“Not all athletes are built the same and not all athletes derive their motivation from the same space."

Introduction:

In sports, it’s common to talk about and analyze motivation. What motivates the athlete to perform at her top level? There are seminars, podcasts, articles, research and speakers who focus solely on motivating athletes young and old.

They all agree that if you are a good coach, you will focus your attention on what motivates each individual player, because good coaches know that not all athletes are built the same and not all athletes derive their motivation from the same space. Each player’s drive to be the best is unique.

Sports:

I have experienced this while coaching my daughter’s hockey team and more recently her spring lacrosse team (I know nothing about lacrosse, but no one else was volunteering, so alas, I am now a lacrosse coach!!).

Through my coaching experiences, I have learned that no two athletes are the same. There is no one size fits all to teaching and motivating players.  And this isn’t unique to girl athletes. During the hockey season, my daughter’s team occasionally practices with the boys’ teams, and I’ve seen the same with them.

With some players, I am tough on them. The toughness lights a fire under their ass and pushes them to succeed. However, that same toughness shuts down other players. With those players, I can’t critique them in front of others because it will overwhelm them and prevent them from moving forward. With those players, I pull them aside and speak to them gently. Explaining to them what happened and what I want them to do differently (girls and boys).

On my daughter’s lacrosse team, there is one player who is constantly asking, “Can someone win this game?” She is heavily motivated by winning.  Winning alone is enough for her to push herself to her limits.  With each drill I create, I have to find some way to win. And let me tell ya, some drills are much easier than others to incorporate a way to win into them. When in doubt, I enlist the help of the girls. They always seem to come through for me!!! Young, creative minds are amazing!!

To enhance each player’s abilities throughout the season, it is vital for me to understand their ultimate drivers. Toughness, softness, winning, joking, and/or fun are a few common themes I have identified..

And sometimes, depending on the day and the player’s mood, I have to adjust on the fly. A player I can typically be tough with might be having a bad day and I need to deliver the correction more delicately.

It’s an ever-changing landscape!

Business:

In the same way different players are motivated in different ways, different employees are motivated in different ways.

Good leaders know this, and good leaders connect with individuals to learn how they are individually motivated.

In business, some employees will be motivated by a bigger purpose. It will be enough for them to work for an organization that has an important (to them) mission.

Others want autonomy. They want to own their role. While others need a team surrounding them. They are more motivated to perform at a high level when they have a group to collaborate with.

Some employees are motivated by money and/or a title. While others will perform at their top level when they have a sense of balance and flexibility.

No matter what the motivator is, good leaders understand and uniquely speak with each employee to encourage them to perform via their top motivators.

And good leaders individually motivate their employees to ensure their team is operating at the highest potential.

This blog is connected to the element of Connection, a leader needs to be connecting with their employees and teammates on an individual level in order to learn what motivates them.

To learn more about the 6 Back to Basics Elements, click here.