I guess that a lot of you are gearing up for preseason practice to begin in the next week or so. It’s that time of year!!! Though I’m only “consulting” for the local team, the HC has really made me feel a part of things. It’s nice to be appreciated.
The same thing goes for your players. Have you let them know how much you appreciate their hard work in the weight room this summer? I used to present t shirts to those players with high attendance and achievement in our weight lifting program. You’re trying to create an atmosphere where your players (and coaches) realize that they are important… that you, as the HC, care about them. Your attitude toward them will have an impact on everything else you do during the season.
What do we mean by attitude? I’ll ask you: define attitude.
I’ll bet that your answer was along the lines of: how you act. You’re not entirely wrong… but you place the cart before the horse if you just think of someone’s attitude just being the way they behave. Something has to be the catalyst that caused that behavior first!
My Webster’s Abridged Dictionary defines attitude as 1- opinion or feeling. 2- posture. You might conclude that behavior is kinda mixed in there but… if you look more closely, it has to do with your mental state. Opinions and feelings are generated from your mind. Your posture is that look on your face (behavior) that is a result of that thought.
Why do I say all this? Cuz… you’re not going to change players’ behavior until you change their mind set; i.e., their attitudes!
I think one of the best ways to work on a person’s attitude (mental state) is through the use of slogans or inspirational sayings. I’d find one and make it into a poster and tape it on the locker room wall. Now… you’ve got to repeatedly bring that slogan to your players’ attention or it won’t work. It’s like the doctor giving you some medicine. You take the pills home and sit them by your bathroom sink and never take one out of the bottle!!!
The other day, I came across one of the most powerful slogans I’ve heard in a long time! I credit it to that great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. It’s in a little paperback book of his entitled, Great Quotes From Zig Ziglar. Here it is:
“Remember that FAILURE is an event—not a person.”
Wow!!! How often do we blame others for things? How often do we do poorly (fail) at something and blame ourselves?? When we can separate the act from being personal, our attitude begins to change. That’s what we’re after: changing attitudes!
