Friday, October 26, 2007

How Are You Creating Connection? Part 2

Okay, when I got over 60 emails asking me to send them the outline of the talk that I mentioned in my earlier post, I figured I might as well post it here.

As I said earlier, connection is all about relationships, and there is no greater opportunity for connection than between an athlete and coach. Here's a really simple life principle:

"The greatest experiences in life involve other people."
There are three key points to be aware of when it comes to coaching and creating connection. Specifically relationships are:
  1. Guided by trust- Does the athlete trust that you will help them achieve their goals and vision? Can they trust you with personal information that they might not even want mom or dad to know about?
  2. Grounded in intimacy (In-To-Me-See)- Does the athlete feel like you are being present with them? Do they feel like you have an interest in them beyond there athletic ability? Or are you on your cell phone while they are training? There is a great quote that comes to mind that says: "You can't make the other fellow feel important in your presence if you secretly feel that he is a nobody."- Les Giblin
  3. Grown in accountability- Do you have any accountability measures built in to your program? Are these solely performance based or do they challenge the athlete on a personal level as well.
How are you creating more instrinsic value for your athletes?

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