One Article Every Associate and Assistant Coach Must Read

Welcome to Mission Elite’s Official Newsletter

^{Mission Elite is an organization that has impacted World Champions and National Championship-producing teams to leading executives and groundbreaking companies. The author of this newsletter and CEO of Mission Elite, Raheel Manji, specialized in Executive Leadership at Harvard and High Performing Teams through Stanford, where he finished in the top 3 of his class. He is trained in Psychology of Performance and is a former 4X professional title holder, ITA National Summer Champion, and NCAA Sweet 16 coach.}

I am going to outline in this article something every leader, CEO, or Head Coach would love their staff to know but might not know how to communicate without appearing egotistical or risking a negative impact on relationships.

This article should be read by every associate director or assistant coach who aspires to be the greatest asset to their CEO, Head Coach, and organization.

The Most Overlooked Role of an Associate or Assistant Coach

Before you proceed, understand that I have spent considerable time both as a leader and in supporting roles, in addition to studying this topic extensively. Therefore, I feel confident in offering a perspective that considers both sides of the coin.

The education such as what is soon to come is where external coaches or consultants to an organization can pay off hugely. Before we dive in, understand that the purpose of associates or assistants learning what I am about to teach is actually not to massage ego; it’s what’s best for the organization.

Get this: The primary role of an associate or assistant is not to help the organization; it is to help the leader help the organization. Why? Because the associate or assistant cannot help the organization as much as the leader can. Therefore, by helping the leader, you are actually helping the organization more. Let the leader use the associate or assistant in the way they would like, not in the way the associate or assistant would like. That is why they brought them on board and is something associates and assistants need to know.

One of the greatest ways an associate or assistant can help their CEO or Head Coach is through highlighting them in as positive or strong of a light and/or raising their credibility as often as possible. Most associates or assistants lose sight or are unaware of this and spend much of their time inside the organization looking for opportunities to raise their own respect rather than the person who actually sets the vision, people look to the most, and calls the shots.

This often happens as a result of feeling insecure because they are not in the highest position of authority and fear being disrespected. In this case, it is actually their ego that needs support. In order to support their ego, they look for every opportunity to speak highly of themselves and, believe it or not, may even look for opportunities to subtly demean those in higher positions of authority. Unfortunately, this is another way for them to not feel as insecure but is the worst thing an associate or assistant can do.

Although their attempts are subtle, any leader with a high enough level of awareness or emotional intelligence will pick up on this, and there will be obvious or unobvious negative consequences for the assistant or associate as a result. I have personally witnessed this countless times.

It’s really important that you go into every environment or organization with a mindset of it not being about you or what you can get; it’s about others and what you can give. This, paradoxically, if carried out, is actually the best thing you can do for yourself along with the organization. A lot of people never figure this out.

Behaviors to Avoid

How are some ways associates or assistants demean their leader?

• Complaining about the leader or agreeing with those who come to them to complain about the leader.

• Disrespecting the leader through making fun of them or condoning others making fun of them.

• Talking to others about how they would do something if they were in charge as opposed to the leader.

Now we should ask: why would an associate or assistant demean the person who brought them into the organization? They will typically do this when they have built-up anger or resentment towards the leader, particularly as a result of feeling insecure or underappreciated themselves.

As a CEO or Head Coach, you should play your part in mitigating this and ensuring it does not happen. However, as an associate or assistant, if it does, you should resist the temptation to demean the leader. As mentioned earlier, this will have obvious or unobvious negative consequences.

To help you resist this temptation, just remember: your existence and opportunities within the organization are only there because of the leader. They allow you to be here at all. They did not have to bring you on board. A little gratitude is in order for that. On the other hand, I hope that leaders remember that their assistants or associates also don’t have to be here, so as to make them feel appreciated enough to hopefully avoid their desire to demean.

Be Secure and Grateful

I have worked with and gained insight into a lot of teams. What I have described above is not uncommon. Finding secure and competent associates or assistants is rare. It takes a very secure, thick-skinned, and emotionally intelligent individual to be an effective associate or assistant, especially when they feel underappreciated. Every CEO or Head Coach who has one of these associates or assistants should value these individuals incredibly and do everything possible to make them feel appreciated.

Those rare associates or assistants often surprise themselves with the opportunities that come their way as a result of enhancing buy-in towards the leader. Many have no idea how much this helps an organization function more effectively.

Additionally, if you are an associate or assistant and continuously showcase the leader in the best light, trust me—whether your leader tells you or not, it does get noticed, and you will be rewarded in obvious or subtle ways. You will find yourself so appreciated by the person in charge, who is working to create more buy-in, that the organization’s world will open up to you. Do not underestimate the impact that raising the credibility of the head of an organization has across the board.

Note to CEOs and Head Coaches: Always attempt to hire people who are focused more on what they can give than what they can get. This can, at times, be tricky to filter but is a recruiting tool worth mastering.

Promoting Leadership: Insights and Lessons from the NCAA

Why is it so important for associates or assistants to spend more time raising the credibility of their CEO or Head Coach than focusing on themselves? When trying to do what’s best for the organization, they must understand the reality: associates or assistants do not call the most important shots or set the biggest tone.

Effective associates or assistants who understand this shift their focus away from themselves and instead invest their time in raising the respect and credibility of the person who does call the shots or set the tone. When it comes to building their own credibility, they can achieve this through the example they set—modeling how to buy into the leader and give to the organization without expecting anything in return. An associate or assistant who can do this becomes invaluable to their leader.

There was a saying I learned while in the NCAA that went something like this: 'Talk so highly and so often about the members of your team that they never have to.'

Let me give you a personal example. During my time with the Oklahoma Sooners, Nick Crowell, the Head Coach, was a former #1 player in the NCAA and a Texas Longhorn legend. While I was there, he coached Professional Champions, NCAA Champions, Big 12 Champions, and ITA Champions.

As his assistant, I tried to take every opportunity to remind people of this. Why? Because I knew from firsthand experience that if people forgot, his impact and influence would be a little less than it could and should be. He would still make an incredible impact, but not as great as it could be. My goal was to do this so often that he never felt the need to do it himself. Whenever a CEO or Head Coach has to promote themselves to gain more influence in buy-in or recruiting, I shake my head in disappointment at the associates and assistants—they failed in their duty.

It is the job of those who want their organizations to succeed to ensure their leaders are positioned to be as impactful as possible. The more people are reminded of the credibility of the leader, the greater the buy-in, the greater the leader’s effectiveness, and the greater the results of the organization.

Picture this: If an employee or player went to work or practice each day and was reminded by an associate or assistant how amazing and credible the CEO or Head Coach was, how much would that boost their effectiveness and ability to lead?

Do you want to be the best associate or assistant possible? Make sure you do this.

Conclusion and Contact

Whenever I have the opportunity to consult associates and assistants outside of our organization, I always advise them on what was discussed in this article. By leaders, CEOs, and Head Coaches, it has always been appreciated.

For more on high performance, mindset, and success, follow us on Instagram at Mission Elite Performance and Mission Elite Mentality.

For a deeper dive into the principles that fuel success, check out my book, 17 Principles of a Mission Elite, available on Amazon or through our website.

If you would like for us to support you and help your team or leadership, visit www.missioneliteperformance.com or contact our administrative team at [email protected].

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely, 

Raheel Manji 

CEO, Mission Elite