Purpose Driven: Beyond the Game
By: Chris Smith
As most usually admit to in these articles, I was struggling to find something to write about when I finally sat down and put some thought into this. After racking my brain for several different ideas on what I could share with you all, one thing that kept popping back into my head was benevolence. Yes, it’s one of our core values, and we practice that throughout the year here at Nussbaum. For me, though, benevolence speaks louder when I leave the office for the day. Benevolence is the desire to do good to others. Coaching and working with our youth is my way of doing good for others. My wife and I have given most of our adult lives to coaching kids and giving them life lessons they can hopefully take with them long after leaving our teams. I have been involved in coaching since graduating high school and have coached many sports at many levels. My wife Kassandra was also a very successful competitive dance coach for many years and ran a dance company.
Making sure all the kids feel valued helps team morale and encourages them to give their best
Helping people is in my blood. Benevolence can significantly enhance effectiveness when working with kids. Making sure all the kids feel valued and supported helps team morale and encourages them to give their best in whatever sport. This is a tremendous lifelong lesson for them to learn early on! Being on a team is much more than developing the “best” player. Growth in all the kids mentally, emotionally, and socially leads to more well-rounded kids. Knowing how to be empathetic and encouraging also goes a LONG way when dealing with kids.
The desire to lead with heart and care helps build trust in the kiddos and fosters an authentic family-like atmosphere. Being invested in every player on the team is very important to me. I want to see them all succeed! I give as much time as I can now for many reasons.
1- My boys are only young once, and it’s great quality time I get to spend with each one of them.
2- I try to give all players lifelong lessons about winning/losing, being competitive, and having fun.
3- If you give (and we all know this), you will get so much more in return, seeing others thrive.
So, did I talk about being purpose-driven? Maybe a little. But to me, going down this road and talking about how I am (hopefully) guiding some of our youth in the right direction is a huge purpose in my life, and it will continue to be for as long as I can be of service!
