Great coaches know that so much of the team’s success is down to them. Research shows that the quality of the manager, team leader or coach is the single biggest factor in the team’s long-term success. Great coaches maximize the strengths of each player. But, to do that, the coach needs to be sure that they are laying the ground work for success. Like every brilliant teacher and manager, the coach knows that they have to continuously self-reflect on the quality of their coaching and interactions. 

The Triangle of Success is a structure to support the growth of a high quality coaching mindset and helps coaches embed coaching and playing behaviors to elicit success. 

 

Skill: 

• Have I identified the precise skills required to have my players be successful? 

• Have I explicitly coached these skills? Have I given opportunities for the skill to be practiced independently, guided in a group setting, modeled, practiced under pressure in game-like scenarios? 

• Have the execution of the skills become habitual? 

Motivation: 

• Are the players motivated to follow the plans/learn the skills? Do they understand the “why”, that is, the purpose of the plan/skill/expectation and how it fits into the larger game plan? 

 • Does the coach know what motivates each player? For example, some are motivated through deep, personal relationships. Others by a sense of harmony and trust in the team. Some players are motivated by goals set for them, and others by being recognized and making a mark. 

Clarity: 

 • Is there clarity around my expectations? Do the players know what is expected of them? If I asked them to write down my expectations, could they? 

• Is there clarity around the game plan? Can they explain it back to me and their team mates? Can they show me diagrammatically? 

• Have I been explicit enough? This approach will support behavioral embedding which is an ongoing process of guaranteeing that looked-for behaviors taught and learned in training are more regularly and consistently used in games.

The Triangle of Success is an excellent tool to help coaches reflect on their coaching and ensure their players are set for success.

 Image: COLLAGE PYRAMID, 2014. Print by Briony Barr located at https://twfineart.myshopify.com/blogs/tw-fineart/18267385-the-triangle-in-visual-art

Notes: The "Success Triangle" is a structure that emerges from Cohen Brown.

Elite Thinking: Conversations worth having and generative questions

 “Generative questions focus on the best of what is and what might be?" 

(Stavros and Torres)

Great coaches are forever curious. When we are curious we are naturally inclined to ask generative questions. Since we get more of what we focus on it is important that coaches reflect on their own frame and consider what the question, "What is the focus of my attention?" 

Generative questions “change how people think so that new options for decisions and actions become available to them, and they stimulate compelling images people act on” (Bushe). They create trust and a positive energy to move people and teams in a positive direction. “Generative questions focus on the best of what is and what might be” (Stavros and Torres, p. 55). They open up new ways to solve challenging and complex problems and provide creative ways forward. 

What do generative questions look like in practice?

The situation is a coach who for some reason, does not seem to be executing the game plan of the coach. There could be multiple reasons why this is occurring (see next blog post on the Triangle of Success). Here is an example of a coach reframing the situation and asking generative questions instead of being angry or simply telling the player what to do.

1. Reframe the situation. 

Coach: “I really do understand the situation. You see attacking chances and want to help the team by using your skills and speed to take those opportunities to get the ball up field. I want to be sure we are also looking at other ways to move the ball. So how can we have a constructive conversation about this?” 

 2. Ask generative questions. 

Questions shift the conversation from a negative to a positive conversation, expands possibilities for action, builds relationships, and deepens understanding. 

Coach: “What opportunities did you see to play the ball wide? When you did play it wide what contributed to the success? What changes on the field can we make to get the ball wide?” 

By practicing these techniques, conversations are stimulated and players are engaged because both parties have the space to step back, ponder, reflect, be more open and transparent and the relationship is nurtured. These practices shift attitudes that allow both coach and player to participate. Creative solutions are generated that create positive and forward energy. These are the ingredients of a successful team.

References: Stavros, J. and Torres, C.(2018). Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. Berrett-Koehler: Oakland, CA.

Image: https://www.dirtalleydesign.com/blogs/news/visual-design-and-generative-art

Elite Thinking: Conversations worth having and the positive frame

“We change best when we are strongest and most positive, not when we feel the weakest, most negative, or helpless.” (David Cooperrider) 

Challenging conversations are an unavoidable part of sport. Coaches must create a safe space for these to occur. Such conversations should take place when players and coaches have had an opportunity to reflect, step back and take a breath. The brain will be far more open to feedback and advice and therefore learning will be optimized. What might a conversation look like that builds connections, creates a more productive environment and produces positive change? 

A conversation worth having is when: 

• The coach seeks to maintain the relationship and build trust. 

 • The player walks away energized, filled with possibilities and is ready to take action. 

• There is a sense of cooperation. 

• The result is positive and potential has been unleashed. 

What does a conversation worth having start with? 

A strengths-based paradigm. The coach is ready to see the player and the game through a positive lens allowing them to appreciate the best of what is. Why? Because these are the practices coaches want to replicate. The more time the weaknesses are examined, the less time there is to shine a light on the good practices. And, it’s the good practices when replicated that will lead to success.

What do conversations worth having look like? 

