Inspirational Thought for the Day

Skills make you a good player...Heart makes you a great player

The Story of John Challis- Great Intrinsic Value!!

How is Sports Axiology different?

Over the past week I have had the opportunity to talk with professional teams from multiple sports including the NFL, NBA, MLB, as well as soccer teams from three other countries. A common question that comes up is how does the profile compare with some of the more traditional personality tests that are commonly used?

Below is a simple chart that will help to give the answer:

How's this for being mentally tough?

I just finished watching the final hour of the US Open (men's golf) and what an unbelievable roller coster ride!

The story of Mediate and Woods is ideally what sports is all about! A highly unlikely player not even in the top one hundred in the world in the playoff's against likely the greatest player to ever have played the game other than Jack Nicolaus.

Here is the clip of Tiger's putt on the 18th to force the playoff:



Talk about being mentally tough! This was a make or break putt for him and as typical Tiger does, he makes the putt! Check back this week as I will be writing what makes Tiger so mentally tough along with the ability to have a laser like focus even in the greatest moments of pressure!

Is Team Cohesion Important?

You bet it is! Team cohesion is a common quality of championship teams. If you start to see cliques beginning to form than this should be a warning sign that the health of the team might be in trouble.

In fact, the sports axiological profile measures this exact attribute in the External Extrinsic dimension of value making decisions. Below is a great question to ask yourself regarding team cohesion:

Are you players playing with each other or are they playing for each other?

Skill Builder in 3D Listening

The interview below is with a very good friend and outstanding baseball coach Hal Bagwell. He just led his second year team to the state championship playoffs!

In fact, he was just named the Charlotte Observer 'Coach of the Year' in baseball!

Listen closely as he shares some pearls of wisdom when it comes to getting the most out of your athletes. Try and identify specific parts of his response that are instrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic.

This exercise will help to build your skillset of 3D Listening!

6 Questions for Your Players

Performing well begins with trust. This includes trusting yourself in your own abilities as well as building trust with teammates and coaches. Below are six questions to ask your athletes that will help them raise their intrinsic awareness of themself and others:

1. What do you trust most about the way you perform?
2. What do you trust the least about the way you perform?
3. What do you think your teammates and coaches trust most about you?
4. What to they trust least about you?
5. What do you trust most about your teammates and coaches?
6. What do you trust the least about your teammates and coaches?

What happens when things are going your way?

Last week I was talking to a colleague who works with a professional athlete, let's call him John, who is off to his best start yet of his career. In fact, training has actually slacked off as well as a few other things in this person's life, yet success seems to be ever present right now. Does this sound familiar with any of your athletes?

HOWEVER, because things are going so well this individual doesn't want to do anything at all that would mess up his mojo! In the past he hasn't consistently performed this well and is starting to be recognized as one of today's top talents which he says is starting to feel pretty exciting. There is only one problem here...

John can't identify why he is having this level of success and therefore doesn't want to change literally anything! YIKES!!

Talking with his trainer I made the point that this is the perfect time to take the sports profile in order to actually identify what exactly IS working for him right now. This way, he can continue to build around this present decision making pattern during competitive play.

Because this athlete was in shock of experiencing this current level of success, he went in to 'play not to lose' mode. Why? Because he did not want to lose this present momentum of winning. But guess what happened?

The following week he did not make it past the qualifying round which had not happend to him in quite a long time! So what's the moral of the story here?

Challenge your athletes to identify what is presently working for them and then expand on this pattern of decision making. Be sure to include exercises such as how they 'see' themself in their competitive environment as well as patterns of self-talk.

Simply by doing these few things will help to empower your player's inner game! I guarantee you that John now wishes that he had done so when he had the chance!

Jordan on Becoming a Legend

If you haven't seen this commercial it's a great way to start your day!

ENJOY!

Psychometric Testing of Athletes

Psychometric testing has become more and more popular over the past decade. The most common forms of psychometrics include personality tests and aptitude tests. While these tests attempt to objectively evaulate attitudes and values, there is still quite a bit of subjectivity to them both.

These tests are what is known as a 'self-report' assessment. In other words, the athlete reports on how they think that they would act in a given situation. For example, if I was looking to add on another soccer player on my team and you were the top candidate for the position, I would simply call you on the phone and ask you about your soccer skills. I would also ask you questions such as how would you react when down one goal and your defensive back just got a red card with twenty minutes to go that was not his fault.

Now hopefully you would provide truthful answers but this is unlikely. Why? Two main reasons include your answers can be biased based on what qualities you believe that I am looking for. Secondly, most individuals actually do not know their own strengths and weaknesses, so to ask someone to provide a self-report may not be the best choice.

