The Figure Four: Lessons in Coaching and Life

By Joseph Henry

The Figure Four is based on four concepts that I have experienced throughout my coaching
career - culture, commitment, motivation, and communication. The Figure Four can also relate to
the time I left a $40,000+ a year job to coach baseball for less than $9,000 a year, a four-figure
salary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796028249

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Henry.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2019904449

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-7960-2825-6

                Softcover        978-1-7960-2826-3

                eBook             978-1-7960-2824-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/23/2019

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Culture

Commitment

Motivation

Communication

Final Thoughts

Foreword

The Figure Four is based on four concepts that I have experienced throughout my coaching career - culture, commitment, motivation, and communication. The Figure Four can also relate to the time I left a $40,000+ a year job to coach baseball for less than $9,000 a year, a four-figure salary.

During my time as a coach, I made four stops. I have coached at every level from Middle School to High School to College. As I was reviewing the first draft of this book, I noticed that with all of these coaching stops I made that I was either fired or didn’t receive a new contract the following year. However, I learned a lot at each stop – some things about baseball, but mostly about people. I learned how to deal with different personalities and how to handle conflicts.

During my time as a high school student in the early 90’s, we had a powerhouse baseball program. Although I tried out for a spot on the team and didn’t make it, I was able to become the freshman baseball manager. I am good at coaching and working with people. My only opportunity of playing baseball came in 1992 when I made the Johnson & Wales University’s baseball team as a pitcher. The knowledge I acquired from watching high school baseball helped me to see the game from an outsider’s view. In 1993, a new coaching staff came to school and, just like that, my playing days were over.

After college, I was fortunate enough to coach recreational baseball for the town I lived in. The success I had coaching rec ball gave me the confidence to explore major coaching jobs that would pay me. I interviewed at schools such as Seton Hall University, NJIT, Rutgers Newark, and Philadelphia Bible University in Pennsylvania. This was another four where I had no success. I even interviewed at Elizabeth High School in NJ, which would have been a full-time job. At each of those stops, I learned a great deal during the interview process, especially at Elizabeth where we didn’t talk baseball. Instead we talked about gangs and the culture of Elizabeth NJ.

I also learned things such as what each school was looking for in a coach, what they offered students academically, and what it takes to recruit. After every interview, I would receive a letter in the mail weeks later stating that I lacked the experience they wanted. They were right; after all, two of those schools were Division 1, and the other two schools were Division II. In each case, I knew nothing about dealing with scholarships and student-athletes. Plus, with only one year of playing baseball with only one appearance in a game, I wasn’t too shocked that I didn’t get hired. I did lack the experience.

At a baseball coaching clinic, I introduced myself to a coaching legend telling him I coach baseball. He made it his point to tell me that, You don’t coach baseball, you coach athletes! He was so right about that statement.

Introduction

In the summer of 2005, I was hired to be the head baseball coach at Oratory Prep in Summit, NJ. It is an all-boys school from grades 7-12. Since it was a private school, boys went there from all over the state of New Jersey.

In 2005, there might have been a total of a hundred students in the student body. Therefore, when it came to baseball or any other activity, the choice of players was very slim. This showed on their record, which was 2 – 96 before I got there. Something I didn’t know before I took the position was that there was a new baseball coach every other season.

I realized as I began my time as coach at Oratory is that I had to create a new culture at the school. If I could develop a positive attitude among all the players, maybe the team could change its direction. I figure there was nothing to lose; we had nowhere to go but up!

As I walked the halls of the small school, I noticed that the trophy cases were full of hardware. Unfortunately, most of it consisted of fifth place trophies or participation awards. The only first place championship trophies belonged to the swim or golf teams. I guess it was no coincidence