Philosophies & Mental Models (Outline Notes From Class)

Introduction

All of us at one time or another have been asked to state our philosophy, whether it be on coaching, teaching, politics, or something else. I am very confident that all of you could write a coaching philosophy in a relatively short amount of time. However, what we are going to try to get at this semester is where your philosophy comes from.

Mental Models

Our philosophies are born out of not only our experiences, but also how we have organized those experiences. We call this “organization” our Mental Model. Another way to think about Mental Models is that they act like job descriptions. “What is a coach,” or “what is a parent.” When you try to answer those questions, your mind fills with images, assumptions, and stories that, for you, represent what it is to be a coach (or parent). Mental Models are vitally important because as Chris Argyris of Harvard puts it:

“Our mental models determine not only how we make sense of the world, but also how we take action¹”

1 – Most of the information in this section comes from Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning community. New York: Currency-Doubleday. Particularly chapter ten.

Mental Models

Argyris also stated that his research has shown that “Although people do not [always] behave congruently with their espoused theories [what they say], they do behave congruently with their theories in use [their mental models].The process of learning itself is the process of examining our mental models. For example when a basketball player first learns to dribble they bounce the ball a certain way that is consistent with how they perceive the act of dribbling is done. Many times this will involve bouncing the ball too hard and too high. The process of learning itself is the process of examining our mental models.(example, continued) This mental model of dribbling serves them well as long as they are just dribbling the ball back and forth by themselves. However once a defender is introduced, the player will soon realize that there is a problem as the defender repeatedly takes the ball away from them. If they cling tightly to their mental model of dribbling, they may see the problem as “the defense is cheating,” or “the ball doesn’t bounce right.” They do this in order to make the facts (the ball keeps getting stolen) be consistent with the mental model (this is how you dribble). However, if they were to re-examine their mental model of dribbling, they realize that maybe there is a different way to dribble (ball lower, protected by the front arm, etc). As they evolve their mental model, and adapt their behavior to match the new model, the results change.

A coaching example of examining the mental model comes from John Gagliardi. For those of you not familiar with Coach Gagliardi, he is the football coach at St. John’s (Minnesota). He is one of two college coaches to win over 400 games and is consistently in the top four in the country in NCAA III.

Coach Gagliardi became the winningest college football coach of all time during the 2003 season as his team went undefeated to the NCAA III title.

Coach Gagliardi is famous for his “Winning with NOs” Philosophy.

• On his team they have:
• No mandatory weights
• No hitting in practice
• No whistles
• No play book
• The last count he was up to about 90 “NOs”

No matter the sport you coach, it should be apparent that he has a very different mental model of what it means to be a coach then most. Whether he is right or wrong isn’t the point (right now), but what is important is that during his coaching career (which interestingly enough, began when he was 16), he has tested his mental model and not just followed what he saw others doing.

Read a little more about Coach Gagliardi at http://espn.go.com/page2/s/caple/030909.html

Or a Lot more about him in the book

The Sweet Season

Examining our mental models requires both Skills of Reflection and Skills of Inquiry.

Skills of Reflection concern stepping back from your own thought processes and examining how our mental models are formed and how they affect our behavior. Examining our mental models requires both Skills of Reflection and Skills of Inquiry.Skills of Inquiry concern how we operate in dealings with others, especially when dealing with other mental models on complex issues.

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Leaps of abstraction occur when we move from direct observation (concrete “data”) to generalization without testing.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

There are many examples in the sporting world of leaps of abstraction. The great number of “fads” are one type of leaps of abstraction. I’ll give a couple examples:

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Mega-Mileage in endurance sports.

Back in the 1970s and early 1980s there was a move in swimming and running toward higher and higher mileage. It seemed like all of the really successful athletes at the time were covering enormous distances

Mega-Mileage in endurance sports.

Rob De Castella and Alberto Salazar in distance running, Brian Goodell and Mary T. Meagher in swimming were legendary for the distance and frequency of their training.

Mega-Mileage in endurance sports.

Strangely enough while this emphasis on training mileage might have been justifiable for distance competitors, this philosophy was adopted by coaches for virtually all events and even into other sports.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Mega-Mileage in endurance sports.

