GAH I never did enter the spelling B.
Coach to an individual:
Before analyzing anything I'd like to say I wouldn't be half the player I am today if I was not blessed with some of the best coaches in the metroplex. I'd also like to note if some random baseball junkie hadn't met my dad and mentioned a new place called DBAT... I wouldn't be half the player I am today. That statement alone is enough to answer your question, but I'm sure you didn't ask me that to get that simple of a response.
My... unique outlook on coaches is one that I really haven't shared with many people. IMO the greatest thing a coach can do is stimulate the mind of a player. What I mean by that is that a good coach will provoke any player to ask questions, try new ideas, challenge himself on and off the field, and come up with his own ideas. Take a hitting lesson for instance: I've never heard a hitting coach say you MUST do this. The general wording is, "why don't you try this?" My pitching coach asks me to try a new grip... nothing is forced. Lets say I open my front hip (hitting or pitch), the coach will point out that I am doing that. Immediately, in my mind, I ask myself why I might be doing that. The reason could be that I'm trying too hard or being lazy with the front side. I don't really think my concept of a coach is really all that different from what people think of as "teaching." The only difference is that I've found most of (if not all) of my coaches have taught me in a way that I can teach myself down the road. While I'm pitching, I constantly remind myself of mechanics because I know what certain things mean. I know if a fastball goes high and away to a left-handed batter it means I did not stay closed with my front side (this is my scenario... everything is unique to the player).
Coaches to a team:
Disclaimer- I've been fortunate enough to play on top tier teams, therefore my experiences with the coaching styles may be twisted in the eyes of some.
Similarly to coaching a player, a coach for a team should motivate the team. A coach motivates his team to play hard every game, he stresses work ethic, and reminds his team of serious fundamentals throughout the game pertinent to the situation. A fundamental could be never giving up, or finishing a team. Coaches are... for lack of a better word(s)... less "hands on" when it comes to the team. Here's kind of how I see it. All the work a player has done in the past, all the game experience, all the intagibles, etc get a player to his "max level." A good coach will find some way to increase each players "max level" by placing the kid in situations he can perform in order to help the team. So basically, a coach gets that last drop of water out of the water cooler. I also think one of the best things coaches of teams can do is let the kids get themselves out of tough situations. Coaches know the importance of each game and when there is an opportunity to fight through a tough situation, sometimes coaches intervene, sometimes they don't (usually this is for pitchers). I've found that a pitcher that has gone through difficult routes will be much more effective in the crunch (common sense I'd think).
Coaches are great. No-matter what philosophical difference a parent or player may have with them, they are there to HELP you and/or your kid. They have lives (they aren't like me and a complete baseball junkie) and take time out to develop a players game.
And now I'm off to pick up the sis.