If I want to know how well you play soccer, talking to you on the phone will not exactly help me out in my cause. The optimal choice is to actually evaluate you playing soccer and I can then determine for myself your playing abilities.

Psychometrics (self-report) is not the same as the Sports Profile, based on axiology. In fact, valuemetrics is a method of measurement in it's own class. Below is a recent email sent to me by Dr. Dave Medford of the Value Resource Group discussing the difference between the two:

"Axiology or the axiological assessment is not psycho-metrics but rather axio-metrics. Our axiological sports assessment is a compliment to psychology – as a matter of fact “axiological psychology” is becoming a field of study in its own right. Leon Pomeroy’s book is called, The New Science of Axiological Psychology and he is a well respected clinical psychologist currently teaching psychology at George Mason University.

Psychology mainly centers on the emotional conditioning and takes the perspective of the athlete’s emotional stability or fragility (Freud, Skinner). The axiological assessment measures the interface between the athlete’s mental understanding and the athlete’s emotional conditioning – taking the perspective of concept fulfillment.

We ask, how strong is the athlete’s self-concept or self-image, and to what degree is he or she fulfilling that concept. In other words, we measure the athlete’s potential and how much of it the athlete is currently accessing or utilizing. Then, after the assessment, we try to find ways to help the athlete access and utilize more of their potential."

So is psychometric testing bad? Not at all, but in my opinion valuemetrics (the Sports Profile) provides a much more objective look into the decision making pattern of the athletes. This is achieved by having the athlete apply his/her value system and complete a specific task (thinking) versus taking a test.

More on this topic coming soon!

Case Study of an Injured Pro Player

Injuries are a given in professional sport. But how does an injury affect a player's mentality? How well can he cope with his situation? What specifically is he focused on? How does the coaching staff deal with the mental side of a player's 'return to play' program? These questions and many others are asked when a highly talented player gets hurt. As you will read below, a professional club just experienced this exact scenario.

Recently a professional club had a fairly new player take the Sports Profile. The player is a young man that the club feels has tremendous potential and has already proven himself at the younger national team levels. Although an initial starter, however, the club has yet to really see the player's performance as he was hurt the majority of his first season. The club was trying to determine how best to ensure this young man was in peak performance during the 2008 season

Let's take a look at a few of the player's profile results in the world view (his decision making as it relates to other people, places, and things):

• Game Intelligence- very good


• Sense of Game Reality- very good


• Emotional Control- very good
  
• Understanding Others- very good


• Interpersonal Harmony- (-100%) growth area


• Interpersonal Conflict- (+ 100%) excellent

The scores above reflect a player with great mind speed and will not let his emotions clould his decision making on the field. While he can read others very well, he will not praise them for good efforts and will magnify the negative. In other words, he has extremely high expectations of others.

• Understanding Practical Team Actions- very good


• Team Orientation- low good


• Attitude toward team failure- fair to good


• Understanding Discipline, Rules, & game Plan- very good


• Attitude toward authority- very good


• Attitude toward rule breaking- very good

The scores above reflect that he clearly understands cause & effect action aspects of the game. However, he is not overly involved with his team as indicated by a lower score in Team Orientation. When the team loses/fails, he overlooks it due to the fact that he personally has not contributed to the team due to injury. He is coachable, respects authority, and could never imagine 'throwing a game' on purpose no matter how bad his team is losing.

Okay let's now briefly look at a few of his results in his self view (his thinking as it relates to who he is, the roles he plays, his vision, and personal code):

• Understanding of self-worth- fair
  
• Sense of Self Reality- growth area


• Emotional self control- growth area


• Overall Self Attitude- fair to good

These scores would make sense given this young man has been dealing with an injury and is unsure of his soccer career. The good news is that he is still anticipates a positive future.

• Desire for Self Development- good


• Developing Personal Potential (attitude score)- very good

These attributes combine to measure Competitive Fire. Emotionally he thinks he is in the process of developing his potential and truly wants to continue to improve his game and himself.

• Game Role Awareness- fair to good


• Game Role Satisfaction- fair

These scores indicate he is not very sure of the role/position he needs to play in order to achieve his goals. In addition, due to his injury it would make sense that his level of personal satisfaction be low.

• Sports Self Identity- fair to good


• Mental Toughness- good


• Attitude towards Personal Growth- good

These scores reflect a strong level of uncertainty of personal game performance goals and how to best go about pursuing them. Again due to injury, this would make sense as injuries are most of the time beyond the athletes control. He has an objective view of himself in terms of the definition of his game identity. But due to his uncertainty of his future, he presently struggles with feeling a strong sense of belonging in the world of soccer.