Positive framing and generative questions are two simple yet powerful approaches that take mental and emotional discipline and practice. “Positive framing is not only about focusing on the positive. It is also about focusing attention and action on where we want to go or on what it is we want more of” (Stavros and Torres, p. 46). 

A coach to a player: “Today you were selfish on the ball. You didn’t pass to your team mates. You had no vision and that impacted negatively on the team. You ran from deep in our half and got tackled in possession which resulted in turn overs”. 

This creates negativity, anger, resentment, irritation in the player and a team environment where the other players observing this interchange will feel anxiety. (A state of relaxed anxiety is the mental state where the best learning occurs. Too much anxiety is a blocker to learning). Basically, all the emotions that are the antithesis to building relationships, creating a thinking player and learning. “To inspire a conversation worth having, use positive framing, which creates a desirable focus. A positive frame draws people in and inspires curiosity, imagination, and interest” (Stavros and Torres, p. 46). 

 

A coach to a player: “You are an exceptionally talented player. You left it all out on the field today. You at your best is key to the success of our team. At times, you made great choices to attack the opposition and you have the skills to do so. We also know that we are looking to use the outside right half to launch attacks. What ideas do you have that would get the ball wide more often? What are you seeing on the field.” 

This positive frame allows the coach to maintain good relations with the player while resolving issues that are negatively affecting the team. The player may still feel a little bad because there was possibly a poor result due to their performance, but the focal point is on the desired outcome, not the player. The player also has the space to share possible challenges they may face to be able to execute the actions on the field, some of which may have not been clear to the coach. The coach simply (it’s not always easy because of the way we are wired as humans) reframes the focus away from a negative or problem focus to an appreciative more positive one. 

“Name it, Flip it, Frame it”

“Name it, Flip it, Frame it” is a technique that shifts the thought from problem-based frame to a positive frame (Stavros and Torres):

• Name it: What is the problem? The player doesn’t pass right. 

• Flip it: What is the positive opposite of the problem? The player passes right and supports the attack.

• Frame it: What is the positive impact of the flip? What would the impact be if the player passed right? What is the desired outcome? There would potentially be more attacking opportunities generated and a turnover would be less dangerous. We may win more games.

Great coaches have the discipline and desire to build players through the strengths-based approach using appreciative inquiry techniques that build trust, confidence and ability. 

References: Stavros, J. and Torres, C.(2018). Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. Berrett-Koehler: Oakland, CA.

Elite Thinking: Be curious, not furious.

“Praise in public, criticize in private.”

At times a coach berates a player in public. I wonder how useful that is. I tell coaches and captains, “Praise in public, criticize in private.” Numerous studies show that people pay most attention to negative feedback. Criticism stings even the most resilient person and the feeling lasts longer than positive feedback. People, research says, need four pieces of positive feedback for one bit of negative feedback. Corrective feedback is necessary and talented coaches are able to provide that and maintain a positive culture in the team. 

When a player feels demeaned and deflated, they will no longer give their best. Very few players can fully re-engage with a coach when such negative feedback occurs in a harsh way. Typically, in these situations the coach is still hot under the collar after a loss. They may be furious with the result and some of the players. This is the time when the coach needs to be so self-aware that they control their emotions and pause their feedback because in these moments things are said that shouldn’t be and trust is lost. 

 Two good techniques are: 

1. Be curious, not furious. Leading the conversation through genuine curiosity, does three things. 

 a. It creates a conversation and thus engages players in the discussion and buy-in ensues. Great coaches get to the core of the players’ decision-making process. 

 b. It develops thinking players. That is, players who are building the skillset to be able to self-critique and analyze a game. 

 c. It builds empathy, trust and deepens understanding of players. Using the concept of “seek first to understand, and then to be understood” the coach gathers useful insights into the thought processes of the players and is thus better able to identify areas for remedy and coaching. These coaches genuinely seek to understand the player’s thoughts, feelings and approach. It’s a case of diagnose before prescribe (Covey).

 2. Look only for the good. Squint if you have to. But, only offer up the good. The team knows when they were poor. So do most players. The opportunity to debrief a game away from the heat of the moment will come. For now, focus only on the positive and ask the players to provide input on what they appreciated. 

The result? A culture of positivity is built and a positive culture beats a negative one any day. In those post-game moments great coaches are self-aware. It takes time for trust to be re-established. Trust is the foundation of all relationships and like a bucket of water, it is filled slowly drip by drip, but only takes one tip for the contents to be emptied.

Elite Thinking: Building mental strength

 

 

“Winning doesn’t just begin in the locker room; it also begins in the mind.”

 Jon Gordon, Bestselling author.

 
“How do I get my players to be the best example of themselves each day?” Elite Thinking coaches wake up each day and ask themselves this question. Any coach as leader wants their players to be their best versions of themselves on and off the field. There are simple yet powerful strategies that when performed with intent and regularity have the potential to transform teams and players. These are strategies employed by some of the most successful teams on the planet to build mental strength through the power of positivity.

