As a triathlon/strength coach, I have worked with numerous athletes throughout the years: From sprint distance triathletes, to 7x Ironman Triathlon triathletes. I have AMAZING relationships with some of the athletes that I have coached, and not so great relationships with others. I have had some athletes who have gone to other coaches (totally fine; it’s a growing process!). I have had some athletes quit the sport completely. I have also had to fire some of my athletes. Why? I was putting more work into coaching them than they were putting in for themselves. I don’t work that way.
The other day, I received a question from a potential athlete, and I LOVE what they asked me: “What are my expectations as a coach?” As I started thinking about her question, I realized that I need to tell my potential athletes my expectations from the start. Maybe the athletes that I fired were never “aligned” with my expectations? Maybe the athletes that went to another coach wanted a different approach to coaching. Another thought that I had was that the athletes that I am coaching now and the athletes I have coached in the past Exceed my Expectations. Why? These athletes, aka friends, know that I expect GREAT things from myself as an athlete. Why would I think any differently with the athletes that I coach? To make it clear cut, I came up with:
