Sunday, November 14, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Who are you again?
Not my usual post about gymnastics, however, this topic is near and dear to me in the world of business.
The thing is, we learn to compete at a very young age. Children compete for their parents attention, at school we compete for grades, sports, etc. I love competition, clearly, as a coach I believe in the healthy attributes competition can give an individual: drive, courage, and determination. Somewhere though, as we grow as people, and begin to work in a professional setting, competition can become counter productive.This is especially true when used incorrectly. Competing for advantage in the work place creates a sense of "me against you." Teams and trust erode.
Who are we anyway to think we have something more important than someone else to contribute? So what if we've done this or that, won this or that, obtained this or that degree/s? So what.
When I was a young coach (many years ago!), and a student in school to become a licensed physical therapist assistant, I had this experience. One of my gymnasts jumped off the high beam and hyper-extended her knee upon landing. It looked bad, and being an almost new grad I was eager to inform her Dad what I thought had occurred, and use some newly learned technical terms to explain the injury. He was such a cool gym parent. He smiled, nodded, and as he scooped up his sobbing child, he thanked me and left. She returned a few weeks later no worse for the wear. Later that year, during my clinical internship at major hospital, I was introduced to the Chief of Physiatry. Imagine my utter shock and instant humbling, when the chief was none other than my gym parent. That experience taught me everything I ever needed to know about superiority (or lack thereof).
In retrospect, he listened, and honestly respected my opinion. Me, the young, student of physical therapy. Everyone contributes, everyone has value, no one person is better than another. No amount of education or experience gives someone the green light to act superior.
In today's work setting, much like in gymnastics, it is all about the team. Learning to "team think" takes practice. Learning to eliminate hierarchical thinking and acting in a work setting takes a strong leader. Teaching our children the lesson to value their peers, teammates, and later co-workers is important. Consider everyone we interact with a teacher of something.
In retrospect, he listened, and honestly respected my opinion. Me, the young, student of physical therapy. Everyone contributes, everyone has value, no one person is better than another. No amount of education or experience gives someone the green light to act superior.
In today's work setting, much like in gymnastics, it is all about the team. Learning to "team think" takes practice. Learning to eliminate hierarchical thinking and acting in a work setting takes a strong leader. Teaching our children the lesson to value their peers, teammates, and later co-workers is important. Consider everyone we interact with a teacher of something.
Teaching humility is priceless.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Power of Positive
The last few weeks have been crazy busy. The gym has launched a new structure for programs and price, and marketing is underway to get the word out. On the home front, the West kid-lets are running their mother ragged with their constant extracurricular activity. I'm not complaining, (I love my life) but whew! I am tired. Today I literally tried to open my front door by pointing my car keys at the lock and clicking..not once, but twice.
During this super busy week I heard a great story about a work group who went from having a large amount of injuries and attendance issues to almost none. The difference was a new manager, and some changes in the work environment that resulted in a huge positive pay off for the organization. According to the workers, the atmosphere went from punitive to positive. Workers were given a voice, and listened to. Positivity, it would appear, pays.
I reflected on this story today as I was coaching the level four girls. These super cute kids are still relatively new to routines, repetition and repeated correction. I tried very hard to balance the verbal and tactile corrections needed to teach and perform the skill, with praise for honest effort and, the willingness to keep repeating the skill over and over until it was correct. I used a ton of positive reinforcement to drive my lesson. I noticed that whenever I acknowledged a gymnast, they would light up. That smile would last for a long time, and the work that followed was fast and furious with few corrections needed. The power of positive.
On the flip side (since this is a gymnastic blog after all), negative words can have far reaching, and not easily repairable damage; sometimes long term. Damage to relationships, self esteem, and trust. Unkind or hurtful words once spoken even if retracted immediately, leave a mark. Coaches need to be mindful of the words they choose when making corrections for skill work. Positives will go a long way for building foundational trust and relationships.
With coaching this is not hard to do. With life: work and home relationships, sometimes we forget how sharp our tongue can be. The co-worker who hums all day long, the employee who always has an issue. The constant need to accomplish more work with less resources. The temptation is to go to the place where you demand, direct and expect. Without any thanks because, after all, that is the what the job requires right? Results? Sure. Long term success with your employees, co-workers, family, and gymnasts. Good luck.
I choose positive.
During this super busy week I heard a great story about a work group who went from having a large amount of injuries and attendance issues to almost none. The difference was a new manager, and some changes in the work environment that resulted in a huge positive pay off for the organization. According to the workers, the atmosphere went from punitive to positive. Workers were given a voice, and listened to. Positivity, it would appear, pays.
I reflected on this story today as I was coaching the level four girls. These super cute kids are still relatively new to routines, repetition and repeated correction. I tried very hard to balance the verbal and tactile corrections needed to teach and perform the skill, with praise for honest effort and, the willingness to keep repeating the skill over and over until it was correct. I used a ton of positive reinforcement to drive my lesson. I noticed that whenever I acknowledged a gymnast, they would light up. That smile would last for a long time, and the work that followed was fast and furious with few corrections needed. The power of positive.
On the flip side (since this is a gymnastic blog after all), negative words can have far reaching, and not easily repairable damage; sometimes long term. Damage to relationships, self esteem, and trust. Unkind or hurtful words once spoken even if retracted immediately, leave a mark. Coaches need to be mindful of the words they choose when making corrections for skill work. Positives will go a long way for building foundational trust and relationships.
With coaching this is not hard to do. With life: work and home relationships, sometimes we forget how sharp our tongue can be. The co-worker who hums all day long, the employee who always has an issue. The constant need to accomplish more work with less resources. The temptation is to go to the place where you demand, direct and expect. Without any thanks because, after all, that is the what the job requires right? Results? Sure. Long term success with your employees, co-workers, family, and gymnasts. Good luck.
I choose positive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)