This approach has since been shown through research and practice to be unnecessary at best and harmful at worst.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

This is the ever increasing trend that if a child does not start a sport when they are very young they will never be able to compete in that sport when they are older.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

As with all leaps of abstraction there is some “data” that makes this look like “the truth.” Tiger Woods in golf and Freddy Adu in soccer come to mind.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

However, this is an example where leaps of abstraction can be particularly harmful. This leap of abstraction actually leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

This occurs in two ways:

First there is a declining expectation the coaches need to “teach” anything. Their main job becomes to “select.” So it becomes difficult to choose novice players even though they may have higher potentials.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

This occurs in two ways:

Secondly, parents and children will self-select out of sports (choose not to try them) because they didn’t start when they were 6 or younger. Therefore it seems like everyone who made the high school varsity squad started when they where 5 because there are no players that “attempted” to start when they were 12.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Head Start or No Start

This occurs in two ways:

A corollary of the second issue is early specialization. Even if a child wanted to play another sport in addition to their first sport, they stick with the original because they didn’t start the other one early enough.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

Those are only a couple of examples. There are hundreds more. The point is that as they become part of our mental models we tend to “see the world” in a way that confirms the model. For example there were always very successful swimmers that were training much less than the standard, yet many people wrote off that “data” by saying those athletes were physically gifted, when in actuality the gifted were the ones that could still go fast despite the amount of over training they were doing.

Skills of Reflection

Recognizing “Leaps of Abstraction”

To spot a leap of abstraction:

First ask yourself “What is the ‘data’ that this generalization is based on?”

Second ask “Am I willing to consider that this generalization may be inaccurate or misleading?”

Thirdly test the generalization separately from the data the generalization is based on.

Skills of Reflection

The Left-Hand Column

This technique for reflection comes from a particular exercise in communication. In this exercise you would write out in the right hand column of a piece of paper a typical exchange you may be involved in (for example with a player or parent) where there doesn’t seem to be any progress being made.

Skills of Reflection

The Left-Hand Column

Now in the left hand column write out all the things you are thinking but not saying. The left hand column always helps to bring to the surface hidden assumptions and helps show how they influence behavior.

Skills of Reflection (left-hand column)

Thinking (coach)

He is just trying to get out of these drills.

He’s limping a little, but he is probably faking, he’s so lazy

Saying

Player: “Coach my ankle is hurting.”

C: “Try to walk it off.”

P: “That doesn’t help.”

C: “How long did you try?”

Skills of Reflection

The Left-Hand Column

Many of you may recognize the exchange. By exposing the left hand column we can take a look at why we are responding the way we do. Maybe this player has tried to get out of things a time or two in the past, but does that mean it is true in this case? By surfacing the left-hand column we are in a better position to ask questions and move beyond our assumptions.

Skills of Reflection

The Left-Hand Column

Another example occurs in coaching staffs. The assistant coaches start to make assumptions based on observed behaviors of the head coach. An example entry in the left-hand column would be something like “I know this won’t work, but last time I said something he bit my head off.”

As you can see nobody can learn anything in an environment where assumptions outnumber questions.

Skills of Inquiry

Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy

Espoused Theory vs. Theory in Use

Skills of Inquiry

Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy

Coaches tend to be great advocates. They can forcefully defend their own positions and influence others (particularly subordinates as we saw in the previous staff example)

Skills of Inquiry

Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy

However, as we also saw in the staff example, sometimes the head coach really needs the honest input from the staff. A way to get this input is to ask questions (inquiry).

However, decisions can’t get made if all the staff and head coach do is ask questions.

Skills of Inquiry

Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy

The most effective staffs have a balance of advocacy (“here is what I think and why I think it”) and inquiry (“what am I missing?” “have you considered?” “How would it change if this was the case?”)

We will look at how to be an advocate that attracts more inquiry in the next unit.

Espoused Theories vs. Theories-in-use

Learning eventually requires changes in action and not just “taking in information and forming new ideas.” That is why it is important to recognize when there are gaps between what we say (espoused theory) and the theories (mental models) that lie behind what we do (theory-in-use).

Espoused Theories vs. Theories-in-use

The major problem is not that there is a gap, but in failing to recognize that there is a gap. For example a coach espouses that they run a “player-centered” program, but in reality all of the decisions are based on what is best for the “program” (what to do with players with minor injuries is an example of this type of conflict).

Espoused Theories vs. Theories-in-use

Until it is recognized that there is a gap between what we say and what we do, there is no reason to change anything.

Espoused Theories vs. Theories-in-use

When the gap is recognized the first question that needs to be asked is if you really value the espoused theory.

Or is it “what you say” because it is what you think others want you to say?

