Permission to Coach You, Hard – Character is Coachable

​As the CEO of a worldwide organization once said to his team of over 5,000 people, “Character isn’t part of the game, it IS the game.” Progressive, cutting edge organizations (teams) believe now more than ever, that drilling character into the DNA of their team is non-negotiable. My name is Greg Roeszler (Coach Roz), and I am the Executive Director of an organization that instills character into at-risk and fatherless boys (www.theplaymakers.org). As I coach corporate America (for-profit schools) about character in their organizations by using sports as the vehicle, more CEO’s are being moved in their daily teachings (E.D.D’s) of character-based coaching.

Non-negotiable character begins with a clear and compelling vision from the leader of the organization. That is “vision casting” on steroids, which means that the leader is being coached and critiqued (if necessary) on the casting of visions. The question is, are YOU coachable? I have played for coaches who I would run through a wall for, not because of their coaching skills but because of their ability to vision cast. Cal Stoll, my coach at the University of Minnesota told the legendary story of Leonidas and the path of Thermopylae before we took the field against the National Champion, Ohio State. (The result of that game is another story for another day.)

Most every organization in the country aspires to have a “We are a team” philosophy, but only the best of the best put vision, character and E.D.D’s into the DNA. Those that do are inspiring to be around.

Affirmations become an integral part of the process. An affirmation is a statement of future fact that become over time, buried into the subconscious part of the brain. It is accepted by high performance people and organizations who aspire to excellence.

Finally, a playbook may be essential for the team to have consistency in execution of the vision. I believe that The Pacific Institute’s Thought Patterns is the most comprehensive tool for consistency in changing and building the habits, attitudes and beliefs necessary for long lasting cultural development and change.

For more information on cultural change, character-based leadership or more discussion on these subjects contact Greg Roeszler (Coach Roz) at coachroz@playbook.com.