Coaches today face different challenges than I did when I started coaching in 1969. In my 49 year coaching career, the world has changed dramatically but now it is changing at a faster rate than ever before. Data is growing faster with 2.5 Exabytes being produced each day! That is the equivalent of 250 Libraries of Congress of new information being created each day. Add the bombardment of social media and instant communication and there seems to be less time to reflect.
We can’t ignore these societal changes. Some may make our lives better. But we also cannot do what we have always done. Coaches must adapt -- not by compromising standards and lowering expectations -- but by being more professional and reaffirming values that can be learned through sport.
As a coach, you are a change agent. Therefore, we must lead change, not follow or react to change. We must learn how to learn better to get better at getting better. We must get better every day. That is the supreme challenge we face today as coaches.