Different type of coach

I read an interesting story on the front Sports page of today’s New York Times. It was about James Franklin, 40, who is the head football coach at Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt, a member of the SEC (Southeastern Conference), is not a football power and does not have a history as being a football power but is a member of a powerful football conference. Vanderbilt is ranked as one of the top universities in the US academically.

I liked one of Franklin’s comments. “You can be hard on people, as long as you love them hard too.”

Franklin’s comment is a result of an exercise that is normally not done as part of football conditioning. He asked the players to ‘… stand and talk about their families, their role models, their challenges. Players opened up. They learned each other’s histories, had shed tears, perhaps because they had trusted Franklin. Now it was his turn.’

‘I just talked about why I am the way I am’, Franklin said. He spent 15 minutes telling the team that his family was dysfunctional. His Dad was an alcoholic and abusive to Franklin his mother and sister. His Dad would not admit to the abuse until James was 40 and his Dad was a month away from death. His Dad also admitted this to his now ex-wife and daughter. His father apologized to all three.

James at 25 had reached out to his father and at that time his Dad was dying from cancer. James described his Dad as ‘a proud, stubborn man who was now defeated and dying’.

James was not certain if he should tell this story to the team. ‘On the night the 40-year-old Franklin explained his past to his team, he worried. He asked his wife, Fumi, if he had been too vulnerable. She said no. His players would respect him for it, perhaps play harder for him because of it, and James agreed’.

James Franklin sounds like a relationship guy. Someone who tries to connect with people. I can relate to him and maybe you can too. Not everyone is like this and we shouldn’t expect all people to be like us no matter who they are. People are different and need to be respected for who they are. See my post of 8/30/12 title ‘How to Manage Thinkers and Feelers Effectively’.

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The piece is titled ‘Franklin Forges a Future Through the Past – Vanderbilt Coach Builds Ties by Opening Up’ by Tim Rohan. New York Times, Saturday, September 08, 2012.