• Intuition- fair


• Concentration- very good to excellent


• Stress Resistance- fair to good

These scores reflect that he presently would have a difficult time 'feeling his way' through the game (intuition) and struggle with coping with pressure. However, he has a strong ability to focus on the task at hand in times of high stress.

Conclusion

This young man is spending the majority of his thinking in his 'world view' and less in his 'self view'. This pattern is common in athletes trying to come back from an injury. Overall, this player has great potential and just needs a solid 'inner game plan' during his pre-season. Additional suggestions include:

• Start to build his self-confidence by getting a lot of touches on the ball.


• Ensure that there is quality communication between the coaching staff and the player; i.e. a daily feedback debrief on the quality of his training and play for each day


• Ask him specific questions throughout practice as to why he made the decisions that he did. This will get him to start to reflect more on himself, his own actions, and his self-worth.


• He will also begin to improve his self-confidence since his respect for authority is high and this type of personal attention will continue to build self-belief
  
• Co-create specific goals with him built around expectations and performance moving forward


• Because he is more focused in the 'world view', work through this present strength and have him coach during a small sided game. This will keep him feeling that he is a part of his team and contributes to their success.

Above are just a few example strategies of developing this player's 'Inner Game Plan' based on the results of his current profile. He will take the profile again in two months and specific adjustments can be made in order to best release his inner potential.

3D Coaching Model

It was not too long ago that I introduced the concept of 3D Thinking as a reference for how we make decisions.

Below is the total model for coaching that will hopefully get you to rethink your coaching process:

These building blocks of successful coaching (think, listen, observe, and communicate) all contibute to releasing your athlete's maximum potential. The art is to be able to apply all three dimensions of value (intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic) in each of these areas in a balance dway so you can effectively pull from each one as needed.

The Wonderlic Test Strikes Again!- Part 1

Each year the NFL administers an intelligence aptitude test called the Wonderlic at the combine. The test results are used to help determine draft placement of the potential players. Below is taken from yesterday's Chicago Tribune:

Wonderlic results
Scores from the Wonderlic tests given at the scouting combine. Wonderlic tests are given to help gauge the intelligence of prospects. A person of average intelligence is supposed to score a 20. NFL teams like to see quarterbacks, offensive linemen, middle linebackers and safeties score higher, because those positions can be mentally demanding.

At quarterback, neither of the top two prospects laid a Wonderlic egg. Boston College's Matt Ryan and Louisville's Brian Brohm each scored an impressive 32.

Most of the top offensive linemen also tested well. Michigan's Jake Long scored a 26, Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah scored a 28, Southern Cal's Sam Baker scored a 27, Vanderbilt's Chris Williams scored a 32 and Boston College's Godser Cherilus scored a 25. Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady had the only disappointing score from the top group of blockers, a 13.

Is This Really The Best Assessment for Performance Intelligence?
Okay, so from the article above you would think that these player's who scored fairly well would have future star potential right? WRONG! In fact, just like all of the physical tests, these player's can specifically prepare for the Wonderlic Test as well. Take a look at an example question:

-The ninth month of the year is:
October- January- June- November-May

For more sample questions visit http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020228test.html

A general intelligence aptitude test has very little to do with on-the-field decision making ability for football. In fact, take a look at the following article reference below:

Intelligence and Football: Testing for Differentials in Collegiate Quarterback Passing Performance and NFL Compensation

Abstract
This article presents an empirical analysis of the relationships between intelligence and both passing performance in college and compensation in the National Football League (NFL). A group of 84 drafted and signed quarterbacks from 1989 to 2004 was selected for the study.

The author hypothesizes that intelligence is the most important and perhaps most rewarded at this position, and a wide variety of passing performance statistics are available to separate the effects of intelligence and ability. The OLS-estimated models reveal no statistically significant relationship between intelligence and collegiate passing performance. Likewise, the author finds no evidence of higher compensation in the NFL for players with higher intelligence as measured by the Wonderlic Personnel Test administered at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Check These Score Out
Brett Favre- 22
Dan Marino- 14
Vinny Testaverde- 18
Daunte Culpepper- 15
Steve McNair- 15
Peyton Manning- 25

The point here is that these are some of the most accomplished names in NFL Football History and there scores are quite low!

So if the Wonderlic might not be the best option for determining a player's mental potential, what would a possible solution be?

I will give you a hint... it has something to do with the extrinisic value dimension.

More on this topic in Part 2 coming shortly!

Intrinsic Coaching Tip!

