Your presence in the coach’s office is worth more than your presence at the stadium or arena.

Taking some time to informally visit the coaching staff in their offices is often a very fruitful time. This is often a more relaxed atmosphere than on the field of competition and you can learn a lot about their values by what’s on the bookshelf, from the photos on the wall, etc… Be observant and take some time to build the trust that will be most valuable to you down the road.

In thirteen years with our (American) football team, I have had conversations with two different head coaches as they considered job offers with other larger and more prestigious programs. In both cases, our private conversations about the most important matters of life helped shape their decisions. One chose to leave, for the best possible reasons. The other coach chose to stay, for many of the same reasons. The values and priorities that we discussed in those meetings cannot be shared in a noisy stadium or in the busyness of a practice session. I’ve had numerous lunch meetings with basketball coaches desperately trying to solve staff conflicts and looking for motivational keys to certain players. We could never have had these discussions at courtside or outside the locker room. Some things must be discussed behind closed doors and with absolute confidence.

Your presence in the coach’s office will be most important when there are decisions to make about career moves, about personnel hiring and firing, about player discipline questions and more. Be respectful of their time and if you’re not invited, get an appointment. When invited to the office to meet with a coach, let him/her set the agenda and tend to their questions first. As you’re faithful to help where invited, you’ll find freedom to pursue other matters that are on your mind and heart.