I wanted to greet people in Telugu, so I asked someone how to say 'How are you' in Telugu. In fact, I instructed my entire staff to speak to me only in Telugu. So, there were times when I would ask them to translate certain words for me in Hindi, but the effort paid off.
I must say that the Katrina response does help me better understand the situation in Iraq. The best bet is that the president doesn't actually know what's happening there, is cocooned from reality, has no one in his high-level staff able to tell him what's actually happening, and has created a culture of denial and loyalty that makes fixing mistakes or holding people accountable all but impossible.
I could tell you that in my entire coaching career I have never talked to any player, staff member about football air pressure. That is not a subject that I have ever brought up.
We use tools such as email, not just as a way to keep in daily touch with family members who live in other cities, but also as a way to keep in touch with staff and members of the public.
I think it's important that we show up. I think it's important that we communicate directly with all those working people.
I have a senior staff meeting every day, with key personnel who interface with the players - coaches, the medical staff, our analyst department. This is a useful exercise as it means we are all across what is happening and they are aware of my expectations.
If you were to hire household staff to cook, clean, drive, stoke the fire, and answer the door, can you imagine suggesting that they not talk to each other, not see what each other is doing, not coordinate their functions?
I always talk with my technical staff before I announce a squad. I have always done that; I am changing nothing.