 “To build a winning team, you must help your players and staff have amnesia about past outcomes and remember all the little things they did to get better.”

The world view shift
Something powerful happens when a coach shifts their world view from seeing players and teams from problems to be solved to solutions to be uncovered. This differs from the belief that problem solving will lead to something better. The world view shift is more powerful because there is a move away from the traditional focus on eliminating performance problems towards using “reflective practices which provide a more sustained focus on performance successes and strengths.” (1) The strategies a coach can use are:
a) Emphasizing success of a player.
b) Focusing on the strengths of the team.
c) Highlighting best practices on the field.
This is different to stressing the problems and seeking solutions for them. Issues and weaknesses are not neglected. This is an important point. The difference is in the balance. A culture of success is created when the coach and players spend more time celebrating, unpacking and analyzing the positive so that it may be replicated.  Jon Gordon states, “To build a winning team, you must help your players and staff have amnesia about past outcomes and remember all the little things they did to get better.”(2)
Coaches can use the 5 Powerful Questions to guide conversations: 

What was going on when we were on top? 

What worked well when we were under pressure? 

How were we feeling? 

What was creating our successes? 

How can we do more of that?

“Visualization is an important tool for me.”  Phil Jackson

You move in the direction of your thoughts
Successful athletes envision themselves winning and coaches play an important role in giving the players permission, time and a safe environment. Coaches draw pictures of the plays on whiteboards to show each player how they should execute their moves in order to be successful. Players visualize themselves implementing the right moves.  They see themselves making the perfect pass, the perfect tackle, or the perfect block to make the play exactly as it was outlined on the board. Phil Jackson took the Lakers to three titles as head coach from 1999-2004. He then led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships from 1989-1998.  In his book, “Sacred Hoops,” he wrote “Visualization is an important tool for me.”  Jackson helped his players visualize their success winning games, and he gave them guided meditations called the “Safe Spot” during half times to help the players calm down and regain the focus necessary to achieve success.
 
Three simple game visualization strategies to create positively powerful players are:
 

Visualize success: Before the game, involve players in visualization. This is one of the most underutilized methods to create a winning mindset. I was first introduced to this 25 years ago by sports psychologist, Dr. Ken Jennings, who was an early pioneer in this area. I have used and honed this methodology over years to good effect. At a high level, simply have players be quiet and begin to visualize success on the field. This takes repetition and practice. Players over time will learn to see the minute details (the spin on the ball, the seam on the ball, feel their fingers on the racquet, feel their shoulders in the tackle, the touch of foot on ball etc.) This is a quiet moment that puts the players into a space of powerful positivity; into that Elite Thinking zone.

Visualize competence: Have players close their eyes and visualize situations or areas of their game where they feel less confident and uncomfortable. Coaches have the players spend time imagining, in vivid detail, how to get out of tricky situations and make the difficult play. It may be a quarterback throwing to his right under pressure, a soccer player seemingly stuck on the sideline on her left foot, catching a ball on the boundary, or a tennis player returning a kicking topspin serve on their backhand. Whatever the challenging situation is, the player has to now visualize a way to get out of trouble and emerge successfully. (The bigger goals of winning the title or being on top of the league are also examples of what to visualize). The more detail and regularity coaches allow their players to perform this visualization practice, the more natural it becomes and the better players are at it.

Visualize to re-energize: The two most decorated rugby sevens teams in the world, the Fijians and the South Africans use a technique to great effect. At halftime, the Fijian team comes together on the field. Halftime is only two minutes, but they take the time to turn towards the sun, close their eyes and stand in silence taking deep breaths for about 20 seconds. Only then do they have their team talk. The South African team, known as the Blitzbokke, huddle together in complete silence at halftime. The coaching staff are several meters back. The team hears from the captain and team members, and only then does the coach step in to provide his perspective. These teams are going through the 3C’s: Compose, Consider and Commit.
                     i.     They compose themselves by being still, standing in silence and breathing deeply. Sevens is a fast and physically demanding game. The breathing and silence brings an element of calm to the brain. The heart rate slows leading the brain to release endorphins, which are chemicals that have a calming effect reducing anxiety, anger and fear allowing for smarter decision-making on the field.
                    ii.     The players now have the mental space to consider their own and the team’s performance. They consider the extent to which they are executing the strategy, what areas they are performing well in and what needs to be changed. Because the players are in a calm state of mind, they are more open to ideas.
                   iii.    Finally, the players commit to the plan for the second half. They also re-commit themselves to each other and the bigger goals of the team.
 
Conclusion
The strategies are simple, take very little time and are highly effective. By using these Elite Thinking strategies, the coach is able to establish an environment where players can be the best example of themselves each day.  They do this by being enveloped in a culture of positivity where the coach intentionally develops the players’ mental strength, calmness and visions of success. The more regularly and intentionally these practices are employed, the more positively contagious the culture and team will be and the greater the opportunities for success.
 
Dr. Peter Dry
March, 2021
peterdry@thepdlearninggroup.com
 
This is part 4 of “Coaches as strengths-based leaders”.
Peter uses his Elite Thinking methodology to unleash the potential in teams across all sectors. It is a framework that emerges from positive psychology designed to build a world champion mindset. The framework is grounded in the belief that greater levels of self-awareness around the strengths of an individual builds sustainable success for individuals and teams. Whether it is an executive leadership team, sports team, or a school team, Elite Thinking is a solution-focused approach which entails identifying what creates a successful team, who the team is when they are at their best and then aiming to duplicate regularly. The leader’s role is to engage the individual’s strengths and highlight positive performances to create confidence, belief and enthusiasm and ultimately outstanding performances. A winning culture is built by focusing  predominantly on the positive, identifying the strengths of the individuals as well as magnifying best practices. 
 
References:
Dixon, M., Lee, S. & Ghaye, T. (2015) Strengths-based reflective practices for the management of change: applications from sport and positive psychology, Journal of Change Management.
Jackson, P. & Delehanty, H. (2006). Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. New York: Hyperion.
Gordon, J. & Smith, M. (2015). You win in the locker room first: 7 C’s to build a winning team in sports, business and life. New Jersey: Wiley
 
Photo:
https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/video/129148/half-time-team-talk-south-africa-v-argentina?lang=es
 
 
 
 
 
 

Elite Thinking: Coaches as strengths-based leaders and the power of questions (part 3)

 “Even on the coaching side, I was very conscious of keeping the good stuff. I would ask what else we could do or how we could do this better and again…”

Sir Clive Woodward, coach of England Rugby team when they won the Rugby World Cup in 2003

 

This is the third part of a series on Elite Thinking. The article gives clear strategies to begin to implement the Elite Thinking framework through the use of the positive pivot and the 5+2 powerful questions that create greater coach and player awareness to optimize consistently strong performance.

 

The positive pivot

I observed a field hockey coach with her team that had just lost a game. The team culture was one of focusing on the positive, building from strengths and magnifying the good. The coach had a clear understanding of the power of reflective practices in a competitive sporting environment where a “we-can’t-slow-down” mentality often prevails. In spite of the loss, the players did not dwell on the question “what went wrong?”

This is the potential of the positive pivot, where the question one asks leads the conversation down a more positively powerful path. The team began with magnifying the good and shining a light on what worked well. This was not “paint-on-positivity”. The players provided clear and specific evidence of success instead of “good job” and “way to go.” The team made sure they pivoted quickly from analyzing failure to analyzing success. They looked more holistically at the game and noted that it had in fact been lost in a ten minute session. The focus though was not on the ten minutes. The players pivoted and began to analyze the success factors of when they were on top of the opposition and playing well.

The positive pivot is where the question one asks leads the conversation down a more positively powerful path.

The 5 powerful questions

Coaches can use the powerful question technique to delve deeper into the mindset of the player to help them understand how they can be their best more often. This is classic Elite Thinking methodology. The reflection questions were, “ What was going on when we were on top? What worked well when we were under pressure? How were we feeling? What was creating our successes?” And, “How can we do more of that?” The responses were “We kept our structure and shape. Our communication was loud and clear. We stuck to our game plan of where we needed the ball to be. The energy was high. We were making the second tackles.” These questions led the analysis into the strengths of the team and set the team up for a positive future. The old adage of “you get more of what you focus on” is true. The coach had trained the players to focus on the path that would provide them the greatest opportunity for success by asking questions that led to a better future. The players were generating ideas that would be there to lean on and guide them in their training and in the next game. They had discovered exactly what led to their success and therefore were crystal clear on what they needed to do in the forthcoming games.

 

This approach should be used when winning games too. As Sir Clive Woodward says about the focus on the positive, in his book Winning! “[A] great time to do that is when you’ve won; to actually be very self-critical when you’ve won a game is great. Players are not used to that because of the tendency to overreact in the face of a loss…[W]hen things are going very well … use this information to reset the benchmarks and understand how to make further improvements. It’s about concentrating on success, not failure.” (1) The coach and players do not neglect weaknesses but redress the balance so that they are using “reflective practices which provide a more sustained focus on [the team’s] performance successes and strengths.” (2)

 They had discovered exactly what led to their success and therefore were crystal clear on what they needed to do in the forthcoming games.

2 more powerful questions

These two powerful questions are used when the coach is seeking to understand what makes the player “tick.” The coach and player work side-by-side to figure out what the recipe is for optimal performance. In sport and in life, the coach (and leader) is seeking to find out how to get their players to be their best selves more often. The coach as leader is attempting to create an awareness for the player (and the coach) of what the optimal mental conditions are for each player to succeed. The two simple but powerful questions are, “Under what conditions do I excel? When I am playing at my best, what am I doing/feeling/thinking?” Coaches that take the time to help each player uncover the answers to these powerful questions are shining a light on each player’s elite performance recipe. This is critical for the coach as they are quickly able to redirect a player’s focus, shift the conversation, and provide the environment where they will get the best out of their player. Importantly, the player’s awareness of their best “recipe for success” means that they can consciously create that state that will provide them the platform to perform more consistently at their best.

