John Wooden, Adolf Rupp, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Pat Summit, Bear Bryant, Bela & Marta Karolyi. All these names are synonymous in American Sports as great coaches. Several others come to mind as I write this. What made these men and women not good, but great, enduring coaches? None of these coaches were one-hit wonders. They had a career of successful athletes and teams. But why? What did they have that others did not?

As I’ve studied and researched this the one, greatest common denominator is not that they attracted the best players and athletes. Some did of course. But team sports require a group of individuals working together to the best of their ability. As these men and women would all tell you, you cannot build a great team off one talented individual. No, the one greatest common denominator that I find is the great coaches know how to help athletes reach inside himself/herself to find the gift and attitude to be a champion. Then, the coach knows how to help that athlete reach inside and develop that God-given potential.

Rick Pitino, now the coach of University of Louisville, tells of Billy Donovan college career at Providence when Pitino arrived there as coach. Most coaches would have helped the overweight Donovan to find a AA school to play for. But Pitino recognized the potential inside Donavon and gave him a chance. Donovan credits coach Pitino for having Billy reach inside himself to be more than a “b” player. Billy Donovan, of course had a stellar final 2 years at providence, went on to the NBA, and has a successful career as a NCAA basketball coach as well. And Donovan credits it to that first year with coach Pitino.

Without the outside help of someone willing to help the young man look inside and see the potential, and then encourage him to dig deep – sometimes painfully deep – to develop that potential into greatness and success, Billy Donovan would have gone to a small school and only his family would today know his name. The same might be said of many athletes who learned under great coaches. But he was encouraged, guided, and equipped by coaches to develop and implement the tools of success.

In ministry, one of the difficulties we face is implementation. Sure most churches implement, but not for effectiveness and not for biblical success. I realize some churches have difficulty in effective planning much less implementation. This is why in “Reaching the Summit: Avoiding and Reversing Decline in the Church,” I strongly recommend that a church use an experienced, trained outside observer – a coach to help lead you through planning and the transitions of implementation. A coach is not someone who will come in and give you the 4 steps to success. Rather a coach guides you as an individual or a ministry organization to discover and develop the gifts, talents, and skills God has already blessed and placed within you/your ministry. Effective implementation of a strategic plan is critical for any level of success.

You can try to accomplish this on your own (many do attempt), but great successful, implementation is almost always accomplished through the guidance of an intuitive coach.

For more information about being coached and finding the right coach contact George Yates, and visit SonC.A.R.E. Ministries. To learn of a coaching process for greater successful implementation year in and year out, pick up a copy of Turnaround Journey.