Below is taken from an article that I recently finished on 'The Value of Coaching'. This statement continues to remind me of my ultimate goal when training athletes:

"If you want to get more out of your athletes, stop viewing them as performers and view them as people. Working with them on what you can see (physical) is the easy part. It is working with the part that you can't see that is ulimately the most rewarding."

'It Pays to Look, Listen, and Learn'

Below is an article in today's Charlotte Observer that is a quick but great read that I thought you would enjoy:

It pays to look, listen, learn
STELLA M. HOPKINS

Marine Lieutenant General Joe Weber recently addressed a luncheon group of Marines, former Marines and other military service members in Charlotte.

Joe Weber was a student at Texas A&M University when school president and D-Day hero Maj. Gen. James Earl Rudder taught a valuable lesson.

"We thought we were hotshots," said Weber, now a three-star Marine general. "He said, `You need to understand. Your purpose is to sit and let us teach you a little about the world before you go out there trying to change it.' "

Listen and learn before acting is advice that served Weber well during his 36-year career as he rose to be among the nation's 10 highest-ranking Marines.

Now he commands 74,000 Marines and a $32 billion budget. He's in charge of organizing, training, outfitting and dispatching Marines and their gear to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere in about half the world. His main war-fighting group -- based in Eastern North Carolina -- numbers about 50,000 Marines.

He recently addressed a Marine support group at a lunch in Charlotte and talked with the Observer about leadership, delegation and motivation. Questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. What are the key attributes of a good leader?
You've got to get up in the morning, look yourself in the mirror, and you've got to like what you see. You've got to know yourself, know your strengths, weaknesses. You've got to know your people, their strengths, weaknesses. And you've got to know your job. If you don't, the people working for you will pick up on that very quickly. You have to empower your people, make them feel they're part of a team, that they contribute to the decision making.

Q. How do you balance that contribution with the military's need for soldiers that follow orders?
I didn't say question decisions all the time, but you're not going to get people to obey you on a moment's notice, over extended periods of time, if you don't have the established trust and loyalty. Maybe it will work once by fear and intimidation.

Q. What has been the hardest aspect of leadership for you to master?
I'm a pretty basic type guy. To be a really great leader, you've got to be a visionary, look out to the future. That's hard for me. I'm pretty enthusiastic and charismatic. I probably don't focus out in the future as much as I should. That's difficult when you get wrapped up day to day.

Q. How do you decide what to delegate?
That's determined based on the environment you're working in, the conditions you're working in, also who you have to work with, what your people are capable of doing. That goes back to knowing their strengths and their weaknesses. We should always be looking to delegate as much as we can, to give your people as much as you can, to learn to use their own leadership to resolve problems. And knowing when you can't, you have to pull back.

Q. How do you train people to know which decisions are theirs to make and to have confidence in making them?
That's done over a period of time, with a lot of face to face, a lot of discussion, a lot of people having access to you, seeing on a day-to-day basis how you work -- what makes the boss happy, what does he like, what doesn't he like. When people know what to expect, then I think that helps give confidence to make those decisions.

Q. You're responsible for tens of thousands of people, some of whom will be wounded or killed. How do you motivate folks who face such high on-the-job risks?
A lot is leadership by example. You have to demonstrate courage. You've got to be focused on providing good training so when they go into dangerous situations they're focused and confident. You've got to be honest and loyal. Loyalty runs both ways, up and down the chain of command. You have to instill a sense of brotherhood and teamwork. No one person is more important than the other in these dangerous situations. Young Marines in combat will tell you they fight for each other. You've got to build that. Then they'll do anything you want them to do.

Q. The war in Iraq is unpopular. Does that affect motivation?
They're all volunteers. They're enthusiastic. They very much know what they're getting into. That's different than the Vietnam War when we had the draft. The nation, communities, no matter what they think about the war, the support has been there.

Q. What about you?
Anytime you're in a large organization, you're subject to criticism. Look at our politicians, our CEOs. Generals in the military are no different. You have to handle it. Sometimes the critiques you get make you a stronger person.

Q. You were chief of staff of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, March 2004 to May 2005. Are we making progress there?
When I first got over there, I felt we'd made some mistakes in how we thought it would turn out. My attitude was, we are where we are. Let's see how we can make it better. Today, if I went back, I would be surprised. It appears they've made a lot of progress.

Q. What's your best advice to any leader, in or out of the military?
Don't ever forget where you came from. It keeps you in touch with the people you're leading and taking care of. It's very, very easy, as you get more powerful, to think you're a little more important than you are. You forget what you're there for: to take care of your people.

