It has been said that “leadership is influence,” and as coaches we have tremendous influence over the players we lead. I think we can take that a step further and say that relationships are also influence, because no matter how old we are, we are either influencing the people around us or being influenced by those around us.
If you look back at your life and think about all the people who have had the most influential impact on your life, positive or negative, there is a high likelihood it will be a coach. This is precisely why I coach football and have been given the opportunity to bring my wife and two children along on this journey of influence. This is not just about me; my family is integral in me having the life-altering influence on players that they deserve.
My journey as a football coach began when I was a junior in college and at a crossroads in terms of what I wanted to do as a vocation for the rest of my life. Being a follower of Jesus, it was important that I leave this decision making process in His hands, and so I was spending a large amount of time in prayer about the direction my life should go. This season of my life revealed to me that I needed to be a college football coach because the opportunity to have a positive, influential impact on the lives of young men was needed for many of the players. I felt like many of the coaches I interacted with in my college playing experience were void of this focus and I wanted to be different!
I have learned many valuable lessons in 7 years as a college football coach, most importantly being how to balance being a husband, dad, and coach. This is definitely still a work in progress! I have also learned that discussing the difficulty in making these areas of your life balance with the players is extremely impactful. I regularly talk about how it is hard to have a long day at work and go home to your family with energy, enthusiasm, and a smile on your face. I tell the players that you have to leave your work at the car when you shut the door because there is a family in the house who is just happy that “daddy is home!” I have the opportunity to talk about how easy two-a-day practices are compared to having a child get cancer, having your home get foreclosed on, or seeing your wife in tears because of something you have said or done. We talk about how we have attitude choices in every situation; we all get to decide whether we are going to have a positive one or a negative one. Football is not the be all and end all. It is the vehicle through which we have the opportunity to prepare our players to be husbands, fathers, and leaders in their communities.
On top of discussions about being a man, it is extremely valuable that players see me in my role as husband and dad, not just coach. That is why Lyndee, Tinley, and Bo come to practice regularly, eat with us in the cafeteria, come to sporting events, hang out in the coach’s offices, and intentionally join the fabric of the institution where we work. Being a football family is a lifestyle choice because we all have a role in the mentorship of the young men in the football program.
The vast majority of people in this world are impacted by a coach in some form throughout the course of their life. Our goal is to have a life-altering impact on the young men who are part of our program. We pray daily that we honor God in how we go about his process and allow Him the glory. The life of our football family is about the impact He gives us the opportunity to have on the young men with whom we work. I truly believe our lives are about influence and the goal of this family is to positively influence as many young men as we can to be great husbands, fathers, and community leaders with the short time we have on this earth.
Note: This is the first entry from my husband, Coach Sears. Being that he is in the middle of recruiting season, he took me by surprise when I asked him to contribute to the blog and did so without hesitation. As I read what he had to say, it helped remind me that the experiences and sacrifices we make as a family are all worth it when we consider the impact we can have on others. I also recognize and appreciate that coach, myself, and our children grow stronger as a team as a result of being a "football family".
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Coach's CornerCoach Sears, aka Daddy or Josiah, is an offensive coordinator at a division III school in the west suburbs of Chicago. Coach Sears just completed his 7th season coaching, 6th season being a husband, and almost 4th season being a father. Whether on the field, in the office, at home, Coach Sears strives to give it his all. Because I am his biggest fan and think he's quite awesome, I thought it would be fun for him to have his own section of the blog. After all, we wouldn't be a football family without him! ArchivesCategories |