Hey guys, ever wonder what makes great teams great? How do the players and coaching staff make it all happen? In fact, how do players have their own performances in check and balanced? A big part of “doing it right” is intrinsic and extrinsic accountability. Both player and TEAM. There is an individual component and a TEAM component. When in sync, a player and their TEAM are unstoppable!
I’ve seen accountability go both ways for the individual. Most players are somewhat hard on themselves. They establish goals and understand their responsibilities toward their teammates but most lack an objective self-evaluation. This often leads to a player attitude that “I am doing good, doing my job, so everything is good”. Without a subjective self-evaluation from coaches or peers, often players struggle to keep themselves accountable over the long term. But that’s not always true over the short term. Many NHL players that we’ve had the opportunity to coach both on the individual and TEAM side show great resolve and resiliency over the short term. They have a code of ethics and a balance of work that produces sincere short term self-accountability. These guys usually end up being coaches or leaders of organizations because they “do it right”, most of the time. But as the good book says, we all fall short and sometimes our internal accountability system can get its wires crossed up and will eventually lead to consistent failure. How do we make sure we don’t follow down this path?
Here are 5 key tips to help you stay accountable to your promise to yourself and your TEAM.
1. Learn to like yourself: If you don’t like yourself, who you are, where you come from, what you represent, and your internal DNA fabric, how will you learn to like others? Barry Trotz always said, “Get your game in order”. When it is, you can help and lead others. Pretty tough to do it the other way around. Like yourself, believe in yourself, and you’ll learn to like and believe in others. Then you can be part of their internal support network.
2. Balance "more" vs "satisfied": We’ve always heard the old clichés “always want more”, “never be satisfied”, “have a big appetite”. These are all very good communication for the satisfied performer who isn’t reaching his or her maximum potential. We’ve seen it go both ways. Some players are so motivated to reach their max potential that they push and push and that “More” vs “Satisfied” is completely out of whack. They burn out, lose their love of their craft because they are so focused on the end result of their performance. Balancing “More” vs “Satisfied” is key, remember it’s ok to celebrate your wins. (Check out our blog on growing with purpose for more information)
3. Pick the right friends: “Who you are is who you attract, and you are who your friends are.” These words couldn’t be more-true. Hanging out with the right people with similar mindsets, similar goals, and work ethic are going to help keep you accountable and stay on track. Tons of great athletes, especially kids during high school go through some sort of adversity and they don’t have that internal peer network needed to help them through it. They end up giving up on their dream and the rest is history. Hang out with the right people who will dig in with you to fail forward.
4. Make discipline your middle name: Nothing of great human consequence can be done without a strong attractiveness to discipline. Nothing. Every person who has some level of success realizes that discipline is where it’s at. Discipline incubates accountability. It’s the seed. Make it your middle name and self-accountability just follows.
5. Get around the right coach: After your parents and family, as an athlete, getting around the right coach or coaches is like a breath of fresh air in a fire fight. They provide the grind and the smile. The work and the joy. The best ones get right after you too. You respect it and actually crave it because it’s congruent with your purpose and belief system. That’s accountability and a great coach can have immeasurable impact on an athlete’s life. Take a look at Tom Brady, Connor McDavid, and Lebron James. These guys are always seeking out the best of the best coaches, trying to learn new things and help them push to higher levels of performance. The right coach for you will be an extension of your family and help you grow!
So, looking to ramp up your self-accountability? Be humble but like yourself. Balance “more” vs “satisfied". Hang out with the right brothers and sisters. Make discipline your middle name and get around a coach that can take you onwards and upward. It’s hard but when you do, you’ll feel challenged and complete at the very same time. In one word you’ll feel alive!
Go find that. It’s AWESOME!