If the answer is no, then it is time to be honest with what you say.

If the answer is yes, then it is time to work on changing the theory-in-use and the behavior that flows from it.

Coach-Parent Partnership

Research is clear that when parents and teachers work together a child tends to do better in school. There is no reason to think that it is any different in youth sports. The following are some guidelines for how parents can contribute to a Coach/Parent Partnership that can help the athlete have the best possible experience.

1. Recognize the Commitment the Coach Has Made: For whatever reason, you have chosen not to help coach the team. The coach has made a commitment that involves many, many hours of preparation beyond the hours spent at practices and games. Recognize his commitment and the fact that he is not doing it because of the pay! Try to remember this whenever something goes awry during the season.
2. Make Early, Positive Contact with the Coach: As soon as you know who your child"s coach is going to be, contact her to introduce yourself and let her know you want to help your child have the best experience she can have this season. To the extent that you can do so, ask if there is any way you can help. By getting to know the coach early and establishing a positive relationship, it will be much easier to talk with her later if a problem arises.
3. Fill the Coach's Emotional Tank: When the coach is doing something you like, let him know about it. Coaching is a difficult job and most coaches only hear from parents when they want to complain about something. This will help fill the coach"s emotional tank and contribute to his doing a better job. It also makes it easier to raise problems later when you have shown support for the good things he is doing. And just about every coach does a lot of things well. Take the time to look for them.
4. Don't Put the Player in the Middle: Imagine a situation around the dinner table, in which a child"s parents complain in front of her about how poorly her math teacher is teaching fractions. How would this impact this student"s motivation to work hard to learn fractions? How would it affect her love of mathematics? While this may seem farfetched, when we move away from school to youth sports, it is all too common for parents to share their disapproval of a coach with their children. This puts a young athlete in a bind. Divided loyalties do not make it easy for a child to do her best. Conversely, when parents support a coach, it is that much easier for the child to put her wholehearted effort into learning to play well. If you think your child"s coach is not handling a situation well, do not tell that to the player. Rather, seek a meeting with the coach in which you can talk with her about it.
5. Don't Give Instructions During a Game or Practice: You are not one of the coaches, so do not give your child instructions about how to play. It can be very confusing for a child to hear someone other than the coach yelling out instructions during a game. As in #4 above, if you have an idea for a tactic, go to the coach and offer it to him. Then let him decide whether he is going to use it or not. If he decides not to use it, let it be. Getting to decide those things is one of the privileges he has earned by making the commitment to coach.
6. Fill Your Child's Emotional Tank: Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to be there for your child. Competitive sports are stressful to players and the last thing they need is a critic at home. Be a cheerleader for your child. Focus on the positive things she is doing and leave the correcting of mistakes to the coach. Let her know you support her without reservation regardless of how well she plays.
7. Fill the Emotional Tanks of the Entire Team: Cheer for all of the players on the team. Tell each of them when you see them doing something well.
8. Encourage Other Parents to Honor the Game: Don"t show disrespect for the other team or the officials. But more than that, encourage other parents to also Honor the Game. If a parent of a player on your team begins to berate the official, gently say to them, "Hey, that"s not Honoring the Game. That"s not the way we do things here."

Note: These guidelines are adapted from Positive Coaching: Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Sports by Jim Thompson, the founder and leader of the Positive Coaching Alliance.

The Effects of External Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation

Abstract

The article focused on the effects external rewards had on intrinsic motivation. What was unique is that the article specifically dealt with the effects external rewards have on intrinsic motivation for activities that are already intrinsically motivating to the individual. Based on his research, the current author suggests that a reward can be defined as an external agent administered when a desired act or task is performed, that has controlling and informational properties. The dominant theory on the effects of external rewards on intrinsic motivation focused in the article was the Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET). The author states CET focused on factors which can increase or decrease intrinsic motivation. In essence, this theory suggests that rewards have two basic properties that can influence intrinsic motivation: information and control. And these properties can increase or decrease intrinsic motivation depending on how they effect an individuals self determination and competency.

The informational rewards relay to the individual about their competency. MVP awards, All-Pro selections, and other rewards all relay to the individual receiving the reward that they excel in their sport. Thus, CET states that this perceived competency increases intrinsic motivation. The second property of reward is control. CET predicts that if a reward is perceived as controlling, it will decrease intrinsic motivation; but if a reward is not perceived as controlling, and the person has an internal locus of causality, intrinsic motivation will be high.

