One of the worst things we can do for a talented athlete is to celebrate potential without development. I have seen over my career many times, people consistently building a kid up based on their potential, results, and natural athletic ability. But the truth is that some players are talented enough to get results without really developing… And all they hear is praise for their results… And more celebration of their potential… At a young age, a very gifted athlete can experience success without a lot of preparation or effort in many cases. Only in failure, do these young players hear that they need to work harder or prepare better. Players are all at different stages of maturity, and we can send the wrong message at times. A kid that is working his tail off to be successful can be overshadowed by the one making competing look easy. We are going to naturally gravitate to whatever makes us feel valued, and we end up training their reward system backwards. They are inadvertently learning that all that matters is results and social status. We need to encourage potential and celebrate development.

At some point, our talent and prior effort will not be good enough to be successful. Our talent will need to be overshadowed by great work qualities. The truth is that there are a lot of variables that play into success…. But there is only one variable that plays into your character, and that is your choices…There is a saying that, “Talent gets you in the room, but character keeps you there.” The best players I have ever coached, had a combination of talent with great work qualities. They either got this from the right support system that emphasized work ethic over results as a young talented player…. Or they had to work really hard (underdeveloped at a young age) to be successful, and bloomed late athletically… Either way, their development has always been their main focus. Some of the most difficult players to reach and see the game differently; have been those that had the opposite approach.

The problem is that we are teaching kids to define their value by what culture thinks, instead of what is inside of them. Sports is a great way to practice life, and in the real world it is an everyday battle. Sports may be the best way to experience the everyday grind of life if we are held responsible to the work. When we only focus on results, we will begin to compromise our values and make short-cuts to maintain that value. We began a program called C.O.R.E. (Competitive Ownership, Relationships, & Expectations) that educates, develops, and recognizes the qualities of success. Every month we celebrate athletes that demonstrate Sacrifice, Discipline, Toughness, and a Relentless Spirit… We define these categories in this way:

TOUGHNESS: displays the ability to mentally or physically overcome an adversity, hardship, adverse condition, or difficult situation.

DISCIPLINED: displays the ability to obey, train, prepare, or control their action for preparation or in competition on a consistent basis.

SACRIFICE: displays the ability to surrender or give something up of personal value for the sake of preparation, improvement, service, or team success.

RELENTLESS: displays the ability to play with a warrior spirit from beginning to end of competition.

I do not care how successful you have been, if you do not have these traits, then it will be a struggle when the real world hits. We tell our athletes that “If you are only doing what you are required to do, then you are failing, you will have to do more than what is expected to be truly successful.” We need to realize that at some point, athletes will have to leave their structure of support and be an independent individual. How will they respond when their support structure is no longer around? That is the question….The goal is for them to be on their own two feet, guiding themselves, and being able to take on life’s challenges. We try to be honest with them and tell them what we see and not what they want to hear. You can build a home with have the greatest materials in the world, but without a solid foundation, the first storm will knock it down. The real work always happens at the beginning… If we do this, then regardless if our house is knocked down, then we will always have a foundation to rebuild. The foundation of what is truly found in our heart and soul…. Our character….

“And when a flood arose, the stream broke against the house (built on a solid foundation) and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Luke 6:48