Hi, I’m Danielle. I’m also losing a coach at the end of the season. Maybe two. In fact, it gets worse. One is my director. She’s been on full-time staff for just under a year and has decided to move closer to her family. 

I spent the last year figuring out exactly what wasn’t systemized and training her on how to do registrations, tryouts, team parties, team bonding, team communication, showcase, benchmarks….alllllll the things. 

And now it’s back on my plate. Well, I’ll be sharing it with my business partner, gym manager and a few other staff members who graciously said they’d take on more…but ultimately all that work, and now I’m back at square one.

Or am I?

If that’s you – and you’re losing a well-trained coach or a director at the end of the season, it’s a crappy boat to be in. At the same time, it’s an opportunity for you.

How is that possible an “opportunity”? 

Well, every time something really shakes up our program, we get the opportunity to go back to our old habits or to create new ones. We get to rethink the way we do things to see if it’s the most efficient and effective way to do things or if we’ve done it a certain way for so long that the process needs an upgrade.

Don’t get me wrong. My director is the bomb. I’ll miss her very much. But we also have to take a crappy situation and make the best of it, right? We can’t dwell in sadness and frustration for very long or we’ll let our emotions drive the car and we’ll end up two towns over from where we need to be. 

So, all of this happens in just under a month. Here’s my plan (and a plan I want you to use if you’re losing a coach or director as well): 

  1. Directors don’t grow on trees here in Missouri. Neither do coaches. In fact, I’m lucky to get two applications per year from someone who knows what all star is. Even when they do, I require coaches to coach our rec classes for at least a year before putting them as an assistant coach on a team. So, we’re starting to look at our recreational coaches and age-appropriate athletes to see who may be able to start learning the ropes for our novice and prep teams.
  2. We’re making lists of everything our director does and determining what needs systems. That which doesn’t have a system will inevitably get put back on my plate, so it’s up to me to systemize as much as possible. (A system is a process of how you want something done. It usually includes detailed written or video explanations and sometimes relevant checklists.) 
  3. We’re meeting weekly with anyone else who will be taking on her tasks to talk about what needs to come off their plates or what needs to take precedence. We’ll spend an hour a week for the next few weeks doing this and planning her going away party. She understands why we’re meeting without her, and totally understands that the show must go on May 1. (It’s inevitable that employees will leave at one point, but good culture, means they don’t want their exit to be the end of the program at your gym. They want you to continue growing and thriving.) 
  4. Make notes of everything I’m thinking about that will be hard to do when I’ve taken on her roles. For example I need to make sure I’m not coaching every night of the week, as I’ll likely also be responsible for: Routine reviews, submitting our skills for legality review, competition registrations and communication with event producers, etc.

So, if you’re losing a coach or director at the end of the season, consider taking the steps above. Does it mean everything will go smoothly and you’ll be 100% on your game when that person leaves? No. Not really. It does mean that you’ll do everything in your power to maintain the excellent communication and coaching your program is hopefully known for.