Run from failure, or chase success?

Be positive. Sounds easy right? Yet how many times have we been coached by, played against, or even been that coach who is constantly focusing on the mistakes or the areas which the team or individual must improve in order to be a better player? As human beings we tend to run from failure as apposed to chase success, it’s in our nature. Therefore it is inevitable that as coaches we can slip into a frame of mind whereby giving our sole focus to the shortcomings on display, or not as the case may be.

Here is an example I stumbled across today. Derek Carr, the Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders American Football Team, was the subject of a news article titled “should the Oakland Raiders give up on Derek Carr?”. As you may gather, the piece discusses the future of the QB, if the Raiders should keep him on such a high wage bill, but more relevantly discusses his recent “poor performance”. They give focus to his most recent game, how low his passing yards were, and point out the fact he has more interceptions than touchdowns this season. However, what they do not give much attention to, is that despite this, Carr is (at the time of writing) ranked 3rd on the list of pass completion percentage with 71.7%, and in the top 10 of total passing yards with 1783.

So, if we were Carr’s coach, what would be the impact of taking this negative-focus approach? How would the player in question react? What would happen to his levels of confidence going forward? By focusing on faults or shortcomings it is inevitable that the player will feel some element of inadequacy or loss of confidence. He may start to develop a fear of failing, and begin second-guessing his own ability, which in turn may cause the run of “poor form” to continue.

Now flip this on it’s head, taking a positive-focus approach. Despite the supposed bad game from Carr, what if we were to highlight the successful passes he made in the game? Give attention to that 1 special play, or that brilliant basic which he performed to perfection? What if we were to remind him that when playing on the edge and taking risks failing is inevitable, but linking back to the success he is having throughout the season to date? By focusing on the positives, the player will replay these in their mind, and have an increased sense of their ability. This will in turn boost their confidence and translate to their game moving forward.

So, what is the moral of the story? As coaches I believe there is a time and a place to give focus to the areas of a players’ game which need developing, or dare I say it, their current weaknesses. However, I also believe the proportion of time and energy we give to these areas (in many cases) is wrong. If we adopt a more strengths-based approach, whereby looking at areas in which the player is already competent or even excellent, and challenge them to become even better at these, I truly believe our players could thrive, and maybe even enjoy doing so in the process.

Next time you work with your players, challenge yourself to ignore the mistakes or areas of weakness, and only highlight the positives. Build your players up, fill them with confidence and encourage them to turn this attributes into “super skills”. After all, being 3rd on the list of pass completion percentages isn’t so bad, is it?