Coaches have a tremendous influence over their athletes. A coach’s philosophy, communication, demeanor, and competence all play a role. The expectations a coach has for a player, whether spoken or not, have a significant impact on that player’s ability to reach his or her potential. I call this the self-fulfilling prophecy of leadership.
In sports emotions run high. Athletes who struggle with managing their emotions become liabilities to their teams. When an athlete feels defeated he stops trying. When an athlete gets angry she could get a careless penalty. Learning to manage emotions is just as critical as mastering the fundamentals of the sport.
Only 34% of American workers are engaged in their work, according to a Gallup report published in March 2016. That’s the highest since 2011. A major aspect of engagement is motivation. In sports (the work of athletes), players tend to be more engaged and motivated to play their best than other occupations. Perhaps that is due to more streamlined focus toward winning, clear roles, and interdependence of team sports. However, coaches play a significant role in their team’s daily motivation.
Clutch is what we call athletes who hit the game winner, make the save, or knock in the tying run when its all on the line. Many athletes dream of being clutch, but few truly are. However, coaches can teach their players to come through under pressure, to be clutch.
We live in a busy world. Distractions abound. It’s challenging to stay focused on the most important things. We have big plans and big dreams but are halted by never-ending to-do lists. My wife often reminds me to just do the next thing. Turns out simplicity is the answer. Truly we can WIN.
There is nothing more frustrating to a coach than a player who doesn’t listen to feedback. For an athlete to maximize his or her abilities physically, technically, tactically, or mentally requires that he or she be receptive to feedback – coaching. Without it, athletes are left to the slow improvement method of trial and error.
News flash, you get distracted. We battle distraction daily, hourly, in extreme cases, even minute by minute. By definition distractors are attention thieves which steal our focus from our tasks at hand. In some cases distractions can be avoided. In others, those thieves deserve our attention – just not right now.
Good coaches put a priority on their team’s morale. When morale is high, individuals experience greater confidence, effort, and satisfaction. We perform better when we enjoy what we’re doing and the people we work with. Ultimately, coaches set the tone for a team’s morale.
In sports there are winners and losers in every competition. While it’s better to lose than to beat yourself, failures hurt either way. No player likes to lose, let their teammates down, or fail. However, failure is part of the game and champions know how to keep failure from ruining their mindsets and their games. Are you coaching your athletes to cope well with failure?
Mark Twain said, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.” Thus spurred self-development expert Brian Tracy’s book entitled Eat That Frog. He and many experts help us answer the age old question, “Should I tackle the easy tasks or difficult tasks first?”
If you’re like me, deciding what to tackle first can slow down your productivity before you even get started on your work. That’s why I typically recommend planning tomorrow’s tasks today.
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