Does winning really take care of everything?

Teachable moments are available from both positive and negative examples. Coaches and parents… use this advertisement to teach the fallacy of this message to your athletes. Talent and athletic success does not excuse anyone from bad behavior or poor life or team choices. One thing about being a person of integrity is that you do not compartmentalize your life.

 

I admire Tiger Wood’s ability on the golf course. He is obviously one of the greatest golf talents in the history of the game. And although I am sure he had nothing to do with the words chosen, this Nike advertisement sends the WRONG MESSAGE (especially to male athletes)!

 

No matter how they have tried to “reframe” it, it is bad

It tells our young athletes that if they are successful enough playing a game that normal standards of behavior do not apply to them. This is the same sense of entitlement that people are able to associate with too many of our sports figures.

What does it tell a high school star athlete about academics, decisions on weekends, the way you treat other people, body language and temper displayed when you are upset? What message does “Winning takes care of everything” send to the 9 or 10 year old who was watching from twenty feet away in last week’s golf tournament when Tiger dropped a couple of F bombs after hitting a poor tee shot? In the long run, our athletes need to know that while having talent is fun and important, but having character is essential.

 

Recent Facebook Posts… (We are currently reaching over 60,000 people a day, yay!) 

1. Leaders… look for traits in your teammates that allow you to believe in them and then take the time to tell them. Few things are as empowering as having coaches and teammates that believe in you.

2. Lack of discipline will eventually destroy morale and accept for selfishness, is the most contagious and destructive disease that can ever enter your team or company. If you truly care about your team, discipline (focused attention and effort) is a behavior where leadership cannot allow slippage.

3. As parents we have a natural inclination to provide everything we think our children need and want (now with grandchildren). Too often we want to protect them from every discomfort, hardship, failure. Overprotecting our kids with the thought that is “loving them” is taking away one of the most important elements of growth – kids gain confidence by facing and overcoming challenges. Too many of our kids don’t get the opportunity to experience enough suffering. If you want your kid to be strong enough for the real world, let them learn to live and deal with their own struggles. Getting a “C” on a project when you think they are an “A” student is not grounds for complaining to the teacher. Not being a “starter” and having to come off the bench needs to be a challenge to the player, not the coach. Build strong competitors and people – set them up for success by letting them struggle.

 

Newest Proactive Coaching DVD’s now available on our site: 

Empowering Messages for Parents – What Your Athlete Really Wants You to Know – Three different short presentations for parent meetings.

The Power of Your Words – Working with challenging athletes and attitudes. How coaches, parents and teachers can change attitudes. Your words are going to stay in their lives forever… make them count.

The Impact of Trust – How coaches can build a culture of trust and improve team and individual performance. Get your teams to play fearlessly.

 

Newest Booklets: 

The Impact of Trust – “Luck favors the team that trusts each other”

Raising a Confident Athlete – How Parents Can Help Build a Confident Athlete

Playing with Confidence – For Coaches to Teach, Athletes to Read and Apply 

 

Newest Book: 

Proactive Leadership – Empowering Team Leaders – For people who are intentionally creating a team culture and teaching leadership

 

Contact us for presentations or materials:

Website www.proactivecoaching.info

Email bruce@proactivecoaching.info

Phone – 360.387.5998

 

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