The greatest coaches are also teachers. And vice versa. That's the bottom line coming out of this fascinating conversation between K.P. Wee and his guest host Stan Markotich on this special episode of The K.P. Wee Podcast. The two veteran educators, authors and friends share thoughts on a range of topics, from K.P.'s latest book project to the gifts and challenges of being a mentor to the mixed messages some young people are receiving today.
You'll hear about the front-lines experiences that K.P., who has worked in education for more than a decade, has had with coaching young people in pursuit of their dreams. He and Stan note some of the trendlines they've observed when it comes to preparedness to meet the wider world. Do students understand the necessary etiquette and protocols for securing a successful interview? Are they being confused by social media and other messages that blur the lines between collaboration and plagiarism, or negativity and discipline?
Above all else, what comes through in this freewheeling exchange is the passion K.P. and Stan share for bringing the best performances out of students – whether in the classroom, on the playing field or in a professional context. K.P. and Stan bring every creative skill available to their motivational tool kits and we get front-row seats to their thoughts on when, whether and how to deploy a whole spectrum of strategies.
Would you like to pre-order "So You Want to Work in Sports: Advice and Insights from Respected Sports Industry Leaders," by K.P. Wee? Just click here.
Click here if you would like to hear previous episodes of The K.P. Wee Podcast.
If you're a fan of this podcast's intro music, please follow Roger Chong: Twitter @chongroger and Instagram @chongroger
KEY TOPICS:
- (2:20): About K.P.'s latest projects (finishing up a final edit on his new book, "So You Want to Work in Sports") and wish lists looking into the future (lots of dream titles and research to do, but that other thing called a "day job" also requires attention).
- (4:54): A little more about "So You Want to Work in Sports: Advice and Insights from Respected Sports Industry Leaders" and its target audience, typically young people who aspire to work in a front-office or extra-athletic capacity of some sort within a sports organization. It provides insights and advice from people whose experience ranges from marketing to broadcasting to the life of a mascot.
- (11:05): K.P. shares his perspectives on teaching and how his work in the classroom has an important mentoring element not dissimilar from that played by coaches on the field.
- (12:60): Student Report Cards: K.P. shares that some of the professionals he speaks with in the industry today find young people who come in for interviews frequently under-prepared or unfamiliar with basic etiquette and protocols.
- (14:39): Stan echoes that he also has noticed changes in students – many of whom are not well-grounded in the basics of courteous behavior in a professional setting.
- (17:40): Having good communications skills is a fundamental grounding that many young people today lack – including grammar, spelling, clarity and punctuality of replies.
- (18:45): The ethical angle: Stan provides a vivid example featuring a student who blew an important interview by demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and respect.
- (21:35): About K.P.'s experience with some students who come in for career coaching only to dismiss advice as to how they might perform optimally on a given screening.
- (25:00): About generalized messages from executives on LinkedIn, urging young people to reframe cheating or plagiarism as "collaboration" skills that are necessary and important. It blurs important ethical lines and standards.
- (26:52): K.P. deconstructs how certain messages given by "heroes" can land in unintended, confusing even harmful ways. (For example, a pro football player who tells elementary school kids not to listen to their teachers because a teacher once predicted his failure.)
- (29:30): About the many shades of coaching – sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce – and why modulating different philosophies best serves development. To be clear: K.P. and Stan aren't talking about abusive behavior. But there are times when choice words and tone can be highly effective.
- (31:28): There is a difference between yelling to humiliate and yelling in a very deliberate challenge to a student or player not giving their maximum effort – to their own detriment.
- (35:40): The incredible rewards that K.P. and Stan experience when they hear years later from mentees thanking them for advice, processes or perspectives that they now recognize as highly meaningful and impactful in their lives.
- (40:00): Stressing content over details (such as precise historical dates) often resonates deeply with students, who feel freed up to get the big-picture lessons and really absorb the context of what they're learning in a more meaningful way that transfers to all of life.
- (43:05): K.P. sums up the big-picture goal that he – and all committed teachers and coaches – hold for young people: They want the lessons they teach to shape lives for the better, far beyond the classroom or playing field.
KEY QUOTES:
- (8:52): "Things change over time … There's new technology and systems and things people do, whether in broadcasting or the front-office or with analytics." (K.P.)
- (16:24): "(Students) might be able to write code, but maybe they're forgetting how to have the interpersonal skill required to work within a team environment." (K.P.)
- (24:25): "There are a lot of (students) who will not do even the minimum to take themselves down a path that could guarantee a lot of success. They just opt to do it their way and have told me so very directly." (Stan)
- (27:30): "We should not let negative people influence us, but not to the extent that some of these experts and athletes are telling people what to do and not to do." (K.P.)
- (28:10): "Once you accept certain values (or lack thereof) you run certain risks and the damage (to society) may be irreparable at least for a generation or so." (Stan)
- (32:50): "I'm a product of many environments in which lots of yelling took place … (but) it was always done in a way that reinforced in my mind that I was not doing what my teachers or coaches knew I could do." (Stan)
- (42:18): "The greatest coaches are also teachers and I think that's really come out in our talk today. It goes the other way, too: The really great teachers are also great coaches." (Stan)
About Guest Host Stan Markotich: Born and raised in Vancouver, Stan completed his undergraduate work at Simon Fraser University in 1985. From there, he went on to receive a master's degree from the University of Victoria. In 1987, he moved to Indiana University, earning his doctoral degree in history under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Jelavich. Upon graduation, Markotich accepted an appointment with Radio Free Europe, serving as Serbian analyst and remaining in Europe for roughly a decade. He is the main author of White Paper of the Independent Media Commission: Media and Democratisation in Bosnia and Hercegovina (2000). Markotich is currently revising a memoir that deals with his years in the Balkans. Now based in Greater Vancouver, he teaches classes at a private school, lectures for Brock House Society, and offers courses on the Balkans through SFU Continuing Education.
About K.P. Wee: K.P. Wee is the author of multiple books and a regular contributor to sports radio programs and websites. In addition to hosting The K.P. Wee Podcast, he also enjoys writing sports and psychological fiction with a twist of romance. He spent a decade working as a program developer and instructor for a private school before joining the Vancouver Canadians baseball club's media relations department.
You can find out more about books by K.P. Wee here.
Follow K.P. Wee:
K.P. @Twitter
Additional episodes of the K.P. Wee Podcast are available here.
