Wednesday, July 10, 2013

TO BUILD TRUST WITH YOUR PLAYER, KEEP PROMISES & MAINTAIN AGGREEMENTS

The most important thing between a coach and a player is trust.  It takes time to build and can be ruined in seconds.  A big factor of developing and maintaining trust is keeping promises you make -- sticking to any agreements.  Here are some great thoughts from Jack Canfield:

“Your life works to the degree you keep your agreements.”
-Werner Erhard
“Never promise more than you can perform.”
-Publilus Syrus
 
More importantly, every agreement you make is ultimately with yourself. Even when you are making an agreement with someone else, your brain hears it and registers it as a commitment.

Some tips on making and keeping agreements

1. Make only agreements that you intend to keep. Take a few seconds before making an agreement to see if it is really what you want to do.
 
2. Write down all the agreements you make. Use a calendar, daily planning book, notebook, or computer to record all of your agreements.
 
3. Communicate any broken agreement at the first appropriate time. As soon as you know you are going to have a broken agreement—your car won’t start, you are caught in traffic, your child is sick, your babysitter can’t make it, your computer crashes—notify the other person as soon as possible, and then renegotiate the agreement. This demonstrates respect for others’ time and their needs. It also gives them time to reschedule, replan, make other arrangements, and limit any potential damage.
 
4. Learn to say no more often. Give yourself time to think it over before making any new agreements. I write the word no in yellow highlighter on all my calendar pages as a way to remind myself to really consider what else I’ll have to give up if I say yes to something new. It makes me pause and think before I add another commitment to my life.