For years we have all utilized rewards to control motivation with athletes, children, and students, yet the article stated it is this very controlling mechanism that is undermining our goal as a coach, teacher, or parent to increase intrinsic motivation. In short the article determined that rewards seriously undermine intrinsic motivation, except under certain circumstances. Rewards do control and modify behavior but, it is for this very reason that rewards hinder intrinsic motivation.

Application

Overall my experiences both as a player and a coach validate the articles findings. As a former football player I loved football. In high school I would eat, drink, and sleep football. I could not get enough. The key in that last statement was “I” could not get enough. In college, football was a 1-10 PM daily activity that was forced on me in order to keep my scholarship; I quickly lost control of my actions and inherently my intrinsic motivation. I always wondered why football felt more like a job, and then a game in college and the article went a long way in explaining that in theory.

As a coach, the article had some extremely important applications. The first is that for any reward delivery is critical. Horn (2000) suggests that if feedback is to be effectual, it must include information about the person’s performance. If you just tell someone "good job" but do not explain why they did a good job, evidence suggests this may decrease intrinsic motivation. This is because your praise without additional feedback would be perceived as a controlling agent. The second is to avoid controlling phrases; Plant and Ryan (1985) suggest that control is “any vocalization that pressures a person to behave a certain way.” As a coach I try to always motivate by the desire to succeed instead of the fear of failure! Lastly I realized the importance of unexpected rewards. Unexpected rewards were shown to dramatically increase intrinsic motivation; however, as a coach I must monitor the use or athletes will begin to expect the unexpected.

In conclusion I found the article to be informative and extremely practical in my day to day coaching activities. The article will definitely have extreme impact not only in my coaching life, but also in my parental life as well.

References

Wilson, Gabriel (2007, February 5).The Effects of External Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation – http:// www.abcbodybuilding.com/rewards.php

Plant, R. W., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and the effects of self-consciousness, self-awareness, and ego-involvement: An investigation of internally-controlling styles. Journal of Personality, 53, 435-449.

Amorose and Horn (2000). Intrinsic motivation: relationships with collegiate athletes' gender, scholarship status, and perceptions of their coaches' behavior. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (JSEP), 22(1), 63 - 84.

Using Film Breakdown for Guard Reads

The default responsibility for the Linebacker is to read and react to the open offensive lineman to the LB's side of the field. Usually, this is a Guard but may be the Tackle in some alignments. If the offensive lineman recoils in pass protection, the LB steps back and to the outside a few steps offering pass coverage in the short "hook zone” or utilize pattern read responsibilities. If the OG blocks down, the LB slams down with his outside shoulder on the OT's inside shoulder and looks for the play inside. If the OG pulls to the other side of the line, the LB trails him over to the running lane and plugs the hole. If the OG pulls around the same end, one option has the LB trailing him and filling the lane outside the last down lineman. Another option is to crash the vacant hole the OG deserted. Film is a great tool to aid in the LB to get a better understanding of the proper reads. I like to sit with all four of my starters and watch our upcoming opponent play their previous game. I ask them questions when watching film such as:

Ø What splits does the OL have ?

Ø What pre play keys do they have ?

Ø What tendencies do they have?

Ø Do they run to the TE strength? Can we use this against them?

Ø Do they have high hats on pass? Do they run play action pass well?

After we watch our last game film and break down each players thought progression during each play. When reviewing film we will look for the following:

We run through their stance: depth is 3.5 - 4 yds off the ball.

Base alignment: is on the inside eye of the offensive tackle to their side.

Coaching points during film:

1. Make sure to play through the head of the blocker to the ball carrier. Never run around a block.

2. Maintain good angle of pursuit to the ball carrier. Be in position to make the tackle.

3. If your back key goes away (to the other side of the formation), think counter or reverse first. Check for counter, and then shuffle behind the los to the other side.

4. If the back goes away and the guard also pulls away (past the center) shuffle immediately to the other side of the ball to help make the play.

5. If keys show pass, lb drops to hook zone area directly in front of defensive end (still watching for screen). lb'ers never ordinarily get enough depth for this adjustment. keep an inside position giving end (or second receiver) only the sideline to cut to. if the receiver doesn't hook in this area and continues deep, the lb turns him over to one of the deep pass defenders. lb then looks to the inside for the crossing or delayed receiver and covers him.

