Coaching the Greatest

Team in History
BY ADAN RODRIGUEZ

Coaching Vision
Continue

to improve the
organization by coaching the future
generation of war fighters.
Cultivating a lethal, ethical and
moral force.

Problem Statement
Coaching

young and inexperienced

soldiers through a combat
deployment. While improving their
military career and expanding their
opportunities in the civilian sector.

SMART Goals
Prepare

SGT Perry for the promotion board to Staff

Sergeant. By studying and completing military
education courses to obtain promotion points.

Increase

SGT Perrys APFT score by 30 points

bringing his overall score above 270. Thus
attaining the APFT badge.

Progress Indicators
Monitoring

SGT Army Learning Management

System for enrollment in military courses that will
provide promotion points. Setting a plan to
complete one 40 hour course every two weeks.

Using

rubrics provided to track progress

improvements on sit ups, push ups, and two mile
run.

Research
Coaching

relationship begin with trust. Mineo states credibility, respect

and fairness form the foundation of trust. Soldiers like students will
open up to you when they know that you are credible and honest.

Allowing

for the relationship to grow is important. You can not go in and

expect a complete turn around without the time. Mineo further states
one of the biggest mistake leaders make is immediate returns as
opposed to taking the time to build trust. Trust can only be developed
with time. Choosing your subject is also a process in itself. You must
have chemistry with him or her in order to be able to spend time
harvesting your relationship.

Research
Sheives

states sharing personal history to break down barriers

and open up trust to team members You have to connect to the
soldiers by communicating your experiences. Take your supervisor
hat off and relate to what they are feeling. This allows for a
quicker connection to them. Especially if there is a large age gap.

With

the Army being so diverse crossing many cultural lines

leaders must ensure that they understand their soldiers and the
customes their soldiers practice. No two soldiers are alike and you
cant treat them all the same. Ruth Gresham mentions holding
open space, to ensure that when dealing with others,
marginalization or disqualification of their story does not occur
making each soldier equally as important.

Analysis
After

the first couple of weeks we have had a couple of incidents

that have required extra attention of leaders. Not being able to
monitor SGT Perry closely. SGT Perry has done a fantastic job
integrating and implementing the action plan. We were moving
from task to task as they were completed.

Using

the rubric helped SGT Perry, but it did not cover milestones
crossed as he completed them or at the half way point of the
action plan. So having a system of check and balances to
document successes better would have been helpful.

Reflection
This

is my first true experience coaching a soldier. While I have coached before never to the
depth of this course. It provided me with an excellent learning environment. Most of the time
coaches do not have to face tragedies. This is not the case for Soldiers who face dangers
everyday.
SGT Perry allowed me to coach him through this deployment and it has already made an
impact on me. He has shown the dedication to his advancement in the military. He started
studying almost immediately without much guidance. I fed off his motivation to improve and
it challenged me to improve and create, and guide him through more challenging tasks.
Once in a lifetime opportunity to mentor soldiers on deployments. It has been almost five
years since my last one. My first as an officer so it has provided me a different propective
from previous deployments.
No two soldiers are the same. They learn differently and react differently. Thus creating and
individual plan for each subject you have is important. Coaching is not a one size fits all
concept.

Final Thoughts
Must

educators have the opportunity to coach and mentor students. Not taking
advantage of this great experience is tragic. Talk to your students you will never know
when you will be able to make a difference in their lives.

Do

not be afraid to get close to a student. Getting to know their lives, will assist you in
the classroom. Knowing backgrounds and family dynamics will allow you to formulate
a complete picture of the student.

Please

do not be quick to dismiss students behaviors or indicators because it could be

deadly. Words cost nothing and will have a lasting effect. Use them for good and
motivate a student every day to do better. Education and educators remain the key to
success of this nation. So for the current teachers I thank you for what you do. Often
a thankless job, keep motivated, keep pace and stay safe.

References

Gresham, R. (2012). Trusting relationships: a key for cross-cultural engagement. Journal Of Higher
Education Policy & Management, 34(5), 491-501.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=80441157&site=ehost-live

Marzano, R., & Simms, J. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano
Research.

Mineo, D. L. (2014). The Importance of Trust in Leadership.Research Management Review,20(1),

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1038828&site=ehost-live

Sheives, T. (2009). Team trust can often lead to championship performance.Fort Worth Business
Press,22(14), 35.

Turaga, R. (2013). Building Trust in Teams: A Leader's Role.IUP Journal Of Soft Skills,7(2), 13-31.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=89521619&site=ehost-live