Re-Examining the Draft
Transitions: A different perspective on Mindset
On the even of multiple drafts (NBA, NHL) it brings back the idea of transition. And when it comes to our mindset, transition = change.
“Change is inevitable, growth is a choice” -Trevor Moawad
It’s a great quote for a lot of reasons, but the reason I find it so great is the literalness behind it. We live in a world of constant change and yet we train mental health and well-being from a fixed, static standpoint.
Sports is not only constantly changing (quite literally), but it involves constant transition. Position changes, competition level changes, sport changes. And change creates ambiguity, which causes all sorts of uncomfortableness. So, a critical element for us to keep in mind is to help our clients navigate change with confidence.
THE CURRENT DRAFT PROCESS
Common draft processes look at a wide variety of factors:
Learning styles and preferences (Visual, Auditory, Tactile)
Motivation (Competing, Achieving, Playing)
Coachability
Attention
Just to name a few
What’s interesting about these is that, they still fail to miss a very glaring need. The ability for a draftee to adjust (make change) to the demands of a professional league. Why does this matter?
Most teams are not going to adjust teaching methods to meet athletes learning preferences (and candidly, learning theories and preferences have research that both support and dispute them)
The assessment of an athletes motivation are capturing situational motivators, not foundational motivational factors. The desire to compete, play, or achieve are relatable to all athletes, but these are nice to have, not a must have.
An athletes ability to focus (in the aspect that its being measured) at a pro level is almost irrelevant. These are professional athletes and focus at this level is a product of expertise as much as it is literal concentration level.
A RE-EXAMINATION
In the introduction, we discussed our natural hardwiring as humans and our predisposition of perceiving change in an uncomfortable manner. So, how can we assess the potential for a positive transition? I’ve shared different elements on change in the past, but below are a few factors that make a bit more sense in the assessment process:
Do you have urgency to learn new approaches?
Do you embrace difficult emotions such as discouragement or fear?
Do you have support that provides active assistance and expertise?
Do you confront problems with a desire to learn?
These types of questions help us assess an an individuals mindset around factors that are quite literally relevant to transitions. There is a learning curve, these athletes will need to adapt new methods, they will experience setbacks and discouragement since the talent gap has closed - which also means they motivation to learn and solve problems will be more important than a perceived learning style.
THE PATH AHEAD
With the conclusion of the recent drafts last week, I thought it would be a fun time to revisit how we look at mindset and in the field of sports, it is a fluid field with constant transitions. Although we discussed the draft, asking our clients to try new skills, strategies (a.k.a - changes) is a constant. Therefore, keeping a few of these factors that I listed as questions above in mind can help us better meet our clients where they are at. Whether recovering from injury, transitions form H.S. to college or college to pro, switching sports or even positions.
When it comes to navigating change with clients, I’d love to hear other approaches from our community! Any info I get, I’ll share the resources with the masses!
Events
Our events will resume after the 4th. I’ll send that out next week as we resume weekly coffee chat and then I’ll send out special S.I.G. meeting dates.
Video Resources
Curated content for a wide range of consulting needs ranging from mental skills training to business strategies: