“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 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
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.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment