 What do you mean by success?
Perhaps you need to consider what you mean by success. If success is only about beating others, then it can become a dangerous weapon. As a good coach you have a responsibility
to keep a balanced view of participation, fair play, and above all—justice, in the minds and behavior of all your performers.
We all know that it is good to be successful, whereas it can be a painful experience to fail. So you as coach need to ensure that your performer always has a chance of succeeding. No, this
doesn't mean rigging the competition! It means ensuring that you set each individual his own personal target—achieving a personal best; controlling that infamous temper; striving to the
very end of the game; or simply enjoying the challenge. In other words, success has to be a much broader concept than simply winning or coming first.
It is your job as coach to foster the personal development of your performers and not to set unrealistic goals. If your performers are always asked to aim high, and as a consequence
always fall short, then they will become despondent and disillusioned. If they need it, talk to each performer and discuss your aims and objectives with them—don't assume they
have the same philosophy as you! And if their aims and objectives are different from yours, don't steam-roller over them: respect your performers. There is a much-repeated
saying: Athlete first—winning second. There is no doubt that if you put your performers' total well-being first, you will succeed as a coach.
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