I have just returned from a clinic in South Carolina where I taught along side Wendy Bruce (our 3rd weekend in a row!) and Paul Hamm. It was a really great training camp. As former gymnasts and current coaches, our evening conversations revolved around coaching and gymnastics.
As we were leaving the gym one evening a gymnast said, “You are a guru of gymnastics.” I replied “I am simply a coach”. Which made me think about the differences between the two.
In doing some research I came across these:
Guru or Coach – Who do YOU want to learn from?
To grow it is imperative to find mentors not gurus to learn from and grow professionally. What are the differences?
- Guru – All about me
- Coach – All about the athlete
- Guru – Style
- Coach – Substance
- Guru – Full of information often unconnected
- Coach – Bursting with knowledge that applies
- Guru – Has the secrets
- Coach – Open & willing to share
- Guru – Quick with putdowns
- Coach – Quick to praise and uplift
- Guru – No questions & has all the answers
- Coach – Driven by questions
- Guru – Big bold claims
- Coach – Lets actions speak
- Guru – In the spotlight on the FrontPage or ESPN
- Coach – On the back page in small print or in the footnotes
- Guru – Quick to follow the $$$$$
- Coach – Driven by principles
- Guru – Complexifier
- Coach – Simplifier
- Guru – Exclusive
- Coach – Inclusive
- Guru – Conditional
- Coach – Unconditional
Which are you?
