Health & Fitness
Coachable
Are you coachable? This week's post discusses three ways to help one be coachable, whether it's on the court or in the office.
One of the most important characteristics an athlete can possess is the ability to be coachable. I’ll take a mediocre athlete who is coachable over a great athlete who is not any day of the week. Whether we work in the world of sports or are in the business world, we all should strive to be “coachable.” If were not, then we act as a detriment to our team, company, or business.
Being coachable requires you to not take offense to constructive criticism. When being critiqued, it is important not to feel sorry for yourself. The ability to correct mistakes with a positive attitude is a hallmark trait of someone who is coachable. This week we’re going to discuss three questions that help define whether or not we are coachable people.
The first question is “Do I make excuses?” Are you the type of person who is quick to point a finger or come up with an excuse? Or are you the type of person who is willing to look in the mirror? No coach or boss wants people on their team that always have an excuse for everything. I hate the New England Patriots, but I love the team motto they have: Do Your Job. It’s no surprise they’ve had the success they’ve had in the last decade when this motto is part of the team culture. In order to be coachable, one must be willing to look in the mirror and accept responsibility for mistakes, but also be willing to fix them. Sometimes this might even require accepting a little criticism for something that is not our fault. However, when you get to that point you are ready to assume a position of leadership. The more leaders a team or company has, the more successful they will be.