Daniel Pink blogged about Garret Kramer's book, *Stillpower: The Inner Source of Athletic Excellence*. Here's what great coaches do. It stands true for every manager and trainer.
1. They look to the state of mind of the athlete or individual in question, not his or her behavior.
Poor performances or behaviors result from an individual's low mindset. Nothing more, nothing less. Rather than holding players or employees accountable for their actions (judging behavior), the best leaders hold them—and themselves—accountable for recognizing the thoughts and feelings that accompany high states of mind, and only acting from this mental state. This type of coach distrusts his own thoughts from low moods and encourages his players to do the same.
2. They understand that the spoken word is far less important than the level of psychological functioning from which the word is spoken.
Here's a simple reminder: words are merely an echo of a feeling. A coach might say to a player, “I was really proud of your effort tonight.” But if there is no feeling or passion behind the words, they might actually have a negative impact. Successful coaches take notice of their own level of functioning moment to moment. They know that positive words only originate from positive states of mind.
3. They keep goal setting in perspective.
Successful coaches know that the more athletes focus on the ‘prize,’ the more they thwart their own awareness, shrink their perceptual field, and limit the imaginative possibilities. These coaches understand that achieving goals does not elevate self-worth or happiness. Instead, they relish the journey—the relationships and experiences—as the path toward creating exactly what they want becomes clear.
4. When in doubt—they turn to love.
Great coaches set guidelines and expectations based on one overriding principle: love for their players. They know, above all else, that love will always provide the answers to helping others—and to success.
Source: Daniel Pink
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
18731. They look to the state of mind of the athlete or individual in question, not his or her behavior.
Poor performances or behaviors result from an individual's low mindset. Nothing more, nothing less. Rather than holding players or employees accountable for their actions (judging behavior), the best leaders hold them—and themselves—accountable for recognizing the thoughts and feelings that accompany high states of mind, and only acting from this mental state. This type of coach distrusts his own thoughts from low moods and encourages his players to do the same.
2. They understand that the spoken word is far less important than the level of psychological functioning from which the word is spoken.
Here's a simple reminder: words are merely an echo of a feeling. A coach might say to a player, “I was really proud of your effort tonight.” But if there is no feeling or passion behind the words, they might actually have a negative impact. Successful coaches take notice of their own level of functioning moment to moment. They know that positive words only originate from positive states of mind.
3. They keep goal setting in perspective.
Successful coaches know that the more athletes focus on the ‘prize,’ the more they thwart their own awareness, shrink their perceptual field, and limit the imaginative possibilities. These coaches understand that achieving goals does not elevate self-worth or happiness. Instead, they relish the journey—the relationships and experiences—as the path toward creating exactly what they want becomes clear.
4. When in doubt—they turn to love.
Great coaches set guidelines and expectations based on one overriding principle: love for their players. They know, above all else, that love will always provide the answers to helping others—and to success.
Source: Daniel Pink
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Nice article, Ms. (Cite Contribution) you have shared. Yes, it is true that our behavioral attitude and our performance level fully depend on our mindset. The same was told in Thirukural in Tamil as:
"Vellathanaiyathor Malar neettam, Maandharkku Ullathanaiyathu Uyarvu"
Which means, according to the water level, the lotus flower will come up or go down. Similarly, mindset will determine the development and growth of a human being.
Similarly, goal setting also requires us to review our actual reaching level and set further goals to gain improvement in life.
Great message you have conveyed, Ms. (Cite Contribution). God bless you. Thanks for sharing and keep on sharing.
From India, Kumbakonam
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
"Vellathanaiyathor Malar neettam, Maandharkku Ullathanaiyathu Uyarvu"
Which means, according to the water level, the lotus flower will come up or go down. Similarly, mindset will determine the development and growth of a human being.
Similarly, goal setting also requires us to review our actual reaching level and set further goals to gain improvement in life.
Great message you have conveyed, Ms. (Cite Contribution). God bless you. Thanks for sharing and keep on sharing.
From India, Kumbakonam
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
My thanks and compliments, (Cite Contribution), for this ! Good trainers are exactly like that ! I suppose this should be the tanpura playing in our mental background as we trainers work. Regards
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Thank you for the contributions.
@Bhaskar, the water and the lotus analogy was amazing. I will quote this next time I need to. Thank you for sharing.
@Skhadir, you are a pro! I barely have anything to add to your reflections. If possible, please share a few cases where you involved psychological factors to make a difference.
@Blessedheights, thank you for your words. The tanpura analogy was interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
@Bhaskar, the water and the lotus analogy was amazing. I will quote this next time I need to. Thank you for sharing.
@Skhadir, you are a pro! I barely have anything to add to your reflections. If possible, please share a few cases where you involved psychological factors to make a difference.
@Blessedheights, thank you for your words. The tanpura analogy was interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)CiteHR is an AI-augmented HR knowledge and collaboration platform, enabling HR professionals to solve real-world challenges, validate decisions, and stay ahead through collective intelligence and machine-enhanced guidance. Join Our Platform.
Coaching.doc
Coaching For High Performance Training.zip
Improving Employee Performance Through Workplace Coaching.pdf