Internal or external
One of my favorite pass times is to talk shop with my coaching friends. We debate a variety of topics from rigging to recruiting.
This weeks topic has been about hiring assistant coaches, specifically at the collegiate level. Do you bring in someone new, or do you hire from within, meaning those who've gone through the program.
Unsurprisingly we've had a variety of different answers.
I am a fan of hiring outside of the program, and establishing years removed for those who are in the program to cover before they can apply.
I believe you're not doing your program any service by constantly filling the ranks of assistant coach positions with recent graduates, and in fact I believe there is a strong correlation between the success of a program and its hiring practices. I think the ratio of success to alumni assistants is inversely proportional. The more you have, the less success you'll see.
Why?
Because I believe hiring is your opportunity to bring in new perspective, and a different voice. The message might be the same, in fact I believe it should be, but hearing it from someone new, hearing someone say the same thing but in a different order or manner is beneficial. I believe it goes back to the saying:
Did you try and achieve a result using the same method 10,000 times, or did you try 10,000 methods to achieve the result?
I don't like, "yes" people because that puts all the pressure on me to be correct 100 percent of the time. And as much as I'd love to say that I am never wrong, we know, and I certainly know that this isn't the case. I am wrong plenty during the season, which is why I test lineups, and look over data, and try out ideas as the season progresses. "Yes" people don't allow me to do that. They simply agree with everything I'm doing, nodding their heads as the ship sinks.
I'm not ok with that.
What I want on staff are new ideas, and new perspectives. Yes, I am charting the course, but that doesn't mean that someone who has an idea shouldn't share it. If someone believes that they have a solution to a problem, then by all means, I want to hear it. I want to know that I have individuals on staff who are intelligent, and confident, and can pull me out of a rut.
I'm not implying that hiring alumni means that you are in a rut.
But I do question how much value someone who has graduated within the last three years is bringing to the program. I especially question that value if they graduated in the spring. What experience are they bringing? In my opinion? None. They know what you've taught them, and that's it.
If you are ok with that, then I won't argue with you.
I am not. I think that you improve as a coach when you're not the smartest person in the room, or when you're not the only voice in the room.
We all have favorites. Favorite foods, bands, clothing, authors, etc. It's comforting knowing exactly what you're going to get.
But I think we expand our culture, and our horizons when we are willing to branch out.
This weeks topic has been about hiring assistant coaches, specifically at the collegiate level. Do you bring in someone new, or do you hire from within, meaning those who've gone through the program.
Unsurprisingly we've had a variety of different answers.
I am a fan of hiring outside of the program, and establishing years removed for those who are in the program to cover before they can apply.
I believe you're not doing your program any service by constantly filling the ranks of assistant coach positions with recent graduates, and in fact I believe there is a strong correlation between the success of a program and its hiring practices. I think the ratio of success to alumni assistants is inversely proportional. The more you have, the less success you'll see.
Why?
Because I believe hiring is your opportunity to bring in new perspective, and a different voice. The message might be the same, in fact I believe it should be, but hearing it from someone new, hearing someone say the same thing but in a different order or manner is beneficial. I believe it goes back to the saying:
Did you try and achieve a result using the same method 10,000 times, or did you try 10,000 methods to achieve the result?
I don't like, "yes" people because that puts all the pressure on me to be correct 100 percent of the time. And as much as I'd love to say that I am never wrong, we know, and I certainly know that this isn't the case. I am wrong plenty during the season, which is why I test lineups, and look over data, and try out ideas as the season progresses. "Yes" people don't allow me to do that. They simply agree with everything I'm doing, nodding their heads as the ship sinks.
I'm not ok with that.
What I want on staff are new ideas, and new perspectives. Yes, I am charting the course, but that doesn't mean that someone who has an idea shouldn't share it. If someone believes that they have a solution to a problem, then by all means, I want to hear it. I want to know that I have individuals on staff who are intelligent, and confident, and can pull me out of a rut.
I'm not implying that hiring alumni means that you are in a rut.
But I do question how much value someone who has graduated within the last three years is bringing to the program. I especially question that value if they graduated in the spring. What experience are they bringing? In my opinion? None. They know what you've taught them, and that's it.
If you are ok with that, then I won't argue with you.
I am not. I think that you improve as a coach when you're not the smartest person in the room, or when you're not the only voice in the room.
We all have favorites. Favorite foods, bands, clothing, authors, etc. It's comforting knowing exactly what you're going to get.
But I think we expand our culture, and our horizons when we are willing to branch out.
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