On Coaching for Success

Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22

I often say that very little truly comes down to luck. However, one thing that does involve luck of the draw is having access to the right mentors.

I was lucky. I had great teachers in the likes of John McCauley, Frank Udvari, John Ashley and others like Junie O'Brien at Groton. But the best teacher of them all was my dad, Bill Stewart Jr.

I got to watch my Dad coach, officiate and teach. The fact was that he was a tremendous judge of talent. He'd make spot-on evaluation players in all the sports that he coached (hockey, baseball and football) and then work tirelessly with his players to make each and every one a better contributor to the team. He played no favorites. He cared about each one.

Dad would adjust his team plans to match the talents that his kids brought to the team. He was progressive and realistic in assessing talent. Although I never directly played for him, I watched what he did with many players.

I was never amazed when his teams constantly improved and won or nearly won almost every time they stepped from their dressing rooms. Why be amazed when I knew and believed that he was a great coach that cared about his players, both as student-athletes and as human beings?

Some of the people behind the benches now that assume the title of coach don't appear to embody those traits. They can't and don't coach at all. Since they are considered disposable by their own bosses, if their team isn't the sporting equivalent of "just add water and stir", they are at a loss because they've never really learned how to nurture and coach a group of individuals into a team.

Management recruits -- or, at the pro level, buys -- what they need to fill the holes on their teams. They don't develop from within. They don't assess players and work with them to strengthen their strengths and improve their weaknesses.

I just sit there some days and shake my head. Like parenting, you take what you have and work with it. Make it better. Set people up to succeed and improve vs overwhelming them with unrealistic goals and dooming them to failure.. Work them and eliminate their excuses to quit or fail.

Many people who call themselves coaches want that instant oatmeal effect, open the door and let them go. Thinking they actually know how to play or referee and with some/many players and referees, that just doesn't happen.

What do I know? .My dad is only in three Halls of Fame for coaching and several more for Officiating, My grandfather, a distinguished member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame, coached a Chicago Black Hawks team with 9 American back in the day to a Stanley Cup Championship. He also had a lot of other winning records for baseball and Hockey with the College and Amateur teams he coached. He coached Mickey Cochrane at BU in baseball; turned him into a catcher.

I would have been a better Pro coach than I was coaching high school. Ttoo many interfering parents, too many kids that wouldn't pay the price. I had no patience for those parents that interfered, same as some parents now who interfere with their kids' development.

I did assist coaching with a college team. That was fun and the players got better because they worked at it and I had fun working with them.

Nowadays, I enjoy coaching the referees. Coaching them to be better, seeing them succeed, Now that's the satisfaction in the game and the best part of being a coach. Their success is our success, and that's all I have to say about that.

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The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.