Coaching Insight Volume 8 | Page 51

Liquid Thinking “It’s the opposite of limited, static thinking. It’s the ability to see things from different perspectives and translate the insights gained into actions and behaviours.” “Some of the guys there were doing these mundane jobs day to day, but were also doing incredible things. One had built his own house to get his kids into the best school in the area; another had become a rally driving champion; one had built his own canal boat. “I wanted to put their stories alongside Sir Richard’s story and show that the same kind of thinking applies.” We’ve all seen a coach or athlete stick doggedly to his trusted methods or tactics when they’re evidently not working. You need to be able to reassess the situation and think quickly, something that’s often impossible with a fixed mindset. One of the things he works on with coaches and players is how to prepare for what he calls those “oh sh*t!” moments. “How are you going to manage those moments of crisis? If you haven’t planned for it, you become erratic. You need to prepare before you find yourself stuck in that moment.” This feature was previously published in Maximising a team’s potential is also about adapting your practices to different personalities. “I’ve recently been working with a player who responds quite badly to setbacks so he gets three free mistakes for every half of the game. If he’s frightened of making mistakes it stops him doing the good stuff he’s capable of. It’s a numbers game. The more mistakes you make, the more success you’re likely to have.” Often players need a target that’s not directly related to the outcome of the game, he adds. “You might give one of your less talented players the role of being the chief encourager of the team, and say, ‘I want to hear 10 examples of encouragement from you over the course of the game.’” There’s no complicated magic formula when it comes to sports coaching, he says. “Mostly, it’s common sense, but that doesn’t mean it’s common practice. I try to demystify some of these thinking processes.” COACHING EDGE magazine. Originally written by Caroline Roberts. 49