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Think of a coach and the first thing that comes into mind is a slightly stout and grumpy looking individual with a whistle hanging around his or her neck and a group of players who are sweating it out in front of the grumpy looking coach. Well, coaching any team or individual is more about man management than about sporting abilities alone.
What is the difference between a coach of a team and a mentor of any group in a company? The mentor has special skills and, more importantly, is in a position to understand the aspirations of different individuals of the group better. If the coach can encourage individuals to play with each other as a team, he or she will succeed in creating an excellent team that takes care of the deficiency in skill without any difficulty.
It is a fundamental rule of man management that it is dynamic and constantly changing. You cannot come up with specific rules related to management of individuals and conclude that you have done your bit. It is not an absolute science. Rather, you will have to keep track of the various changes in your team’s composition and act accordingly. A team that has forgotten the winning habit will require a lot of motivation and optimism. On the other hand, a team that wins regularly but often falls prey to overconfidence will require a combination of iron fist and velvet glove.
Hence, it is important to understand basic human resource concepts and keep track of various means of helping people perform better when functioning as a coach.
