Most sports teams take a break from competition over the festive period, to allow everyone that most sacred of gifts. Time with the family. As myself and my cousin both made the decision to stay stateside this year we agreed we'd do some traveling together to make sure we got that family time. As with all things in life I started to see some small lessons that I thought I could apply to my reflective practice as a coach.
We decided to head to New Orleans as complete tourists. Sharing a hotel room for the week we definitely got plenty of this "quality time" that is so important over the holidays. But we are very different people, and this created some moments that really stuck with me. On one of our first days in New Orleans we spent three hours walking around exploring in almost complete silence. Those of you who know me will know that I am usually a very chatty person. I need stimulus, I love to converse and share ideas. Three hours of new experiences with limited interaction. For me this is difficult.
Now don't for a second think I didn't enjoy the trip. We hit most of the great sights, ate at some fantastic restaurants, and I am sure I will look back on this trip fondly.
Interestingly, last night this image appeared on my twitter timeline. Sometimes images really spark and attach themselves to how I'm feeling, this stuck with me. At times there is a need to keep your mouth shut and plough on, but there is also a time to make your opinion heard, that way everyone is dealing with the same information.Interestingly, while out for drinks, my cousin received a text message from a friend. His friend wrote "My gosh these people just don't shut up!" to which he replied "It's great here, myself and Mark are just on our phones."
Contrast that with how I was feeling at that moment. It was a bleak comparison. My need for stimulus and conversation, contrasted with his love of silence and interaction with his phone. How did we end up on such drastically different ideas of what a good time was?
The answer is simple. We didn't communicate. Now that conversation is not an easy one. But sometimes as coaches we need to be able to have those difficult conversations. And similarly for any players reading we need to be okay with being honest with our coaches. Rather than the colorful language of the image above try this one.
- we can clarify what it is that we are setting out to achieve this season
- we all know what that will look like
- we create a safe environment whereby people can come and talk about moments where our expectations don't line up.
That way your trip to New Orleans can be more of the experience you set out for.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for taking the time to read this!