 

Developing self-awareness

Coaches are not absolved from giving advice and remedying skill issues, but the job is no longer to give unsolicited advice. That is an outdated coaching (and leadership) model where coaches are the fount of all knowledge, seek to find faults and have all the answers. This is ineffective. Simply being told does not constitute understanding. The coach needs to model this process and before launching into offering great advice, should ask great questions. This takes time. The coach is building a strengths-based culture. 

 

There is an added benefit to this reflective approach. Elite Thinking coaches are developing thinking players. Players who can make better decisions, show greater self-awareness and who have better judgement about their own play and the game itself. When a player truly understands something, they can transfer and apply this knowledge to new and challenging situations. The coach cannot think for the players and to have a team of thinkers is a winning advantage. Furthermore, to have players who know their strengths and how to get into their elite performance zone, have more success on the field and in life.

 

Conclusion

Coaches using the Elite Thinking model have moved on from the outdated industrial age model approach to coaching. There is less telling and yelling. The Elite Thinking coaches are proficient at the positive pivot and asking powerful questions that aim to elicit answers from the players that encourage them to think deeply about the game. The opportunity for coaches to enhance players’ self-awareness and to create a different process of thought that builds momentum towards better results lies in the questions.  The positive pivot and the 5+2 powerful questions drive successful results.

 

 

References:

1) Woodward, C. (2005). Winning! London: Hodder Paperbacks.

2) Dixon, M., Lee, S. & Ghaye, T. (2015) Strengths-based reflective practices for the management of change: applications from sport and positive psychology, Journal of Change Management.

 

Dr. Peter Dry

March, 2021

peterdry@thepdlearninggroup.com

 

Peter uses his Elite Thinking methodology to unleash the potential in teams across all sectors.

 

It is a framework that emerges from positive psychology designed to build a world champion mindset. The framework is grounded in the belief that greater levels of self-awareness around the strengths of an individual builds sustainable success for players and teams. Elite Thinking is a solution-focused approach which entails identifying what creates a successful team, who the team is when they are at their best and then aiming to replicate that each game. The coach’s role is to engage the players’ strengths and highlight positive performances to create confidence, belief and enthusiasm and ultimately outstanding performances. Focusing  predominantly on the positive, the strengths of the players and magnifying or appreciating best practices and moments of the individuals and team builds a winning culture. 

 

 

Elite Thinking: Coaches as strengths-based leaders (part 2)

 

“If you want to grow – if you want to be successful in any way in your career, your relationships, your life – you’ve got to focus on strengths, and manage around your weaknesses”. (Marcus Buckingham, Founder of the strengths revolution)

There is a strengths wave that has been building momentum for some time. Whether you work in business, health, education or the sports industry, the strengths-based approach has changed the way we see ourselves, our colleagues, our children and our world. The strengths approach is at the core of my Elite Thinking methodology which teaches that you learn very little about excellence when you study weaknesses. It is simply incorrect that a deep understanding of weaknesses will amount to a deep understanding of excellence. That is why we study successful teams and not unsuccessful teams in business and sport. It is why we analyze great leaders so we can discover what made them so successful. We move in the direction of our thoughts and as we lean more to looking at success, excellence, and productivity, so we will discover the ingredients, the characteristics, the paradigms, the actions and so on that will lead us to further success. The strengths-based Elite Thinking methodology advances players and coaches to levels previously unattainable. It gives teams a competitive advantage in sports, business and life. This methodology helps coaches know their own strengths, and have them be the guide for their lives, and to help players uncover, unpack and unleash their strengths. While the focus on the methodology is on strengths, we cannot ignore weaknesses. This article looks at the challenges of focusing on weaknesses and introduces the idea of the positive pivot.

 We move in the direction of our thoughts and as we lean more to looking at success, excellence, and productivity, so we will discover the ingredients, the characteristics, the paradigms, the actions and so on that will lead us to further success.

Fixating on Weaknesses

We often hear the importance of playing to one's strengths, so why is there a deep desire to focus on weaknesses? Part of that desire comes from our upbringing and how we were led to focus on our report card flaws and improve those to become strengths. That may have arisen because our parents (and we can include teachers, coaches and managers) have two incorrect paradigms through which people are viewed. One is that we can become competent at anything if we put our minds to it. Two, each person’s greatest opportunity is in their area of weakness. Unfortunately, it is not only the report card conversation where we see evidence of this. Organizations typically fall foul of a strengths-based focus and are fixated on fixing weaknesses. Most organizations I go into have a deficit focus and have these characteristics. Performance reviews examine an employer’s weaknesses, and then designs training around how to fix them. Individual Development Plans are built around areas of weakness. Even the company-wide SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) has an area for weaknesses that is typically emphasized. And, since people operate from the paradigm that a person can be competent in almost anything, people are both hired based on competencies and potential, and promoted based on performance in their current role, not necessarily a strengths-fit for the new role. It is no wonder that the majority of employees across the globe do not feel engaged in their work and the financial, personal and health issues that result from this lack of engagement are severe.

Furthermore, people have so little understanding of their talents and strengths. Why? Because before the rise of positive psychology, the focus of psychology was on diagnosing and fixing issues and problems. This traditional notion of people being broken has ensured we spend most of our time fixing people when in fact we should be focusing on the potential within their strengths. The strengths wave backed by science shows us clearly that identifying what we are good at, those natural talents and gifts, and turning them into strengths is transformational. And, I would argue, a still-to-be tapped resource in the world of sports coaching. Weaknesses typically remain weaknesses, and so we spend so much of our time hiding these flaws from others. Self-confidence takes a hammering and the result is often less drive to learn, grow and improve. Stories of player burnout, addiction, mental illness, locker room fights and coach exhaustion abound.

 Identifying what we are good at, those natural talents and gifts, and turning them into strengths is transformational

Strengths focus ignites talent

Coaches are tempted to fixate on weaknesses. It seems preposterous to focus only on the strengths of a player when there is so much to work on. Let’s examine this for a moment. Imagine if Steffi Graf, the brilliant tennis star, had forgone hours of practicing her devastating forehand to focus on her backhand. Her backhand was not a weapon, but her foot work and her ability to get around her backhand to unleash the forehand was exceptional. That is what got her to be ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and win 22 Grand Slam singles titles. What would it look like if players could focus on their strengths? Studies have repeatedly shown that a person is more engaged, productive, and creative when playing to their strengths. Furthermore, individuals exhibit better judgement. In the heat of battle, a coach needs their players to be able to make the correct calls. Coaches ought to know their players and be able to coach them so that certain skills are at competency level, and the natural strengths of players are focused on so that they become the best at their game in those talent-filled areas. The key lever for any coach then is to get each person to play to their strengths and in doing so their players become better performers. When strengths are the focus of a coach, they are on their way to building a high performance team.

 

In cricket, for example, we see lower order batters spending time improving their batting skills so they don’t get too easily dismissed and contribute to the team’s score, but they don’t spend that time at the expense of improving their bowling, the very strengths that got into the team. Or soccer goalkeepers who work on their dribbling and ground passing skills to reach levels of competency that add value to their core role of goalkeeping, but not to the expense of their ability to keep the ball out the net. We move further, faster and have more fun in our areas of strength.

 

It’s a ratio game

A coach cannot ignore a player’s weak technical skills. If a player is holding the ball or bat incorrectly, the coach needs to step in and correct that. You don’t let a player flounder. But it’s a ratio game. The coach needs to ask, “How much of my interaction time is spent fixing weaknesses versus highlighting strengths?” Coaches must be aware of the traditional deficit-type questions that are obsessed with problems and aim to remove or reduce impediments to success. There are absolutely times when a direct intervention is necessary; however, a coach who relies too much on this approach is failing to tap into the strengths of the players and missing the opportunity to create thinking players.

 

A player learning a new skill (like a knuckleball) needs some direct coaching, where to place the fingers, what the release point looks like and so on. This is coaching a skill or technique. I always ask, “What does it feel like when you play the shot/bowl the ball/pitch the ball perfectly?” “Describe what you are thinking, doing, feeling when you pitch at your best?” Players themselves begin to break down their technique on their own. They start from the best shot, best pitch, best throw. They begin with a perfect model in their thoughts and work out in detail what that looks and feels like and then work to replicate that on a near-consistent basis thus creating a strength.

The strengths-based Elite Thinking methodology advances players and coaches to levels previously unattainable.

Power of the positive pivot

The Journal of Change Management has an article on sport and positive psychology that states this strengths-based approach “poses an interesting challenge for sports coaches and business leaders,  who often see themselves as problem-solvers who are expected to ‘fix what’s broken.’”(1) Yet, positivity literally changes how our minds work. By pivoting from a focus on fixing weaknesses to seeing strengths, coaches can ask positive questions that create a conversation that brings with it the opportunity for positive action, a positive environment, and the opportunity for players to play to their strengths.

 

 

Dr. Peter Dry

March, 2021

peterdry@thepdlearninggroup.com

 

Peter uses his Elite Thinking methodology to unleash the potential in teams across all sectors.

 

1. Martin Dixon, Sarah Lee & Tony Ghaye (2105): Strengths-based reflective practices for the management of change: applications from sport and positive psychology, Journal of Change Management.

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Elite Thinking: Coaches as strengths-based leaders (part 1)

“The opportunity to forge ahead of the pack lies in the ability (and courage) to shift from the old management or coaching philosophy towards a more empowering strengths-focused environment” 

(Paddy Upton, former mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach of the Indian cricket team when they became the first team to simultaneously hold the no.1 ranking in all formats of the game).

