To me there are four (4) pillars that must be developed in any athlete participating in competitive team sport: mental, physical, technical and socio-emotional. The latter of the bunch is, in my opinion, the most under-taught yet most important skill that will lead to championship performance.
That is, a player’s or coach’s ability to effectively communicate, engage, lead, inspire, and ultimately build trust with his or her teammates/players will have significant impact on the outcome of the season.
It’s the difference between being a average team and being a winning team. It’s the difference between being the kind of coach that players are drawn to, and enthusiastically want to play for; and the kind of coach that players just can’t stand being around.
It’s the difference between being the kind of player that basketball coaches covet and want to recruit; or, being the kind of basketball player that takes more energy from the team than they give. The type of players that coaches dread having on their team and begrudgingly put into the game.
Check out this video by Simon Sinek to learn more. I’ve been a fan of his work for quite some time and this video his the nail on the head.
What’s your opinion? How important is building trust to winning? What do you do to build trust? What are the ‘symbols’ that standout to you as ones that engender trustworthiness?
/sef.
