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The one word most often used to describe my coaching style through the years has been “disciplinarian.” Some people look at this as a derogatory comment, but I think being called a “disciplinarian” is a compliment. I don’t know how anyone can be a successful parent, teacher, coach, manager, entrepreneur, husband, wife, or friend without understanding the role discipline plays in life, and without in some form or another being a good disciplinarian. Far from shying away for it, I’ve worked hard to be the firmest and fairest disciplinarian possible, whether it has been as a parent, a coach, or the manager of a staff. Discipline is not what you do to someone, but what you do for them.Every construct in life requires discipline. Marriages require both spouses to suppress their selfish urges for the good of the relationship. That is a form of discipline, and the consequences of not following those rules are a troubled marriage. If you don’t have enough self-discipline to pay your monthly bills, you will soon suffer the consequences while sitting in the dark. If, as a parent, you don’t discipline your children, they grow up without any boundaries, which damages them well into adulthood. If you have no discipline in the workplace, then an “anything goes” attitude will soon prevail, and your company will be in trouble.
In government, we have laws that impose consequences upon certain actions society deems unacceptable. And in my profession, achievement, performance, and teamwork are rewarded, while a lack of those qualities requires corrective action: discipline. If enforcing standards had made me a disciplinarian, then I gladly accept the title and plead guilty as charged.
From "Wins, Losses, and Lessons" by Lou Holtz
