#016 – Knowledge and Good Intentions
Knowledge and good intentions together ensure continuance of success. A fine intellect wedded to a wicked will was always an unnatural monster. A wicked will envenoms all excellences: helped by knowledge it only ruins with greater subtlety. ‘Tis a miserable superiority that only results in ruin. Knowledge without sense is double folly.
The key point for me in this lesson is the focus on good intentions. It is not that I think a lot of coaches out there purposely have ill intentions. I think the problem is in the fact that a lot of coaches don’t take the time to really look at their intentions (i.e., coaching philosophy). We all get into coaching for different reasons. Some because their kids u8 travel team needed a coach. Others because they want to use it as a stepping stone to an athletic administration job. Others do it purely because they love giving back and educating. The issue, and where it can become “wicked” is when we don’t take the time to have an honest look at why we are coaching. The coaching and team culture can turn quickly and become a problem. You end up having a bad culture or leadership, and if you add in the knowledge of the sport, it can become a recipe for disaster. Simply going after wins and championships (often for ego purposes) can quickly erode what has been built. When the knowledge gained is used for those pursuits vs ones with better intentions, such as building individual character for your player; it can not only become a bad atmosphere for the learners, but also one that drives away talent. It becomes an endless cycle of bad situations. In the same breath, having a lot of knowledge with no direction can be just as dangerous. Again, it circles back to the fact of purpose and philosophy. If you are going to spend time learning, educating yourself, and trying to take your coaching to the next level; it is best to know “why” first. As the common cliché (and book title) state: “Start with why”.
This blog series is based on the book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracián. This book was written for advice on how to achieve personal and professional success. The goal of this blog series is to visit the points of wisdom and put them in the spotlight of the coaching and education lens.
