Apr 20, 2022
The greatest coaches are also
teachers. And vice versa. That’s the bottom line coming out of this
fascinating conversation between K.P. Wee and his guest host Stan
Markotich on this special episode of The K.P. Wee Podcast. The two
veteran educators, authors and friends share thoughts on a range of
topics, from K.P.’s latest book project to the gifts and challenges
of being a mentor to the mixed messages some young people are
receiving today.
You’ll hear about the
front-lines experiences that K.P., who has worked in education for
more than a decade, has had with coaching young people in pursuit
of their dreams. He and Stan note some of the trendlines they’ve
observed when it comes to preparedness to meet the wider world. Do
students understand the necessary etiquette and protocols for
securing a successful interview? Are they being confused by social
media and other messages that blur the lines between collaboration
and plagiarism, or negativity and discipline?
Above all else, what comes
through in this freewheeling exchange is the passion K.P. and Stan
share for bringing the best performances out of students – whether
in the classroom, on the playing field or in a professional
context. K.P. and Stan bring every creative skill available to
their motivational tool kits and we get front-row seats to their
thoughts on when, whether and how to deploy a whole spectrum of
strategies.
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"So You Want to Work in Sports:
Advice and Insights from Respected Sports Industry
Leaders," by K.P. Wee?
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KEY TOPICS:
- (2:20): About K.P.’s latest projects (finishing
up a final edit on his new book,
"So You Want to Work in
Sports") and wish lists
looking into the future (lots of dream titles and research to do,
but that other thing called a “day job” also requires
attention).
- (4:54): A little more about
"So You Want to Work in Sports:
Advice and Insights from Respected Sports Industry
Leaders" and its target
audience, typically young people who aspire to work in a
front-office or extra-athletic capacity of some sort within a
sports organization. It provides insights and advice from people
whose experience ranges from marketing to broadcasting to the life
of a mascot.
- (11:05): K.P. shares his perspectives on
teaching and how his work in the classroom has an important
mentoring element not dissimilar from that played by coaches on the
field.
- (12:60): Student Report Cards: K.P. shares that
some of the professionals he speaks with in the industry today find
young people who come in for interviews frequently under-prepared
or unfamiliar with basic etiquette and protocols.
- (14:39): Stan echoes that he also has noticed
changes in students – many of whom are not well-grounded in the
basics of courteous behavior in a professional setting.
- (17:40): Having good communications skills is a
fundamental grounding that many young people today lack – including
grammar, spelling, clarity and punctuality of replies.
- (18:45): The ethical angle: Stan provides a
vivid example featuring a student who blew an important interview
by demonstrating a lack of self-awareness and respect.
- (21:35): About K.P.’s experience with some
students who come in for career coaching only to dismiss advice as
to how they might perform optimally on a given
screening.
- (25:00): About generalized messages from
executives on LinkedIn, urging young people to reframe cheating or
plagiarism as “collaboration” skills that are necessary and
important. It blurs important ethical lines and
standards.
- (26:52): K.P. deconstructs how certain messages
given by “heroes” can land in unintended, confusing even harmful
ways. (For example, a pro football player who tells elementary
school kids not to listen to their teachers because a teacher once
predicted his failure.)
- (29:30): About the many shades of coaching –
sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce – and why modulating different
philosophies best serves development. To be clear: K.P. and Stan
aren’t talking about abusive behavior. But there are times when
choice words and tone can be highly effective.
- (31:28): There is a difference between yelling
to humiliate and yelling in a very deliberate challenge to a
student or player not giving their maximum effort – to their own
detriment.
- (35:40): The incredible rewards that K.P. and
Stan experience when they hear years later from mentees thanking
them for advice, processes or perspectives that they now recognize
as highly meaningful and impactful in their lives.
- (40:00): Stressing content over details (such
as precise historical dates) often resonates deeply with students,
who feel freed up to get the big-picture lessons and really absorb
the context of what they’re learning in a more meaningful way that
transfers to all of life.
- (43:05): K.P. sums up the big-picture goal that
he – and all committed teachers and coaches – hold for young
people: They want the lessons they teach to shape lives for the
better, far beyond the classroom or playing field.
KEY QUOTES:
- (8:52):
“Things change over time … There’s new technology and systems and
things people do, whether in broadcasting or the front-office or
with analytics.” (K.P.)
- (16:24):
“(Students) might be able to write code, but maybe they’re
forgetting how to have the interpersonal skill required to work
within a team environment.” (K.P.)
- (24:25): “There
are a lot of (students) who will not do even the minimum to take
themselves down a path that could guarantee a lot of success. They
just opt to do it their way and have told me so very directly.”
(Stan)
- (27:30): “We
should not let negative people influence us, but not to the extent
that some of these experts and athletes are telling people what to
do and not to do.” (K.P.)
- (28:10): “Once
you accept certain values (or lack thereof) you run certain risks
and the damage (to society) may be irreparable at least for a
generation or so.” (Stan)
- (32:50): “I’m a
product of many environments in which lots of yelling took place …
(but) it was always done in a way that reinforced in my mind that I
was not doing what my teachers or coaches knew I could do.”
(Stan)
- (42:18): “The
greatest coaches are also teachers and I think that’s really come
out in our talk today. It goes the other way, too: The really great
teachers are also great coaches.” (Stan)
About Guest Host Stan Markotich: Born and raised in Vancouver, Stan completed
his undergraduate work at Simon Fraser University in 1985. From
there, he went on to receive a master’s degree from the University
of Victoria. In 1987, he moved to Indiana University, earning his
doctoral degree in history under the supervision of Dr. Barbara
Jelavich. Upon graduation, Markotich accepted an appointment with
Radio Free Europe, serving as Serbian analyst and remaining in
Europe for roughly a decade. He is the main author
of White Paper of
the Independent Media Commission: Media and Democratisation in
Bosnia and Hercegovina (2000). Markotich is currently revising a
memoir that deals with his years in the Balkans. Now based in
Greater Vancouver, he teaches classes at a private school, lectures
for Brock House Society, and offers courses on the Balkans through
SFU Continuing Education.
About K.P. Wee: K.P. Wee is the author of multiple books and a
regular contributor to sports radio programs and websites. In
addition to hosting The K.P. Wee Podcast, he also enjoys writing
sports and psychological fiction with a twist of romance. He spent
a decade working as a program developer and instructor for a
private school before joining the Vancouver Canadians baseball
club’s media relations department.
You can find out more about books by K.P. Wee
here.
Follow K.P. Wee:
K.P. @Twitter
Additional episodes of the K.P.
Wee Podcast are available here.