Lester the Labeled - 1b

At the Coach’s Clinic, Jake Harris, coach of the Jaguars, came over and said to you,

“Congratulations, the league gave you a couple of new players to fill your roster. The only problem that I can see you having is with Lester Seaton. He's a real hard-headed kid.” Barb Armstrong, coach of the Golden Eagles, pipes up, “Yeah. Good luck! I had a run-in with him last year.”

A tendency we have is to say, “Well, he won't get away with it while I'm coach!” and we will have fallen into the trap of pre-judging one of our players. Instead, you may want to say to yourself, “O.K. People have had trouble with Lester in the past and we will work really hard to make this a great, profitable team experience for him.”

You had watched Lester play first base last year and thought that he was good enough that you could move Stan to shortstop (which Stan would like) to put Lester in as your new first baseman.

Your feelings:

Both of the former coaches had made Self-Fulfilling Prophecy statements. We tend to see and get what we expect to see and to get. If you see Lester as a problem player, he most certainly will be one because you will give him all the signals he needs to react negatively to you. You will be interpreting whatever he does as negative behavior. On the other hand, if you see Lester as a potential asset to the team, he will perceive all of the positive signs and may come along as a real team member.

What you'd like to do and should do:

Since you are invested in player-centered coaching, a significant amount of time must be spent on what you know and can do with each of your players. Lester and Ollie, your two new members, had not heard the pre-season talk including the Wolf and the Pack concept. Coach Long will meet with them and go over that concept and then have a one-on-one session with each of them. You have made her aware of the “problem” with Lester. She will assure them that we accept them just as they are and value them as new members of the team.

Possible Actions:

Lester’s Issue: Recognition - Acknowledge him correctly and he could become a great asset.