WISDOM FOR THE BUSYCOACH

Stephanie Zonar has been a hero of mine since she wrote "Leader of the Pack," a very touching book about the courageous Kay Yow.  It's a very well written tale of how Coach Yow not only shaped the young women she coached at North Carolina State, but how through her incredible will and determination, she galvanized a nation through women's basketball to fight against breast cancer.  Stephanie has gave portions of the book sales to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Stephanie has a great website (http://lifebeyondsport.com/) with an inspiring blog and has travelled the nation to work with teams.

And now she has a new book out and I love it -- I believe it should be in every coach's library.

"Wisdom for the BusyCoach" -- is just that -- a book filled with short passages on a variety of subjects that can help us with our teams and more importantly -- with ourselves.

Each topic starts with a quote such as:
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

—Goethe

That is followed with a passage of wisdom:
Sometimes BusyCoaches long for their players to “grow up.” You recruited them because you saw the potential, yet the road to maturity can take so, so long. When you refuse to coddle or make excuses for your athletes, but instead consistently expect them to exhibit character qualities like discipline, commitment and responsibility, you give them tools to achieve greatness. When you hold them accountable for their actions, you create a culture in which maturity will grow.

And then an action question:
Do you respond to your players based on where they are or where you want them to be? How will you help them reach their potential?

Followed by a biblical scripture on that subject:
“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:11

Another great quality of the book is the index in the back.  Looking for a particular word such as "attitude?"  Go the index and find the pages that have passages regarding "attitude."  In fact, there are over 70 such words including character, persistence, respect, vision, honor, balance and many more.

To appreciate Stephanie's perspective of our profession, you need not go any further than her dedication:

Dedicated to my coaching buddies who model excellence, impart wisdom and teach athletes so much more than x’s and o’s. Thank you for tirelessly investing in the next generation of athletes.

Purchase this book at: http://www.lifebeyondsport.com/mybooks