6. On option play to your side, you are first responsible for the dive back. if QB takes the ball to the outside, you come off the dive back and support through the QB to the pitch back.

7. Keep your outside arm and leg free at all times

How to build a "Leaders" Foundation

What I try to do with my players is to help them develop an understanding of their core values. Please note that I am talking about an understanding, not just awareness. I define Understanding in the following algorithm “Awareness + Action = Understanding”. To many times individuals are aware of things but never do anything to make a difference.

After core values are defined and understood, I work on clearly setting an expectation of success for the player. Too many times, a player gets carried away and stumbles due to un-needed pressures and expectations to perform. Dr. David Cook (Motivational Speaker) stated simply that “Performance = Potential – Interference”. So as a coach my Job is to focus on eliminating possible Interferences, one interference I see is a lack of Clear expectations of Success. John Wooden stated that "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” The power of this statement is that it put control back to the player. A player has no control over playing great, winning, making the great play, what they do have control over always are three essential keys : Work ethic, Attitude, and behavior. I always tell my players focus on Effort and not the result. Effort will always lead to the result.

After defining success in realistic terms I work on setting goals with the players utilizing the C.A.R. Analogy – Challenging, Attainable, and Realistic.

I know this process does not exactly define leadership, but hopefully it sets a foundation for it.

Four Theoretical frameworks of motivation

There are four theoretical frameworks of motivation consisting of (1) Self Efficacy, (2) Attribution theory, (3) Cognitive Evaluation theory, and (4) achievement goal theory. Each play a crucial role in the impact they have on an athlete and motivation. If I were to choose strategies that I currently use to motivate my team, I would say I utilize communication and proper goal setting to allow my players to stay intrinsically motivated.

Communication is essential in any sport on and of the field. If I as a coach want to motivate my players, I first need to understand what they are thinking. Self Efficacy is defined as a persons judgment about her or his capability to successfully perform a particular task (Bandura, 1986) If I want to optimize self efficacy with my players I need to sit down and talk with each player about their strengths and weaknesses. I need to clearly convey a message of truth to ensure that my players see themselves and their abilities as they are and not a negative fallacy that they created by negative self talk. Coaches, sports psychologists, and athletes themselves would be wise to optimize efficacy judgments prior to athletes engaging in training or competitive related activities (Duda and Treasure P.59)
There are six key determinants of self efficacy that I as a coach need to be aware of in order to capitalize and instill self confidence within my players. The six key determinates are:
Past Performance – Most influential
Vicarious experience – I could show them game film of past Great players
Verbal Persuasion – “I know you can do it” Positive enthusiasm at all times
Physiological States – “Fatigue Makes cowards of us all”
Emotional State - Teach them emotional control techniques
Imaginal experiences – Envision themselves succeeding in the face of adversity

Communication becomes essential in attribution theory to maintain motivation and self confidence. Coaches, sports psychologists and significant others need to be cognizant of the reasons they give for athletes successes and especially their failures. In essence athletes should feel accountable for their performance (Duda & Treasure P. 63) I as a coach need to communicate specifically that my players are succeeding because of controllable, internal, and stable causes and capitalized on this experiences. If not, my players run the risk of falling into learned helpless (Dweck 1999)

Goal Setting is another key component. Through my readings I found that our goal as motivators is to give athletes control over their situation. We want to make their goals performance based and not outcome based.” Go out their and Win” is not in the athletes control but a statement like “go out their and play to the best of you abilities” is in their control. The book also talks about two specific goal perspectives of Task and Ego. When task is involved the athlete’s main purpose is to gain skill and knowledge, yet when ego is involved they are more preoccupied with their adequacy of their abilities compared to others. I believe as a facilitator I can try to channel my team more towards a task oriented motivation by setting goals that are in their control and measurable and not ego driven with a dangling carrot of award or negative reinforcement. This might be a difficult task because so many of my players to day are ego driven. It seems like getting their name in the paper or making the big play is all they think about instead of playing team ball.

Overall, I am excited that I am gaining knowledge through the readings of the specifics to motivation. I feel empowered through the readings. I feel by knowing the specific breakouts to motivation I will be able to communicate clearly and more effectively with my players. I keep going back to it but motivating players by giving them control over their situation is key. By doing this I know have accountability from my players and we can start to set goals via performance based instead of outcome based.

