There are so many things that we discuss with our players on and off the court that pertains to the game. None of which matters if we as coaches and our players don’t approach each opportunity you have together with three quality traits that determine positive or negative outcomes. Every morning you wake up, you have a choice to approach the day with a great attitude, put forth energy into what you do, and give great effort to get the most out of that day. No one else but yourself controls those choices, making it extremely hard for those around you if these choices are negative rather than positive. Let’s break down these traits and how they effect the outcome of anything trying to be accomplished.
ATTITUDE
Attitude is controlled through your approach to each day. We all have our good days and our bad, but when you’re a coach, you can never let your attitude be anything other than positive around your team. The biggest thing that follows with good or bad attitude is body language. If you allow your players to see poor body language during tough times, they will think it’s OK to do the same. Body language is powerful so we must enforce the importance of showing strength through the good and through adversity.
Here are the effects of bad vs. good attitude:
Bad attitude:
- Everything is negative
- Performance is poor
- Body language shows defeat
- Fixed mindset
- Doubt instead of hope
- Having a bad attitude spreads to everyone around you leading to distraction creating a negative environment
Good attitude:
- Everything is positive
- Performance is great
- Body language shows strength
- Growth mindset (eager to learn)
- Hope instead of doubt
- Having a great attitude spreads to everyone around you creating a positive environment
Attitude is everything. It controls the energy and the effort you will put forth in to anything you do.
EFFORT
Effort stems from your work ethic. You have a choice to put forth as little or as much effort into whatever it is you are doing. As a coach, the effort begins with your own personal preparation. How much effort are you putting in to becoming a better coach? From film study, clinics, notes, leadership seminars, etc. Investing in yourself is the first step to being able to put forth any productive efforts towards leading a team. Your work ethic will never go unnoticed. It is an important topic to discuss with a team especially when applying it to life on and off the court. If your team notices that you are not putting forth the effort to help them be successful, then don’t expect them to give their maximum performance. Players will lose respect for you and that eventually leads to turmoil.
Key Points on Effort
- Positive attitude leads to great effort
- Work Ethic: Everyone has 24 hours in a day, get the most out of it.
- Production: Be productive with the time that you have. Don’t have regrets.
- Selflessness: For any team, group, or organization to be successful, putting forth effort not just into yourself but into the ones around you is crucial. It takes a culmination of individual efforts to lead to collective effort, leading to success in anything you do.
“Teamwork makes a dream work”
ENERGY
Energy comes from within. It comes from the passion you have for what it is you’re doing. If you provide great energy, it will spread among a group in a positive way. Coaches must set the tone from the start giving great energy and challenge players to come back with even more. Nothing productive ever comes from a lack of energy.
In this world, we find two types of people. We see energy givers, who should be you every day! We also see energy takers, who are people that suck the air out of a room. They kill the vibe. If you are an energy taker, then that is someone that has a poor attitude and gives poor effort. Whether that be a coach or a player, that can lead to distractions, ultimately resulting in an undesirable outcome.
Providing great energy stems from a positive attitude and effort. Its goes back to how you approach each and every day.
Wake up with a poor attitude, you will have a negative mindset that leads to giving minimal effort and having no energy. It will ultimately affect everyone around you; people, friends, family, or your team. It’s a day that could have been filled with productivity and a chance to impact those in your life, but instead was wasted solely based on YOUR choice the moment you got out of bed.
Wake up with a positive attitude, you will have a motivated mindset, leading to giving great effort and having energy that will inspire everyone around you. You may be the difference between changing someones outlook on the day from negative to positive. You will light up the environment no matter where you are. People, friends, family, and your team will be motivated and feel appreciated with your genuine interactions with them. You will get the most out of the 24 hours that you have. All because you CHOSE to get out of bed with that mindset.
Every day is a chance to learn, grow, and impact the lives of others. It solely comes down to your choice of how to approach each day. Again, there will good days and bad. Life happens. The strongest individuals do not let that affect them and are able to continue push through.
YOU CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL.
