Like many of you, I tried to stay busy during our first Covid lockdown in March 2020. I signed up for daily webinars, ordered books (and beer) and watched lots of documentaries. I learned a lot but, admittedly, probably forgot more than I learned. I was recently reviewing my “Professional Development” folder and came across this list. I thought you might be interested.

Key Take-aways

There is tremendous value in loose connections. Creativity comes from anywhere – casual collisions.

The fewest moving parts in a system the better; this creates more consistency. Principles are set in stone; they are crystal clear. Systems have some flexibility & adaptability.

+80% of Gen Z are very close to their parents. Character development is the #1 parent expectation for their kids’ involvement in sport. Proactive communication sets the tone for all.

“Relationships are the artifacts of our culture.”

It takes 7 seconds to make a 1^st impression.

Communication is key to player development. Players’ main problems with communication:

1. low confidence 2. overconfidence 3. background

Coaches need to teach players to communicate by:

• building trust
• demonstrating that words = actions (#accountability)
• admitting mistakes
• 24-hr rule (waiting after game/practice to discuss difficult issues)
• being clear

How best to give advice & feedback? There are 3 phases: Ask – Offer – Ask

Ask: What do you want? What advice can I provide? Ask permission first. Offer: What if you tried this? Don’t impose your feedback. Ask: What does this mean to you?

These equations demonstrate the differences in men and women in terms of 3 key elements:

Effort + Performance = Acceptance (men) // Acceptance + Effort = Performance (women)

“People will rise to a challenge if it is their challenge.”

Leaders create leaders. Exceptional success requires exceptional circumstances. Performance = Capability (skills) x Behaviour (how you connect, etc.)

Autonomy is the desire to be self-directed. Supporting autonomy could be as simple as asking these questions:

• What happened?
• How did that make you feel?
• What would you like to do to make things better?
• What could other people do to make things better for you?

Whether you are a parent, teacher, coach, executive director, manager, or direct report, I ask that you consider 1-2 of these key take-aways this week and ask yourself:

How can you improve a relationship this week?