College Football Job Rumors

Footballscoop.com is the leading authority with the newest and most reliable scoop on the Football Coaching profession. Great Site for College Football Job Openings and Rumors

Warning - Be Careful on Pop up ads - Sometimes Not appropriate content

http://www.footballscoop.com/scoop.htm

Notes From Double Goal Coach

Notes From Book:
The Double-Goal Coach: Positive Coaching Tools for Honoring the Game and Developing Winners in Sports and Life by Jim Thompson

Chapter 1:
I had never heard of the term “Double Goal Coach” prior to reading this book. I found the first chapter to be very informative and was happy to see my coaching style reinforced by others. I have heard a lot of coach’s talk about books such as “Seasons of Life” and other feel good coaching books. It is nice to see some “real” facts behind developing life skills prior to developing a winner only on the field. I always found this concept almost comical because if you develop leaders off the field that will always transcend to on the field. Thus, as a High School coach my # 1 job is developing young men to be a success in life as a father, husband, and friend. If I can accomplish this, then success on the field will be a given.
I agree that it is harder to be a positive coach. The facts prove that for every negative statement made, it will take 6-8 positive statements to overcome that one negative comment. Simply being aware of the power of words and their ramifications on a child is critical. The Bible states “reckless words pierce like a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). As coaches we need to understand the power we have to motivate and to devastate a child.
Chapter 2:
The author talks about “Ego orientation” being Scoreboard driven, and “task orientation” being called mastery of a skill. This is a great example of learning V.S. performing. As coaches we can easily get taken away from what we see “performing” vs. the actual learning (Internal State) and “mastery” of a skill. I use a “trigger” statement with my players that “Effort will lead to results”. We have no control over results but we do have control over our efforts. The book lists (3) key elements of a scoreboard definition:
Results
Comparison with others
Avoiding mistakes
If you look at all three elements an athlete has no control over any of them. This is probably why we see such inconsistencies in behavior and performance with the “Ego Orientation” approach to coaching. Not to mention comparison will lead to animosity and trying to avoid mistakes will solicit afraid to fail behavior.


ELM TREE OF MASTERY
EFFORT – LEARNING - MASTERY
The central advantage of Mastery is that it tends to decrease anxiety and increase self-confidence. This leads to situation specific confidence, in essence, if an individual feels confident in regards to their sport, they will stay with it longer and work harder at it. The irony is that by focusing on mastery, and not on the scoreboard, your team is more likely to win. ELM taught athletes are less likely to “Choke” under pressure.
Tool Kit for Redefining a Winner
ELM Tree of Mastery Script
Reward Unsuccessful Effort
Effort Goals
Stretch Goals – and the just right challenge
Team mistake Ritual
Targeted Symbolic Rewards

Tool # 1: E.L.M.
Focus on what we have true control over:
E = Effort – All what an athlete truly has control over is effort, attitude, and behavior.
L = Learning – If we continue to learn, we will continue to get better.
M = Mistakes – Mistakes are part of the learning process. Give your athletes permission to fail.
Acting like a winner involves three things:
Give your best effort all the time
Continue to learn and improve
Not letting mistakes (or fear of making a mistake) stop you.


Tool # 2 Rewards Unsuccessful Effort:
Action speaks a lot louder than words. If a coach rewards only successful efforts, than we are not encouraging effort but the results. Effort is more important than results because effort will lead to results. Look for unsuccessful efforts for teaching moments.
Tools # 3 / # 4 – Effort and Stretch Goals:
Most coaches set only outcome goals which are beyond our athlete’s control. By setting effort goals we allow our athletes to gain control of their situation and outcomes. These effort goals should be revisited regularly and stretch to be challenging yet attainable and realistic. Jim Collins Describes a stretch goal as “BHAG” Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Key to knowing he limit is that these goals are set with understanding.
Tool # 5 – Team mistake Ritual
This may be one of the single most powerful tools a coach can utilize with his team. The Mistake ritual can kick in once an error has taken place. The book used a Baseball example of if a player misses a grounder he can take of his cap and be allowed to be mad or frustrated at his error, once the gap is on it is back to baseball.
Tool # 6 – Targeted Symbolic Rewards
Targeted symbolic rewards can be a powerful tool for recognizing contributions to the team without undermining a player’s internal motivation. “Lollipop Example” Allows a coach to specifically reinforce behaviors and actions he would like to see more of in his athletes. I have in the past utilize shirts as a targeted Symbolic Reward. It is a black shirt and I give it to the players that have continually displayed effort, attitude, and behavior. I am shocked at how important the shirts have become to our players.