may need to be reminded about the hierarchy of team leadership and the consequences of breaking the rules or questioning authority. If a coach can’t stay in control of the team, then the coach cannot lead them to victory. As the truism says, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

As a coach, I prefer to play the role of caretaker, guardian, or manager. These are the three different types of relationships that I have with my players. When I am a caretaker, I provide the things that they need or want. For example, I make sure they have access to things they might need during games or practice sessions such as drinking water, athletic tape, and maybe some energy snacks. My job as a guardian is to protect them, keep them safe, and prevent them from danger. As a manager, I’m in charge of the entire team. I am responsible for making sure that all the players are where they need to be, when they need to be there, and are working together as a team.

It is important for coaches to help players set personal goals and create a step-by-step program to reach those by a specific date. If the goals or time frames are too unrealistic, the athlete won’t be able to achieve them. On the other hand, if the objectives are not attainable, the player won’t even try. The ability to work hard and exert effort always determines success. When goals are being set, it is important to be realistic and honest about what can be accomplished given the person’s attitude, aptitude, and history. But when in doubt, shoot for a goal that stretches the player’s abilities and demands lots of hard work. Consistence and persistence almost always pays off huge dividends.

To be successful as a coach, you need to be organized so that you can take care of all of the things that need to be done. Budgets, schedules, timelines, deadlines, routines are some of the tools that help you be more organized and prepared. It’s a good idea to set aside some time at the beginning of each day to make sure you know exactly what needs to happen and update your to-do lists. Don’t deviate from the schedule that was made for the days to come. List the items you need to bring to the coaching session and keep an accurate inventory of all your gear and supplies. After the session, inspect and return everything to its proper place. If something needs to be maintained, repaired, or replaced, take care of it right away.

A coach is somebody who helps to provide security and a direction for his team members. He brings stability to the team and shows the way for his players to accomplish their goals. A coach also has to be responsible for making sure that everyone in the team follows the rules. He should discipline his team members if they violate the rules and give them positive feedback when they follow the rules. As a coach, I encourage my team members to achieve both personal and team goals.

I encourage my athletes to always “do the right thing.” Athletes should never cheat. Cheating is not only illegal but it is also unprofessional. Athletes who cheat have nothing to show for their work, and therefore, they lose the respect of their teammates, coaches, and fans. It would be much better for them to admit that they made a mistake instead of trying to hide it. If I know an athlete has cheated, I take them aside and encourage them to admit it. Then I’ll help them take steps to rectify the situation, apologize, pay the penalty, and ask for forgiveness. When they do the right thing and take responsibility for their actions, they will be respected by everyone.

How Gold Coaches Shine

  • Creating order out of chaos
  • Exhibiting discipline and self-control
  • Setting and achieving objectives and goals
  • Paying attention to details and minutiae
  • Following rules and directions with exactness
  • Sticking to routines, schedules, and deadlines
  • Keeping records accurately and meticulously
  • Taking responsibility for their actions
  • Fulfilling their obligations and commitments
  • Being prepared for emergencies
  • Policing, protecting, and defending others
  • Conserving and allocating resources
  • Sticking to a task until it is completed
  • Keeping others focused on the task at hand
  • Maintaining traditions and following customs
  • Sacrificing for the good of the organization
  • Bringing stability and structure to the world

How Gold Coaches Cause Stress

  • Working too hard
  • Being inflexible or unchangeable
  • Becoming obsessed with unimportant details
  • Trying to control too much
  • Taking on too many responsibilities—can’t say “no”
  • Being bossy and domineering
  • Being too strict or stern
  • Demanding or expecting too much from others
  • Being pessimistic, gloomy, apocalyptic
  • Being judgmental or preachy
  • Imposing values on others
  • Being ultra-conservative or reactionary
  • Keeping their “heads in the sand”
  • Being prudish or strait-laced
  • Being high-strung, anxious, up-tight
  • Worrying, fretting, and agonizing over little things
  • Following the letter of the law with exactness
  • Concentrating on production, quotas, statistics
  • Being a bureaucrat, do-gooder, apple-polisher
  • Planning and preparing in excess
  • Rigidly following agendas and schedules
  • Being obsessive or compulsive
  • Not being able to stop themselves from giving advice
  • Inability to relax and take what comes
  • Getting lost in the details and missing the big picture
  • Getting stuck in a rut
  • Being too formal, boring, stuffy

How to Be a Better Coach

As a Gold coach, you probably possess some outstanding qualities such as assertiveness, concern, discipline, obedience, and persistence. These strengths come naturally to you and will help you find success. But have you maximized these virtues as well as the eight others that are associated with your temperament, or is there still room for improvement? And how are you doing at some of the other attributes that make coaches even more successful, such as compassion, gratitude, humility, tolerance, concentration, accuracy, efficiency, foresight, candor, courage, impact, initiative, and persuasiveness? 

If you would like to measure how much virtue you currently possess, then please complete the Maturity Assessment on this website. It is free to you as part of your subscription. Then, if you want to work on your weaknesses and turn them into strengths, check out the 7, 13-minute Gaining Virtue lessons on each of the 52 virtues. Before long, you will be even more successful!