The Quote that Changed My Coaching
This all started by me being me… occasionally clumsy. I knocked a book off my desk. A really big book.
And, as stories like this go, it fittingly lands square on my little toe. You’re thinking, “It’s just a book. No big deal.” Wrong. Anyone that owns a copy of Tim Ferriss’ Tools of Titans knows what I’m talking about.
Amidst the flurry of choice words cascading out of my mouth following said incident, I did have the wherewithal to peek at what page might flopped open and stared back at me. “This had better bestow some good wisdom or the pain wasn’t worth it.”
Page 321. Chris Young. CEO of ChefSteps. The words “Jedi mind trick” caught my eye… NO, don’t close this article. This isn’t about Star Wars. I promise.
I read Chris’ not-Star-Wars story and it eased my pain. [Cue the Field of Dreams fans] The story came back to me and I saw some highlighting on the next page. And then it really came back to me…
The Quote That Changed My Coaching
Chris Young is the CEO of ChefSteps and was sharing a story with Tim Ferriss about managing people. Below is the full conversation:
Tim: “But how do you manage the fine line between insisting on high standards and simply being an overbearing asshole?” [Chris now manages a company of 50+ employees]
Chris: The first things is, on a good day, I will try to step back and say “What context does this person even have, and have a I provided appropriate context?” Given all the context they had, maybe I would’ve made the same decision, or aI could imagine somebody else making the same decision. So increasingly, I try to think about: What context and viability do I have and what do they have? Am I basically being unfair because I’m operations from a greater set of information?”
This conversation reshaped how I communicate with my players and likely is one of the reasons I feel that I’m able to connect with a wide variety of players and learning styles.
The Practical Application
You can apply this thought process that really helped develop my coaching to the two areas of skill development and technique. I will give examples of each, but in either scenario, the assumptions we make when discussing these topics with a player can drastically impact the outcome.
Skill Development
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, size and tempo are the two key concepts that determine speed. Now, someone could watch a reel and understand those topics and their relationship. But let’s say they disagree with my standpoint. Why would anyone want to argue with me? (Don’t answer that)
This is where the first bolded part of Chris’ quote comes into play. What assumptions am I making about the other person’s belief system? What is their context or understanding of the topic? What is their base of operation?
Maybe this person is a believer in accelerating the putter head because they grew up on slower greens and their experience tells them “this is fundamental.” Or maybe they read it in a magazine and took it as gospel. Given that, I could see why they would want to argue their point. [Insert discussion and convincing strategy here to get them to turn from the dark side]
Technique
The second bolded part specifically relates to the technique portion of coaching. Asking someone to make a change versus clearly explaining what is happening, why it’s detrimental, and proposing certain changes is so critical.
There is a (very) strong likelihood that I’m working with a full deck of cards when discussing technique with a player. If you were missing all the face cards from your deck and I suddenly introduced them without explanation, you’d be a little bit lost.
Anyone that has taken an online lesson with me knows the first video in their first session is always the “What is Happening?” video that gives them a 30,000 foot overview of their stroke and possible patterns and outcomes. Reading this story from Chris and Tim helped me reprioritize what to do differently to start becoming a great communicator.
The Wrap Up
For coaches, if you’ve ever wondered why a particular concept didn’t “land” with a player when you “know you’re right,” this might be why.
For players, if you’ve ever wondered why your coach is asking you to make a physical change to “do something differently,” it’s okay to ask why you’re being led down a particular road. It’s okay to ask questions for clarity and to improve understanding.
If you want to ask questions about your skill development, join The Putting Plan. There’s a free trial, and this little community is going to turn into monthly webinars for members only where you can interact and ask questions.
Try it out HERE and let me know what you think!
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