None of them have anything to do with “training”.
“1. I see you.
You’re valuable.
I believe in you.
I will go through it with you.
I love ya.
I’ve gotten further in my life focusing on the above with my athletes than I ever have telling them about my training knowledge.
It’s not what you’ve got.
It’s what they get.”
-Ray Zingler on X
They don’t care.
They don’t care what you did back in your day.
They don’t care about your degrees.
They don’t care about the letters after your name.
They don’t care about the prestigious conference you spoke at.
And they sure as hell don’t care about how many other people in your field you can impress on Twitter.
They care about two things:
1) How you make THEM feel as people.
2) Whether or not you can make THEM better.
Don’t get me wrong, as a coach, leader, and mentor it’s highly critical to have walked the walk and continue to. It’s paramount that you continue your education and increase your intelligence. There is also nothing wrong with striving to reach the top of your field, either. I know I am actively working at that every day of my life.
But here’s the kicker.
None of the above should ever be for your benefit, but THEIRS.
It’s because none of what we have is valuable unless it can be utilized to benefit others.
It’s why there are textbook wizards who project their superiority all over social media and get attention from other colleagues trying to do the same thing, while they actively struggle to impact anybody. It’s because they are focused on the ME game, not the them game.
You want to make a real difference? Focus on you in the background, but make it about them. Make them the main character of the story.
Tell them you see them. Tell them how valuable they are to you. Tell them how deeply you believe in them. Tell them you’ll walk through the fire with them. Tell them you love them.
And more importantly than telling them.
Live it.
Live the shit out of it.
Not when it’s convenient. Not when people are watching. Not when it’s appropriate to garner attention with potential to contribute to your own personal gain..
But every damn day.
Live the code every day.
It is the only way an organic, holistic, deep impact will ever be made.
Many try to fake their way through it and the kids & parents can see through the façade.
Bring the real stuff or stay the hell out of their way.
