What makes a Good Coach

Michael Jordan once said, “A coach is someone that sees beyond your greatness and guides you to greatness.” One of the things I admire most about Michael Jordan and athletes like him is that they cognize that they didn’t get to their level on their own.
Coaches are the backbone to creating not just well-rounded athletes, but people. Every coach that has ever made a lasting impression on me, has taught me things that I could use in everyday life. Those coaches are the leaders that got me to push past the point I couldn’t go. It’s like they are meant to have a sixth sense of how to improve their players even when their players haven’t tapped into it at the time.
Great coaches are not defined by the wins, but they are defined by the impact on the players, the leagues they coached in, and the world. Many great coaches have come through the little league, high school, collegiate level, and professional leagues. Coaches such as Nick Saban, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson, and Eddie Robinson are legends. The important thing about these coaches is they have produced some of the greatest men and athletes the world has ever seen. They made sure the players be themselves in terms of their play styles, but at the same time coach them when they make their mistakes.
The definition of being a coach is teaching not just the game but life in general. All of the previously mentioned coaches have produced winners but more importantly great characters. So when it comes down to the great qualities of a coach it comes down to three things: Leadership, Discipline, and Winning. A coach’s record can be bad but if they produce great men, they have done their job.