"He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened." Lao Tzu

The Chinese Taoist Philosopher Lao Tzu has a wonderful quote... so many of us who coach are concerned with the players we have. What motivates our athletes? How do we approach them to get the most from them during practice and competition? What's going on in their lives keeping them from their best performances?

We are always trying to find out about others in an effort to become better coaches. But how often do we take a look at ourselves to find out what motivates us? Why do we coach and are our needs affecting the way we coach in a negative or positive way?

I recently read an article by Darlene A. Kluka, Ph. D and JGU van Wyk, Ph. D titled "Building an Ethical Framework in the Volleyball Team Environment". (This article was published in the AVCA bi-monthly journal.) These authors present a need that all coaches need to consider. As a Junior Olympic Volleyball Coach and Director I view myself as a professional and hope others in our organization do the same. But more than that I hope that all coaches present themselves in a professional manner because doing so only makes my job easier. The premise of this article is a need for self-assessment because our personal needs can affect the way we handle our sphere of influence as a coach.

It is our own personal vulnerabilities that can lead us to behave in unethical ways. I remind our coaches on a regular basis that our position in the lives of our athletes need to have obvious boundaries. Our influence is the strongest when we remember that we are their coaches and not their friends, their parents, or their siblings. Once we, as coaches, step over those professional boundaries we lose their respect and any chance of truly affecting their lives in a positive way. So what do we, as individual's, bring with us into the gym or on the field or any other arena of competition?

The article suggest we evaluate our personal needs to see if any of those are trying to be filled in our position as coaches. The article list 7 areas of personal vulnerabilities:

Burnout

Insecurity

Need for control

Personal life crisis

Stress

Limited social/sexual outlets

Unexamined personal fears and desires

The article goes on to explain each of these in a better detail and warns coaches to be aware of any vulnerabilities as it could affect our athletes in a negative way and in turn ourselves. But in addition to the warning the article goes on to express the need to see our strenths as well... and to realize their limitations. We all bring a wealth of experience with us and taking time to self assess only helps us become better coaches.

Maybe its time we all take a few moments to assess ourselves... although knowing and understanding others is wise.... its when we truly know ourselves that we become enlightened.