Coach’s Corner: The Other Ninety Percent — Teaching and Enhancing Success

Posted at 6:00am — 6/4/2008

Coach’s Corner: The Other Ninety Percent — Teaching and Enhancing Success

The first part of the series dealt with change and the second part cognitive functions. Both topics combine at a fork commonly termed success. Success is the intended result of a wide spectrum of coaching strategies and decisions that cross into every aspect of human endeavor, both on and off the field.

Scholarship has two encompassing types of definitions for success. The first is lexical. This is the literal dictionary meaning not so arbitrarily accepted as agreed upon fact. In the case of success the lexical definition falls short of what a coach needs to instill success. The lexical definition of success revolves around fame or wealth. So by the lexical definition most athletes are unsuccessful.

The second type of definition, operational, fits coaches and athletes better. Here, the party in need can tailor a definition to fit the task at hand. Literature in the area of success indicates over sixty current models of success that start with a definition. Below is a discussion that contains “modern” and age-old theory that contributes to success in athletics. Pay attention to the criteria and determine for yourself what programs have fallen short in this regard and what programs have advanced by paying attention to the tenets of success.

One simple model asserts there are three parts to success, ability, attitude, and perfecting the processes that lead to success. Ability, at the highest level of any endeavor, is necessary but not sufficient for success. Someone may wish to be a college football player and outwork anyone else but end up on the field as a bloody pulp. Success at the highest level is a collection of many abilities rolled into one construct.

Now for that ever present concern of attitude. Attitude is subdivided into intrinsic and extrinsic. While both motivational types always intermix, the coach largely controls the extrinsic motivation and the intrinsic motivation is nested within the player’s psyche. Techniques used for motivation run the gambit, from fear to anger, to rewards, to ownership and everything in between. It is almost silly to declare a most effective coaching motivational strategy.

Having said that, there is a collection of motivational processes that are sound, regardless of the approach along the motivational spectrum. Now, guess where this conversation starts? It starts with the most proven of all motivational strategies, goal setting. Even though this strategy is from the now deflated behaviorist school of psychology, it remains supreme. Coaches do this at all levels, the difference is that some programs just write down a few goals and give them lip service. The goals have no real power or meaning and do not serve as a true motivational tool intended to boost success. Some programs have a goal setting process that is dead serious and players talk about them as if they were brainwashed. The goals become power and spur motivation and therefore success. Almost universally, teams set goals and players set individual goals. Meetings about goals and performance are frequently held and some can become more of an interrogation than a meeting. A good program constantly (read daily) reinforces both team and individual goals. Players should be made to memorize team and individual goals and frequently be put on the spot to state and comment on goals. The worst mistake, concerning goals, is to create too many. Take the age of the participants, up to 20, and divide by two. This number is workable and equates for college-aged athletes to a maximum of 10 goals.

Any goal is somewhat worthless unless there are precise and effective strategies put into place for achievement. This is where the motivation comes in as anyone can write a goal, but it takes work, intensity, and perseverance to achieve difficult goals.

Another process of success is to understand that human endeavors have clearly indicated universal truths concerning success. As part of the motivation process, coaches need to daily install such truths to increase expectations and set up a culture of success. One such truth is that loyalty and commitment are powerful forces to achieve success and the related goals. There will be times when a team’s back is against the wall. This is when times are the toughest and the outlook is the darkest. Some refer to such times as character building, but this goes beyond character. It becomes the focus and the mission around which the team revolves.

A second universal truth is there is no easy way. Hard work pays off and get used to working hard. If you are a player truly with the program, then another saying arrives: soon you will enjoy hard work, not avoid it. Sound familiar?

Third, intensity is needed, but calm intensity (poise) is better. There should be fire in the eyes and ice in the veins. The player should look quietly arrogant, in total control, and convince the opposition that the eyes resemble the famous assassin eyes of Larry Bird.

Finally, about 10 percent of the population in any human endeavor achieves about 90% of the notoriety and success. As a player you seek and desire to be in that mix.

Coaches can share another process of success daily, common traits of successful people. Players love to hear such stories that are motivational in nature, especially in those rare times when the story is told first person. The successful person starts with a vision and achieves the knowledge to define and carry out the vision to completion. This becomes what is termed a set of core values. The player will have the commitment, the work ethic, and the willingness to overcome adversity and achieve success. These core values are centered on high expectations that are obtainable and not influenced by outside opinion.

There is a second tier of successful traits for the most successful players, players who are frequently in leadership and upperclassman positions. These players must show the greatest responsibility on the team, not the least. They must embark to the young ones supreme confidence through effective communication. These leaders must now share and start to give back to the program. They must represent the team with the highest integrity, or else this core of players becomes an impediment to success, not a vehicle. Here is a final trait, one that is somewhat of a secret. The upper tier players must be taught that even the best-prepared program will sometimes have athletes of stature arrive at a crossroad moment that can define their career. This group of players should be charged with using their experience and confidence to find a way to win. Coaches need to green light certain players to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Some players just find a way to win and the upper tier needs to be ready when the opportunity arrives. Do you remember the Vince young scramble against U of M? This went past athletic talent. Southern Cal received a dose of Vince Young finding a way to win the next year. The greatest example of finding a way to win I ever witnessed was the famous Dave Casper, forward, forward, accidental fumble.

The final process of success is for coaches to understand impediments to success. While this is negative, and players need not be immersed in negative psychology daily, coaches must deal with impediments. Organization difficulties can kill success. Lowering expectations and difficulty for feel-good, temporary moments leads to regression of success. Laziness is a disease, and coupled with a bad attitude that is me centered is perhaps terminal for success efforts. The disease can be explained, compromised, or eliminated, at the discretion of the coaching staff. Depending on others leads to a loss of control over the program’ destiny. Take care of business is a common phrase that explains this impediment. Or as Lombardi put it, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

One question remains, is quitting an impediment, or an unintended means to future success? This probably depends on the player and the set of circumstances.

And so, you are invited to sit back and ponder how the “new U of M” is attacking the process of success. While you are at it, look back over these points and think about how these points of success affected “old U of M” over the past few years.

So what would Yogi say about success? Maybe this: If I have success, I know I am more successful than if I do not have success.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu

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