Here’s What Respect Means To Me

Effort is a differentiator. Effort given to coaches and teammates ensures it’s known that you respect their knowledge, leadership capabilities, and the vital roles that each play in your development to grow as a player and person. It also displays your commitment to development. #DailyMight

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.” Like the Grammy winning (18 times actually) vocalist Aretha Franklin indicates, respect can be interpreted in a variety of ways. As a youth sports coach, we have the opportunity to model for our athletes what respect looks like and the positive outcome it produces. Here’s what respect means to me.

I’m not saying it’s the only sign of respect (eye contact, listening, buy-in, all fit the mold too among others), but for me — effort is the surest form of displaying respect. UConn Women’s Basketball coach Geno Auriemma famously uttered “I’m not here to coach your effort, that’s a given.” He’s not wrong. But I think he’s also mostly right. When I talk about modeling respect through effort, that means you the coach too. Are you putting in the effort (preparation, etc) needed to help your athletes be successful?

For players, effort given to coaches and teammates ensures it’s known that you respect their knowledge, leadership capabilities, and the vital roles that each play in your development to grow as a player and person. It also exhibits publicly that you appreciate their effort in leading and modeling the example.

Why stop there? Let’s also extend the thought to those outside of the current team. When you exhibit max effort in your practice, games, and for the organization you play for – it confirms your respect for the game you play & for all the players who have come before you.

If I can help it, I won’t coach effort out of an athlete. I’ve found that it tends to be a waste of both our times. But I will coach respect, and I will model it by both giving everything my everything and by celebrating and expressing appreciation for it when I see it happening.

How do you show respect to those who labor among you as 1 Thessalonians 5:12 indicates? Do you respect the game enough to honor those before you by always giving max effort? Is your effort indicative of the respect you show your coaches and teammates? Don’t be indifferent, resist mediocracy. The effort you give is in direct proportion to the success you make and the appreciation you show for the respect of others!

Give everything your everything. And then some.

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