My comment about this was "I bet the same person would also be the person who is mad because you guys were taking too long in here and wasting their time". The dental assistant laughed because that is usually how it works. Which allowed me to talk for 5 minutes about the Mall Parking Lot Mentality.
When I said those words, she got a look on her face that I am sure many of you got when you read the headline. What is that? What does it have to do with anything? What it is, is this; when driving through the parking lot at the mall many people get aggravated because people aren't walking quick enough into the building. However, when those same people park, get out of the car and walk in, they are the first ones to hold their hand up because "pedestrians have the right of way". That's the Mall Parking Lot Mentality, and it happens not just in the mall parking lot or at the dentist, it happens every day.
In coaching, we are often demanded by people in the community to do more and spend more time with the kids, to coach them and get them ready for the season, but when a vacation comes up there should be an exception made for the individual player. I have also found, too that most people in general want discipline on the team, in the school until their individual child is accused of something then they want leniency. I have found that all players want to win, but don't want to get out of bed at 6:30 AM. We are held accountable by the community, but not always backed up by the community. It happens everywhere and the community can sometimes be hundreds of people or a few influential people.
These are just a few examples and I am quite sure that I am guilty of it as well, but what I have done is try to recognize and minimize this in myself. Having children, it is much easier for me to see having coached when I have those feelings of exception for "my kid" and my thoughts are not to be hypocritical. But because I love them, I am sure that I have been hypocritical. If I change my mind about something with my coaching because I am now a dad, is it hypocritical or flexibility?
I have used coaching, but there are more aren't there? Teachers do not want cell phones in their class, but text themselves. They don't want any student texting while they are lecturing, but will do so in professional development meetings. It is very hard to be consistent in your beliefs being put into action and many people believe what is "right" is what they want "right now".
But how much giving in for the good of the group is needed? How much is acceptable? Have we gotten away from helping each other be successful and that we are worried more about our being successful or getting into the mall? So the next time you are walking through the mall parking lot, remember to be patient of those walking by and put a little extra step in your walk if someone allows you to walk in front of them.
