One of the greatest thrills of my life was to have the opportunity to coach youth athletics. I was blessed to have coached baseball, basketball, and football and even more special is to have seven of these wonderful youngsters go on to receive Division 1 scholarships. Why do I say all of this? Because I have learned so much from the youngsters that I am able to apply to dealing with adults. Plain and simply, kids tell the truth if they trust you. If you listen to that truth then you know exactly how to bring out their best. Kids and adults are really not that different. They both want to do well and they really want to know how to do just that and they are counting on you as their coach/manager to help them, teach them, and get them where the want to go. Each individual is different and it is up to the good coach/manager to learn and then develop that individual based on their current abilities while continually setting new and achievable goals to keep them hungry and believing that they are capable of anything they set their mind to if they are willing to work hard and never stop believing in themselves. I agree because about 20% of the time we were doing things they hated but were necessary while the remaining 80% I made if fun and really applied what they were learning and doing why they were learning and doing and when they put it all together they could see how it helped them to enjoy success on and off the field. In the culinary world my students love this approach no matter their age.