TALK FROM THE TOP
AN OCCASIONAL CHAT WITH BUSINESS LEADERS
Joe Weber
MARINE LIEUTENANT GENERAL
Lt. Gen. Joe Weber
Born: Texas. Age: 57.
Family: Married, two children, one granddaughter.
Military family: Daughter married to a Marine. Son, an F-18 pilot with the Marines in Beaufort, S.C.
CAREER
1972: Graduated Texas A&M University, commissioned an officer, began career as an artillery officer. Served in multiple command and staff positions around the world, including locations from Mississippi to Japan, Oklahoma to Panama, as well as posts at Marine headquarters in Washington, D.C.
1998: Became brigadier general.
2005: Named the commanding general for III Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed again in Okinawa, Japan.
July 2007: Became Commander U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command; Commander USMC Bases, Atlantic, and Commanding General Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, stationed in Norfolk, Va.
Thoughts on returning to a U.S. command after spending 8 of last l0 years overseas: "It's an appreciation you really gain about how good we have it here. We're blessed."

'Taking Play Seriously'

Today I posted an article on the importance of play in workouts. Check it out at http://www.athletebydesign.blogspot.com/.

Sports Profile Update

I am EXTREMELY excited to announce that the official release of the Sports Profile is finally just right around the corner. The feedback from coaches, parents, athletes, and general managers of youth sports all the way to international professional clubs has been tremendous.

Below are a few update highlights for this completely new method of psychological profiling of athletes:

• over 350 athletes have now taken the profile from ages ranging twelve and up through professional athletes
• two different versions will be available
• another 400 athletes will take the profile within the next four weeks
• the profile will be available in four different languages
• preliminary stats are close to completion regarding the first profile group
• the initial data is presenting some patterns of decision making of youth that will have a critical impact on developmental programs
• more to come soon!
  

Real Life Example of Intrinsic Value

Yesterday I posted on 'Understanding Intrinsic Value'. Today I came across this video that portrays exactly what instrinsic value is all about!

This young many truly inspires all of us to go after our dreams no matter what obstacles stand in our way!

Understanding Intrinsic Value

How do you feel?

Think of just about any post championship game that you have watched on television and what is the first question that the commentator asked? Most often the question is:

How does it feel right now to be the champion?

Intrinsic value is all about 'feeling'. Have you ever had a gut feeling about a teammate where you said to yourself 'John is really struggling right now, maybe I can help'? If so, that is the ability to be highly empathetic (understanding and sensitive to others).

In the picture above, these NFL Green Bay Packer's Fans intrinsically value their team. They love their team for who they are...win or lose. More on intrinsic value below:

• is about the 'wholeness' of something or someone
• focuses on who a person is not what they do
• answers the question 'Who do you want to be?'
• involves the ability to understand others (coaches, teammates, etc)
• includes words that create feelings or emotions (both positive and negative)
• includes phrases such as 'Spirit of the game' or 'Heart of a champion' or 'Love for the game'.

Intrinsic value questions relating to one's world view (empathy) include:

• How important are my teammates and coaches to me?
• How well do I get along with my teammates and coaches?
• How well can I handle mistakes made when I rely on my teammates?
• What are my realistic expectations of my teammates and my coaches?

Intrinsic value questions relating to one's self view (self-esteem) include:

• How well do I understand the value that I bring to my sport as a person?
• Do I have an inner desire for self-development?
• What is my attitude about my personal problems?

Understanding Extrinsic Value

Last week I wrote a short article on "Understanding Systemic Value", which is basically the foundation of human value. This week let's take a step up the heirarchy and explore the extrinsic value dimension.

How Do You Compare?

Extrinsic value is all about comparison and getting results. In the picture above, the player with the ball has to clearly and quickly compare a number of different options of what to do in his situation. For example, does he just try and hold the ball until he can get support? Or does he try and cut the ball back between the two defenders? Or does he simply just try and clear the ball as quickly as possible?

So in this situation it is about which choice does he make in order to get the best result. Below are a few more points of intersest regarding extrinsic value:

• this is the dimension of comparison to get desired results


• extrinsic value answers the questions 'How do I...' and 'What is the best way to...'


• it is about determining what is relevant within a complex situation


• seeing the benefit of one's actions


• includes words such as choices, best option, process, integration (how people work together)


• Internally it is about role awareness. In other words, what are the roles that you think you need to play in order to get results or accomplish your goals


• it involves one's attitudes towards team success as well as team failure


• Internally it involves one's attitude toward their own peak performance and their own poor performance

Below is a sample chart comparing one's strengths and weakness in the extrinsic value: