Greatness

CNN Article on Greatness

Interesting article and very topical around the NEDA headquarters lately.

Here's what I got out of it:

They took the first 20 paragraphs explaining how innate 'talent' is insignificant in how the best of the best get to where they are. Apparently they have a burning fire inside them driving them to improve from a very young age.

Fair enough, I agree with all of that.

What made me shake my head a little bit was the last few paragraphs when they quote - "Some people are much more motivated than others, and that's the existential question I cannot answer - why." So then what is the message? Some people are born with the innate drive to improve, and that is what turns people into special performers.

Well that doesn't provide hope for many people out there. So if coming into the gym and practicing feels like a chore or is boring to you sometimes, you can't be a special player? I need some examples of people turning that switch on later in life and "getting it".

The Michael Jordan story is probably the best example of a late bloomer figuring it all out but I'll bet he had that quality in him before he was cut from his high school team.

Christine and I were watching some middle school kids do some footwork drills in the dance studio that our offices overlook and we could see what every single coach in the world has seen. Some kids were working hard, trying their best and doing every detail their instructor showed them. They were doing when the coach watched, they were doing it when no one was there, they were doing it when no one was cheering them on, or giving them energy. Then on the other side of the room were the kids that were going through the motions. Coach would come over and try to encourage them "go faster", "push", etc., and they would speed up a little bit. Coach turns around and in a few minutes they are back shortcutting their way to mediocrity.

So the question is how do you get it? I've seen people who didn't have it somehow get motivated, but can it last forever? Most people will have a talk with their coach, or go watch Hoosiers and come out of it refreshed and start working the right way, but does it last forever?

The next interesting thing that I took out of this article (and that NEDA has been reinforcing) is that this is now the #1 most important thing in coaching. Teaching skills and movement patterns and decision making and all of that stuff is important, but teaching the mental approach to the game is far and away the most critical thing you can do as a coach.

If this is the number one factor that determines whether or not someone will achieve greatness, then we need to figure out how it works and what we need to do to shape and mold it so that it is a long term fix, not a short term band-aid.

Sefu Bernard just sent around this well written article on the same subject.

New York Times article on greatness