Question:
Many of this next generation seem to not have the drive that we had as kids. What are you noticing around the world of hockey and sport that can help us coaches connect with these kids?
—Andre
Answer:
Andre, first of all I believe that this “Next” generation has similar drive that we had as kids, they just express it differently. Secondly, I sense that there are universal principles that help all of us, independent of generation, ignite what I call their personal HUNGRY spirit. One of these principles I call VISIONING!
In the early 1950s, Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.
On her first attempt, she had been swimming for hours and was getting very near to the English coast. That’s when the seas turned much colder and heavy swells developed. A dense fog settled in, blocking everything from view with a chilly, wet blanket. As Florence’s pace slowed and energy drained, her mother called through the fog from one of the small boats following behind.
“Come on, Florence, you can make it,” she said. “It’s only a little further.”
But she was exhausted and couldn’t go on. As she slumped into the boat, Florence felt defeated and was heart broken when she realized how close she’d come. She later told the media, “I am not offering excuses, but I think that I could have made it if I had been able to see my goal.”
On her next attempt, Florence developed a powerful mental image of the coast of England. She memorized every coastal feature and replayed those images again and again in her mind.
This time, she encountered the same discouraging conditions as before, but her vision saw her through to success.
When you have clarity of focus on where you are going, your hungry energy is enhanced and sustained.
I fly a lot. Typical years see me flying to conduct well over 100 conferences, training sessions and client retreats. I love airplanes.
Since the age of 19, I have been spending much of my adult life in the air, so I’d better like it.
On one particular flight, I was on the east coast of Canada flying to the Mountain time zone to speak at a leadership conference.
The flight was departing at 7:30 a.m. EST. I was well rested, I had my Starbucks coffee, and was sitting in an aisle seat.
Just minutes before pulling away from the gate, a gentleman with a cap and stars on his shoulders asked if he could squeeze by me and take the middle seat.
Whoa, this was a commercial pilot sitting next to me relocating to his next destination to fly his next route. What luck—I have always wanted to be a pilot.
I could ask him every question that I ever wanted and he wouldn’t be able to get away.
Just after take-off I turned to the pilot and said, “Mr. Pilot, I have always wanted to fly; could I ask you some questions?” By the way the pilot scrunched his face I sensed that he had been tortured like this before, but graciously answered, “OK, Ryan, go for it.”
I excitedly asked him a number of questions and then launched into my next volley: “Mr. Pilot, Mr. Pilot, I have always wanted to know what you do on take-off if you puncture a wheel and the wing hits the ground and breaks off?”
At this point, he had had enough. The pilot turned to me and said, “Hold it, Ryan. If we are going to do this for the next four hours, we may as well start at the beginning.” The pilot took a deep breath and said, “a pilot never takes off unless he or she has found a safe place to land.”
I turned to the pilot and said “Wow; that is so profound I need to think about it for the next four hours.” Friends, this is the ingredient of VISIONING.
What do your players want? Where do they want to go?
I meet many people who live a life with no clear personal flight plan. Much of their life is lived without a destination. They take off in their life plane not knowing where they really want to go.
After a short while, the fuel gauge catches their eye and they see that it is pointing to near empty, so anywhere, the closest landing strip is where they put her down.
Here’s the crunch: if you do not have a strong sense of where you are going, it is impossible to stay hungry.
Coaches, work to align the goals and dreams of your players with the goals and dreams of your team and then stand back and watch the passion explode. Remember, like it or not, the first radio station that your players’ minds turn on every morning is WIFM (what’s in it for me.) Show your players how what you are proposing can help them land their plane, on their landing strip, and life will be very good.
Ryan Walter played 15 NHL seasons and has a Masters Degree in Leadership/Business. He is a Leadership expert and speaks to Corporations, Organizations and Hockey Associations across North America. For information on booking Ryan or to purchase his books go to www.ryanwalter.com or www.ryanwalter.com/addingvalue.asp |