 

Elite Thinking is a framework that has been used with many athletes and coaches to build a world champion mindset. The work is grounded in the belief that greater levels of self-awareness around the strengths of an individual builds sustainable success for players and teams. This is a solution-focused approach which entails identifying what creates a successful team, who the team is when they are at their best and then aiming to replicate that each game. The coach’s role is to engage the players’ strengths and highlight positive performances  to create confidence, belief and enthusiasm and ultimately outstanding performances. Focusing on the strengths of the players and magnifying or appreciating best practices and moments of the individuals and team builds a winning culture. 

Play to your strengths

A young player I coached had the opportunity to be coached by Alvin Kallicharan, the brilliant West Indian batsman. I commented that the player played the cut shot very early in his innings. (That particular shot is often seen as a risky one to play early in an innings). I asked whether he should hold back on playing it until he had his eye in. Kallicharan commented to me that he had noticed the player cutting. “It’s a strength of his,” he said, “Why would he not play it?” 

A friend of mine who opened the bowling for Natal got some advice from Malcolm Marshall the great West Indian fast bowler who had been given a contract at the franchise and was a new arrival at the ground. My friend was exceptionally excited to be bowling alongside such a legend. He told Marshall he was working on an away swinger, as well as an off cutter and wanted some advice on how to improve. Marshall looked at him and said, “You’re a fast bowler, man. Just bowl fast.”

 

It is seldom the case that we focus on our strengths. We tend to want to improve our weakness. This need partly goes back to schooling and parenting. When you received an A for English and a C for mathematics on your report card, what was the conversation around the dinner table that night? I ask this questions to dozens of groups each year and the answer is always the same. The C for math! I listen to coaches debriefing a game with their players and what do I typically hear? The majority of the conversation is focused on what went wrong and what needs to be improved. Quarterly reviews in the business world sound very similar. We have been regulated to think we need to improve weaknesses. However, Gallup, the globe’s best company for using data and analytics to understand and unlock the potential of people, teams and organizations, interviewed millions of people from across the world and from multiple sectors, and found that the key ingredient to improving performance does not lie in fixing weaknesses, but building on strengths. Less than one third of people play to their strengths each day. This translates to very low engagement which in turn affects effectiveness and efficiency. Other studies show coaches, parents, and managers typically navigate towards a focus on what players, children and employees do wrong, rather than on what they have done right.

 

Recent test matches

Some assessment of the approaches of the India and Australia series sheds some light on the power of strengths. Langer, the coach of Australia and former star player, is a man I reluctantly admired. Even as a South African supporter, I had to be impressed by his mental toughness, physical courage and skills. I received some insight into his coaching style watching The Test, a documentary recently aired on Amazon Prime. I do understand that we don’t get the full picture, but Langer’s approach to coaching was clear. He is very direct, does not hold any punches and values open, honest and sometimes brutal dialogue.

 

One episode of The Test takes place in a room where the Australian players less than 24 hours after a 2019 Headingley defeat in what has been termed the greatest test match ever, are made to watch a video of failures of the game. It was a brutal defeat. England had snatched the highly improbable victory from the jaws of defeat. The Australian players were still hurting, many holding their heads in their hands as they relived the events of the past day. I would argue that the approach taken to focus on the negative was well-intentioned, but damaging to the players and to the morale of the team. Sure, weaknesses could not be ignored, but they did not need to be the focus. I appreciated the comments of Tim Paine, the Australian captain. During the video session he acknowledged some weaknesses, and he tried to focus on the positives. He spoke about the plans they had on the field, and how even in the midst of great pressure, the players had shown tremendous calm and resilience. They had fought on in spite of a terrific counter attack by England. And, on that day, they came second and England won. In spite of the defeat, there was so much good to draw on. Yet, the team was not given the space to focus on the positive elements of the test, and therefore lost the opportunity to draw on those strengths another time.

 

Releasing players to play to their strengths.

Let’s look at Indian captain, Rahane’s reaction to a disastrous defeat to Australia in the first test in December 2020 which had the media and former players making claims of a massive series defeat. Unlike the Australian team a few years before, he did not lead his team into a deep dive of the weaknesses that led to defeat. Rahane did not let his team dwell on the 36 all out. Perhaps he called on the ideas in an ancient Hindu prayer that says, “From the unreal lead me to the real”. He had his players focus on the “real” truth of why these men play cricket.  The “real” lay in the joy of batting, of taking wickets, and of being a team. Success is all about seeing the truth in all things. Rahane saw the truth of a strong united team  playing with joy. The truth was not in the 36. That was one hour. A blemish. Nothing else. Seeing the truth meant seeing the truth about each player - their strengths. He told Ashwin not to worry about his batting. He told his players to bat with joy. With joy comes freedom. Freedom to play shots. Shots that win games. Playing wisely and doing what you love. The combination of playing to one’s strengths, finding the joy in what you do and sticking together as a team. This makes sense on the field and in the workplace!

