The opportunity to watch little league baseball and softball this weekend provided a glimpse of coachable moments, nice reminders that coaching for improvement beats criticizing. In the process, instilling a love for the game also inspires the desire to learn more, and that includes the game of life.

I watched the softball game’s umpire go to the mound twice, once with the appropriate coach in tow, to talk with the young pitcher about pitching mechanics and how they relate to game rules. The same umpire spent a few minutes with the catcher an another game to provide insights into the rules of blocking the baseline when a runner is coming to the plate, making her a better and safer catcher. It was clear that the lessons had made an impression.

His patience while serving as both the keeper of the rules and as a teacher was noble. In the game of life, we all have opportunities to coach in positive ways. Everyone can benefit from coachable moments; even successful athletes and executives make good use of specialized coaches.

Good coaches (including athletic coaches, teachers, parents, scout leaders, friends, bosses…everyone, actually) do not just transmit information and knowledge, they inspire love of learning and love of the “game.”  More of such interactions occur in the moments of life instead of in classrooms.

Athletic coaches will tell you that coachable athletes are treasures. Teachers will tell you that a student open to learning is a gift to the teacher and the class. All of us have opportunities to be coach or coached. As my dad used to say, “You aren’t going to learn any younger.”  No matter how young or old, there are things you can teach and thanks you can learn in coachable moments.

Let’s be open to teaching and learning about everything, and to love the most important game we are in…life.