Chris Burke Baseball Academy

5 things every player wants from their coach

During my career, I had the opportunity to play the game of baseball for a wide variety of coaches. I was blessed to be raised by my all-time favorite coach, my father, and from there I played for over 20 head coaches from high school to the end of my professional career. Having been raised by a coach, I was taught from an early age to pay close attention to all my coaches and always respect their authority. Through my experiences I have compiled a list of 5 things that every player wants from his coach. This list is given from a player's perspective and is meant to help coaches connect with their players and hopefully earn their respect, which in my opinion is the only way to get the most out of a team! Coaches, I hope you find this helpful . . .

1) Take an interest in me personally. This stems from the saying, “I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care.” This is not to say that coaches should be best friends with their players, by no means do I think that is appropriate. What it does mean, however, is that players want to know they are more than just a number on a roster. They want to know that you really have their best interests at heart. Never under estimate the impact of asking one of your guys how his day is going or how his family is doing. These types of conversations lead to trust, which is  essential if you are looking to get your guys to fully buy in to you being their leader.

2) Help me play better. Sounds simple, but this is a fundamental desire of every worker from their boss. It has been my experience that the best coaches are not just the ones who have great leadership and people skills, but they are also gifted in teaching the game. This is essential to earning a player’s respect. If you can take the time to help me learn my craft in a way that noticeably raises the level of my game, then I will run through a wall for you.

3) Communicate my role to me. In my opinion this is in an area where the best of the best truly shine. I have seen so many coaches either neglect or shy away from giving players specifics about what their role on the team is. I have been on many teams where a big reason for unrest in the clubhouse is that a large group of players feel like they are in the dark as to what their everyday job is and how exactly the head coach wants them to perform that job. I have heard many coaches say that it's not their responsibility to constantly inform their players about where they stand on the team. While that may be somewhat true, the reality is the coaches who do the best job of communicating to their players what their roles are and letting them know when those roles change have the best chance of fostering good clubhouse chemistry. Remember no news is worse than bad news! I would rather know that I have been benched than to walk in to the locker room everyday not knowing what my role is.

4) Put me in positions to succeed. One way to win your players respect is to have a great understanding of their strengths and then look for opportunities to put them in positions to succeed. The best example of this from my career occurred when I was playing for the Arizona Diamond backs in 2008. Bob Melvin was our manager. I was having a terrible offensive season and was not playing that often. Times like that can really mess with  a player’s confidence. We were on the road playing a division rival and I was not in the starting line-up. Right before the game started he sought me out on the bench and asked me if I knew my numbers against a certain reliever in their bullpen. I responded that I knew that they were good but was I wasn't sure exactly. After he got done telling me my exact numbers off this pitcher he finished by saying "if that guy even stands up in the bullpen I want you to grab a bat!” Immediately my confidence was boosted. My manager had just shown me in one conversation that he cares about me, that he is supremely prepared, that he believes in me and that he wants me to succeed. As you can imagine, after that exchange Bob Melvin had just earned my unwavering trust and respect!

5) Walk the walk. Every coach has his core principles that he tries to instill in his team. These usually include things like play with passion, respect the game and your teammates, be prepared ... While it is important to have these principles and to stress these principles to your players, the most important thing is that you live out these principles yourself. I can't tell you how many managers I have seen yell at players for not hustling yet they bring no energy to the field either. They tell their players to respect the umpires and not let bad calls  affect their play, yet they are constantly "loosing it" on the umpires. They stress great physical condition and good eating habits, yet they haven't lifted a weight or eaten a salad since the end of their career. The point is players will follow your lead, either good or bad. You want them to pull for each other and have good team chemistry, ask yourself how you treat your coaches and what is the staff chemistry like? The best leaders I have played for never asked me to do anything they weren't already doing. Remember actions speak louder than words!