I have long been an observer of coaches. I have spent a lot of years in dugouts and on the sidelines attempting to hone my coaching skills, with very mixed results, but the best thing I ever learned about the art is that the best steal from others they see having success.

Sometimes that can be a good thing, at other times it can introduce a whole new set of problems. Over the years, there are certain things I have noticed about the best coaches, and few of them have to do with winning games, though that often follows.

The thing I love most about the best coaches I have observed is their unique ability to coach each player as an individual. The top-grade manager always seems to know which players respond to a raised voice and which need a more gentle approach.

The coach understands that no two players are alike, so teaching them to do something exactly the same way does not always work. The good ones take the person and make him or her become the best that he or she can be by emphasizing the things that work in that situation.

I am amazed when I see coaches who have mastered this art. They coach much like we hope to parent our kids, with the ability to correct when necessary while still sending the message that they care, and winning is not the first thing on their mind, but instead they are looking to teach and inspire.

I have had the privilege of playing for, working with and observing some very good mentors over the years, and now as I watch sports on a daily basis, I look on in admiration to those who have this coaching thing dialed in.