Coaching Pro-Tip: If your team never makes jokes at your expense, you're either losing outright or you're not quite there yet.
Diet coke, ideally in 20 oz bottles, is part of my several ways of getting through the day. My teams never see me without a Diet Coke cuz I'm never without a Diet Coke. This is, to put it mildly, odd.
About five years ago, I was at a site, sitting in my quarter-cubby, and I reached for my diet coke, and I put it up to my lips, and the soda in the bottle just hung there, stuck in the bottle, like it was some jelly solid.
And I'm flabbergasted. I'm looking at it. I'm trying to pour it. I'm looking again, I'm obviously very disturbed.
Then I look up, and the entire team is watching me, with an expectant look on their faces.
Then I look up, and the entire team is watching me, with an expectant look on their faces.
Thankfully, my father taught me both a variety and an intensity of profanity, and I reached back to my roots, as they all stood around cracking up.
Do you know what? That was one of the finest days of my coaching life, one of the greatest validations I had ever received from a team.
Imagine. I was so trusted that they were willing to set me up for a prank requiring actual chemistry and great timing and finessing the exchange from the real bottle to the joke bottle, all focusing on one of my weirdest aspects.
After I cursed every one out comically, & we all had the rich joy of the prank, I went to the bathroom and burst into tears. They trusted me so much they were willing to set me up as a group to be the butt of their very clever prank. I was high on life that week, lemme tell you.
If your team is willing to tease you to your face, you're winning.
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