Coaches: 3 Keys to Motivating Your Players
Wow. To say I have been crazy busy the last few weeks would be an understatement. In case you missed it, Team USA and I won Gold at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama . We defeated Japan in the Gold Medal game 3-2 with over 10,000 fans in the stands to watch! I still get chills just thinking about hearing the "U-S-A, U-S-A!" chants all week long. I will have a lot more to say about that Gold Medal game in a few weeks when I really get a chance to process it, but it may just be my favorite softball memory to date so far.
Besides having so many friends and family in the stands ( I literally grew up 20 minutes from the stadium we competed at), one of the reasons that week is going to stand out in my mind is because I was so motivated. Motivated to lead, motivated to win, motivated to compete, and to perform. After reflecting, I realized that this motivation came from a completely new set of coaches that I had never played for, and I thought how they motivated me could really help a lot of coaches out there.
As a coach myself, I am always looking for ways to motivate my players. I want it FOR them so badly and want that to translate to elite performances on the field. Here are three things that I think are a key in motivating your players.
1. Motivation vs. Manipulation. I heard the leadership expert John Maxwell say this this week and it has been sticking with me. "Motivation is encouraging someone for their benefit, manipulation is encouraging someone for your benefit." THIS is a common flaw I see in coaches is that they let their ego get in the way. I never once felt this about our coaching staff. I could tell they genuinely wanted ME to succeed for ME and that gave them joy. Is competitiveness still a core value? Absolutely. We want to win, but why do you want to win?? Be honest. The mindset needs to be SERVICE over self.
2. People over Performance. This makes all the difference when trying to get the most out of your players. Athletes need to know that you care about them as people. It goes way beyond and way past what they can do for you on the ball field. Coach Murphy at Alabama was and still is the best about this. I get random check in texts and calls from him and it means the world to this day. I graduated six years ago and the guy is still invested in me. I had USA coaches asking me how my fiancé was doing during BP, how work was going, how family was doing, etc... I knew they cared about me the person more so than me the player and that gave me the confidence to perform at a really high level. It worked.
3. GIVE so they can GROW. Leadership is service. You are giving your time, energy, and effort into the next generation of athletes. It is amazing and should be commended. But what's the ultimate goal? To win some tournaments? Get a kid to sign D1 so we can take credit and promote it?? We as coaches cannot grow tired of giving, even when we or our athletes aren't seeing the results. We can't take credit for the results that come our players way either. Softball is a marathon, not a sprint and it is our responsibility to zoom out, give perspective, and be relentless optimists pointing our athletes to brighter futures. Let their growth be the goal. All the other stuff is just an added bonus.
I have so much respect for anyone that chooses to coach, especially in this day and age. I know that dealing with athletes can be difficult at times and figuring out how to get your athletes to want to perform is an ever-evolving process. 9 times out of 10, an athlete just needs to know that you care above anything else.
Have a great week.
Remember to watch ATHLETES UNLIMITED WEEK 1 ON THE ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS THIS WEEKEND! I'm on Team Chidester and we are wearing Orange!
--Halo
