IS YOUR PROCESS TRUSTWORTHY?
It’s no secret that I love Alabama football. Going to school in Tuscaloosa from 2013-2016, I saw national championships, massive bowl games, and intense top 10 and even top 5 matchups in person. I admire the leadership of Nick Saban and how he has been able to continue to find success even when his assistant coaches and coordinators seem to leave year after year. If you follow Coach Saban, or really just sports in general, you have heard the phrase “Trust the Process," especially from him. Here's a press conference clip for a little more depth on the process.
I love the phrase. I use it a lot in my own work as a professional ballplayer and coach. Show up, do the work, and trust that your results will end up what you want them to be. But is that the whole story? And should I simply ignore the results all together?
No. That would be crazy. Let me explain why.
I hit 100 balls off the tee every day, but I’m batting under .200. Is that process trustworthy? I throw x amount of pitches every bullpen, but my ERA is over 10. Is that process trustworthy? I had a coach tell me I needed more confidence and read a couple of books about it – yet I’m not playing better and I still don’t feel like I believe in myself. Is that process trustworthy?
It’s a lot like growing a plant. You need a proper balance of water, fertilizer, and soil. It must be cared for to the best of your ability for it to grow. If you are like me and you have a black thumb instead of a green thumb, and the plant won’t grow – you have to switch up how you care for it. It’s the same with softball. We can’t continue the same process if the results do not change. That, after all, is the definition of insanity.
You see, we can’t ignore the results. Our sport is a result driven business whether we like it or not. If you do not produce the results, no one really cares about your process. I would also argue that no one would care about Nick Saban's process if it wasn't for him being the most successful coach that college football has ever seen. For another example, think about your role models and your favorite softball players. You want to model after them, right? You want to replicate their process. I want to be as dominant as Mike Trout, so I’m going to look closely at what Mike Trout does, not someone drafted in the 800th round and never made it out of single A. Why? RESULTS. The results are what makes you legendary!
I think results and outcomes have gotten a bad rap because of how good of a rap “trust the process” has gotten. I believe we can use our results as a launching pad to turn our processes into something that is truly trustworthy. The results determine your process and then your process determines your results. So how do we build a trustworthy process?
Debrief to Develop. We used this idea of "The Debrief" in the two-year tour leading up to the Olympics and I absolutely loved it. It’s adopted from the military and it is a game changer for high performing teams and organizations. Mission debrief is simple. What went wrong? What went right? Where do we go from here? Did we accomplish the mission? Get with your parents, coaches, or mentors often and conduct a debrief.
Clarity to Conquer. Your results aren’t personal, nor are they your identity. Results are information. Plain and simple. We cannot sugarcoat them or inflate them (looking at you, parents that run Gamechanger). We must be crystal clear in answering the question: is this working or is it not working? If it’s not working, again, it’s not personal. It’s like a GPS guiding us to a destination. The results are going to show us the best route to take to get to where we want to go in our careers. Be clear, be real, and be objective.
Patience to Persist. My mom was right when she said that patience is a virtue. I think that this testament is truly at the heart of what it means to actually trust the process. We can’t change our process if we have one bad game or one bad tournament, but we should probably look at making tweaks if we have a bad 3 tournaments, 5 tournaments, or a bad season. This requires patient deliberation and analysis. We are looking for long-term sustainable success after all, not something that reminds us of that sad “peaked in high school” guy. Give yourself time. All-Americans and Olympians aren't built in a day. Take it from me.
Faith to Flourish. Trusting your process requires a deep faith in it. That’s where true confidence comes from and that is what shows up in the batters box. It shows up in your body language. Confident hitters flourish because they know their process is right where it needs to be. They have the faith and the trust that the results are on their way and that their best is yet to come.
So is your process trustworthy?
Evaluate. Reroute if needed. Grow. Develop.
Have the faith that your best is still on the way.
--Halo