 

Scientific studies show that a steady inflow of positive emotion also allows people to be more resilient, that is, mentally tougher. They experience openness, perspective and grit. These people are more likely to rise to the challenge and more hopeful. These are key qualities any coach would want in his/her team, especially when the team is under pressure. Think back to Rahane. He asked his players to play to their strengths and to do so with joy. And they did. Even though the Indian team was under huge pressure on the final day, the positive emotions emanating from leadership and collectively from the team allowed the Indians to be resilient and handle adversity with courage and positivity. Their ability to fight through tough times in Australia made them a better team and win the series. Brain science shows that resilience is a property of social groups and builds collective resilience. Each micro-moment of positivity resilience builds like a savings account ready to be tapped into when times get tough. A captain and coach then needs to intentionally create a culture that allows his/her players to connect regularly over good feelings, to share more moments of positivity and connection. It builds resilience and strengthens teams.

 

Positive emotions

It is ironic that a few years later, Australia again lost a game that they should have won, with India batting for 97 overs and winning a game that for all intents and purposes looked out of reach and helped destroy a 32-year streak of Australia not losing at the ground. Furthermore, it sealed a 2-1 series away win for India. I would argue that memories of Headingley, 2019 started to return. Opportunities were missed at the team debrief of that 2019 game when the focus defaulted to assessing what went wrong instead of trying to understand what went right. Instead of having strengths to draw from, the memories would have triggered feelings of hopelessness, negativity and perhaps even fear. Not ideal ingredients to succeed.

 

Brain science

Brain science shows that it is unlikely that people build off negativity. The brain shuts down and becomes very narrow in thought and action. The body responds with tension. If Australia had focused on the positives and built off their strengths, there may have been some powerful memories, attitudes and approaches to draw from in later games. To build powerful and galvanized teams the platforms and opportunities that are created for members to share positive emotions are what allow a team to bond. Sharing positive experiences as a group has a remarkable impact on individuals making them more engaged, feel more connected and more likely to be creative and innovative. Willingness to take risks increases because people feel safer. Think of those tough times on the cricket field. Instead of shutting down in fear and pressure, players feel more in tune with each other, more able to solve problems as they feel cared for and valued. Negative emotions narrow awareness, positive emotions broaden  awareness. When players feel positively connected to each other, they are better able to access the wisdom of their past experiences and are generally intellectually smarter. (Brain scientists show that just ten minutes of pleasant conversation with someone increases your performance on IQ tests, making you wiser and more pragmatic). Mind power is unlocked, players are more likely to be able to think their way out of tricky situations. That gives great insight into some of the strategies that coaches could use in game debriefs (more on those in another article).

 

The default to negativity

This isn’t just an elite coaching problem. Focusing on the negative for fear of “not confronting weaknesses” is very real. I recently played a game of cricket where we won off the last ball to get into the finals. It was tremendously exciting and probably a game we should not have won. At the end of the game, the captain got his players together and said, “Right, first the negatives…” and listed what was done poorly in the game. Not only did it take the wind out of an incredible performance, there was also a massive lost opportunity to build an even stronger team by focusing on the positives of the game and being mentally prepared to repeat those in future games. (We went on to lose the final). My point here is that we are unfortunately conditioned to focusing on the negative. This is how we are hardwired. It’s the ancient defense mechanism the brain needed as humans had to constantly scan the environment for danger, brains ever ready to engage in fight or flight.

 

Too often, we are led to believe that by focusing on the negatives, we can eliminate them and get stronger. We are led to believe growth emanates from focusing on our weaknesses. People are afraid to only focus on the positive. There is concern that this is nothing but paint-on-positivity and that we are in fact terribly vulnerable if we only see the positive. This is simply not true. The model set before us is incorrect. In fact, focusing on the positive does not mean ignoring the weaknesses and issues (more on that in another article). Appreciating what is good, what went well, on where success was found actually is far more beneficial and forms the basis for winning teams in business, sports and in relationships.

 

Positive approaches

To get positive results coaches must use positive approaches. Simply, it’s like making the best chocolate cake. You figure out the right ingredients and the perfect process and you aim to repeat that each time you make the cake. Most of the time, the best chocolate cake will be the result. That’s like with teams. Identifying what creates a successful team, who the team is when they are at their best and then aiming to replicate that each game is what the focus ought to be. The coach’s role is to mobilize the potential of the players and create confidence, engagement, energy, enthusiasm and ultimately outstanding performances. The coach creates these conditions for success. To build this winning team, a winning culture needs to be in place. To build the winning culture, the coach must believe and help their players believe that they have the capacity to make a meaningful contribution to the team’s success. The coach draws out and nurtures the positive power and potential of each player. This entails focusing on the strengths of the players and highlighting or appreciating best practices and moments of the individuals and team. This builds tremendous individual and collective capacity and a culture of positive power. In these cultures, players are more open to criticism and feedback, more engaged and more likely to take risks. Ultimately, performance is elevated and games are won.

 

Dr. Peter Dry

February, 2021

peterdry@thepdlearninggroup.com

 

Peter uses his Elite Thinking framework to unleash the potential in teams across all sectors.

 

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