Working with coaches and their teams in youth and collegiate sport in the USA: An interview with Dr. Andy Gillham

Introduction

As sport psychology consultants, our goal is to help individuals perform at their highest level and to date, a large majority of the research and applied work in our field focuses on athletes.^1,2 Many noteworthy publications offer insights into the qualities that differentiate more and less successful athletes, and also provide tested mental training regimens and intervention strategies that appear to have a positive impact on performance.^3–7 A consultant may take several months or even years to help an athlete develop and implement techniques such as self-talk strategies, mental imagery scripts, and pre-performance routines; however, it might only take one negative reaction or demeaning phrase from a respected coach to undermine the entirety of the work and leave the athlete in a state of continued struggle^8,9. Thus, the role of the coach in athlete performance cannot be overstated. As a result, many consultants have made efforts to focus their attention on training and helping coaches.^10,11

One consultant who has done a significant body of work with coaches at all levels is Dr. Andy Gillham, owner of Ludus Consulting. Recently, Dr. Gillham was interviewed about his consulting experiences and discussed a number of themes relevant to the qualities and behaviors associated with more effective coaching as well as some important considerations for other consultants who find themselves in similar situations. For the purposes of this article, two major themes will be addressed including (1) coaching qualities, and (2) considerations for consulting with coaches.

Coaching qualities

When reflecting on his youth sport experiences, Dr. Gillham described two coaches who made a significant impression on him: one good and the other bad. The coach who made a negative impression demonstrated inconsistencies in his words and actions. He had a habit of chewing tobacco in front of his athletes, and Gillham did not believe he set a good example. Not only were this coach’s actions counter to the values espoused in sport, he did not appear to create a positive team culture and often referenced his athletes in demeaning ways.

According to the coaching literature, more effective coaches are consistent in who they are and what they do. ¹² They interact with their athletes in positive ways, lead by example, and practice what they preach.^12,13 To illustrate the importance of this quality, Joe Whitney (Sport Psychology Consultant at the University of Tennessee) says that coaches should adopt the phrase, “Be Who You Want Them to Be.” This means that if you want your athletes to be respectful, you must be respectful yourself. If you want them to be hard workers, you must display a strong work ethic yourself. If you want them to be calm under pressure, you must be calm and controlled yourself. Thus, if this coach wanted his athletes to refrain from behaviors that could be self-damaging, he should have been doing that himself.

When Dr. Gillham described the coach who left a more positive impression, the primary quality that stood out was the level of caring he displayed toward his athletes. Caring behaviors typically involve meeting the athletes’ needs, listening and sympathizing with their experiences, being supportive, helping them progress, and establishing a level of mutual trust and respect.^12,14 When athletes perceive these types of behaviors from their coach, they are more likely to report higher levels of enjoyment and commitment to their sport, as well as more positive attitudes toward their coaches and teammates.^14,15

Regardless of whether a coach is positive or negative, Gillham highlights how many coaches advance in their careers or slip through the cracks (particularly at the higher levels) because they are evaluated solely on the outcome of their teams’ performances rather than the impact they have on the individuals who play for them or the overall quality of their work. In many ways, coaches are also performers. However, unlike their athletes, coaches are not afforded many opportunities to receive the same level of feedback and support to help them improve. Research further suggests that coaches are oftentimes unaware or inaccurate when assessing their own coaching behaviors and how they influence their athletes.^16–18 Furthermore, there are many coaches, particularly at the elite levels, who have emphasized how they would have benefitted if they would have had more educational and developmental opportunities to learn about the emotional aspects of coaching earlier in their careers. ¹⁹

In an attempt to address these concerns in the coaching profession, Dr. Gillham devised a coaching evaluation questionnaire, which he uses as a tool to gather information and provide coaches with an initial form of feedback. While Gillham admits that the tool is mostly a point of access or a conversation starter, there are many ways in which consultants can help coaches improve their awareness including video feedback, debriefs, mentor observations, and reflective practices such as journals or conversations with others.^17,19,20,21 In an article about helping coaches meet their own needs, Giges et al. ¹⁰ provide specific questions that consultants can ask to further explore coaches’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and desires. They also provide an explanation for each question as well as potential interventions strategies that consultants could implement moving forward.

Considerations for consulting with coaches

Helping coaches become more aware of themselves and improve their overall coaching practices can be a challenging task. Despite only sharing a handful of his own consulting experiences, Dr. Gillham encountered a number of delicate situations that required him to tread lightly. In describing these experiences, he inadvertently offered some valuable tips that other consultants might consider when doing this type of work:

Conclusion

Although this commentary only highlights four considerations, the interview with Dr. Gillham demonstrates how there is a lot to be learned from one consultant’s body of work. Some additional themes that were not discussed yet warrant future attention include being true to yourself as a consultant, building relationships, working with assistant coaches, and creating a positive team culture. By sharing our experiences and continuing to build on our knowledge of sport psychology principles and practices (particularly when working with coaches), we can work toward improving the quality of our work as well as our ability to help others reach their full potential.