You're always growing as a coach, and I am not done growing, and hopefully I'm not done winning.
Interpretation
Continuous growth and learning are essential for success in coaching and leadership.
This quote by Doc Rivers highlights the importance of personal development and the ongoing journey of learning that leaders, particularly coaches, experience. It emphasizes that growth is a never-ending process and that even accomplished individuals should strive to improve themselves while continuing to achieve success.
In practice
During a team meeting, I reminded my players that, like Coach Rivers says, we must embrace growth in our journey together.
As a coach, you've got to do what's best for the team. If guys don't like it, they're going to leave. If they stay and don't like it, well, your team's going to suck anyway. Even if this happens, you still have to do it. You can't coach worrying about any individual.
You've got to coach worrying about your entire team: whether that gets you a championship or whether that gets you fired. I think it allows you to coach free. You're coaching with freedom because you know you're doing what you think is right.
If you're a great defensive player, you're a great defensive player 100% of the time. You can't be a great defensive player half of the time because you didn't get the ball once or twice. That can't sidetrack you. It's got to be 'I live for my defense, and my offense I'll get. But I can't let it affect my defense. Nothing affects my defense.'
I hired top-notch people, trusted them to do their jobs, and then came to grips with the fact that I wouldn't be coaching as much.
Failing to engage in conflict is a terrible decision, one that puts our temporary comfort and the avoidance of discomfort ahead of the ultimate goal of our organization.
My creed is that public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation with full recognition that every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration, that constructive criticism is not only to be expected but sought, that smears are not only to be expected but fought, that honor is to be earned, not bought.
Sometimes I was wrong about my players. Sometimes I want more and more from them; sometimes I am so demanding, but they showed me how good they are.
That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety, our own security, depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for - timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.
I think we are afraid to take up space. We are afraid to be amazing. As soon as that fear leaves us and we start building that confidence of being unapologetic about being great, then i think we can get into that space of having a lot of women leaders who are just fearless.
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