More than a score.
A recent conversation with an athlete who had just experienced a disappointing performance went something like this: “There goes my chances of getting recruited for college!” After acknowledging her disappointment, we went on to talk about what college coaches REALLY look for in potential recruits.
Much to the surprise of many clients, it is not all about the final score. In fact, coaches know that everyone has ups and downs, both individually and as a team. And while athleticism and performance are important, they don’t tell the whole story about what you are made of. One of the key characteristics cited by coaches as an essential part of becoming a successful team member is coachability.
“Average players want to be left alone. Good players want to be coached. Great players want to be told the truth.”
~ Doc Rivers, Coach, Milwaukee Bucs
Coachability is an attitude and a commitment.
First of all, the amazing thing about coachability is that it is in YOUR control. It is all about your mindset. Coachability, generally speaking, refers to one’s receptivity to honest feedback, and then a willingness to respond and adapt to that feedback. It involves an openness to growth and learning, as well as trust and respect for your coaches.
Coachability is more than simply listening to instructions or not complaining at practice. It encompasses both one’s beliefs and choices, and reflects both a belief in constant growth and improvement as well as an openness to embracing those behaviors. It requires an intentional commitment to incorporating feedback to enhance performance.
5 Do’s to becoming a more coachable athlete.
Take a moment to look in the mirror and ask yourself how you could improve your own coachability factor. Think about these five tips and give yourself some honest feedback about areas of potential improvement; then make a commitment to take it into practice.
- Receptivity to coaching feedback. Receptivity can be conveyed in many ways. When you are receiving unpleasant feedback, what does your posture and facial expression look like? Do you deflect the criticism, blaming others or circumstances? Try maintaining an open posture and let coach know that you hear him or her. You might even try thanking your coach for the feedback.
- Positive outlook and attitude. Try to maintain a positive outlook, even when the chips are down. Positivity and optimism are the seeds of sustained motivation, and they infuse the whole team with positive energy.
- Strong work ethic. Sometimes the feedback you receive from your coach will require you to make changes or modify your current habits. Enacting change takes disicpline and repeated effort to achieve a successful outcome. Be committed to putting in the work to bring about the changes needed to grow and succeed.
- Emotional regulation. Emotions are a normal part of sport and life, and are important messengers about how we are doing and what we need in a situation. Emotional regulation means that you can recognize the emotions showing up for you, but then bring your attention back to what is important at that moment.
- Growth mindset. A growth mindset reflects a belief that you can change and grow if you are willing to put in the work. It provides the fuel to embrace new challenges and overcome setbacks.
If you read all the way to end of this blog, then you are already demonstrating coachability by seeking out information to learn and improve! Keep up the good work! And if you want to work with me to learn more about how to bring your best to any endeavour, reach out to me today for a FREE initial consultation to discuss how I can support you and your group or team.
