Take a Moment

After teaching and coaching for nearly 15 years, there are, and have been, certain players and students that I’ve had a strong bond with. Looking back and trying to figure out why we connect with certain people more than others, it seems sometimes simple and can be boiled down to two things.

First, talk to them about things unrelated to what you are working with them on. If there’s a student in one of my marketing classes, and I ask them about how their job is going or how a club or sport they are playing is going, they nearly always enjoy talking about their life. When you purposely listen and do not bring the conversation back to yourself, it lets the other person know you care about them and are interested in them.

Second, go out of your way to help them. The students that I’ve brought an opportunity to, whether it was a job opportunity, a club recommendation to join, a networking contact that would benefit them—whatever it may be—know you took your time, which you didn’t have to, to help them out.

Each of these are not big tasks on our end, but they help build relationships. So whether you are a coach or a player, to help your team out, take a moment and communicate with a teammate or go out of your way for a teammate to help build a better bond with that person and build a better team.