Five Characteristics of Successful Players

Very important for our Student-Athletes to remember this stuff:

FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS

1. Commitment

• Don’t be Luke-warm, put your whole self in – Be PASSIONATE about what you do
• “A leader with great passion & few skills will always outperform a leader with great skills and little passion.” – John Maxwell
• Be committed to becoming the best you can be – Skill Development (develop the unconscious)
• Confidence comes from demonstrated ability

There are four types of players:
1. Unconscious & incompetent: You stink, but you don’t know it. You don’t improve.
2. Conscious & incompetent: You stink, and you know it, so you work at it (not so bad).
3. Conscious & competent: You’re good and you know it, so you don’t get better.
4. Unconscious & competent: You’re good but you don’t think about it because you’re always working.

2) Toughness (physical & mental)

• Mental more so than physical (attention to detail because good is in the details)
• BE COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE (pressure is good & stress is bad)
• You have to have tenacity, which is the ability to stick with it and be persistent in your attitude and effort
• If you want to be the best player you have to be the hardest worker and those who work the hardest are the last to surrender

3) Communication (on & off the floor)

• Listen vs. hearing ( listen with your eyes, ears, mind & heart)
• Great players crave hard instruction
• Have huddles on the floor to communicate with teammates
• Sometimes you have to figure it out without your coach (communicate to “Fix It”)
• Adapt, Improvise, & Overcome

4) Leadership

• Leadership starts from the top
• You have to learn to serve before you can lead (servant leader)
• Lead from the front not from the rear (lead by example because your example isn’t the main thing, it is the only thing)
• Not everybody can lead, but everybody has a role
• “An army of lions led by an ass will be defeated by an army of asses led by a lion.”

Roles:
1. Define
2. Understand
3. Accept
4. Fulfill

5. Goal Oriented

• Have long term & short term goals
• Set specific goals that are observable & measurable (Have a narrow focus to help concentration)
• Set goals that are realistically attainable & within your control
• Determine what you want – find out how much it is going to cost you – decide whether you are willing to pay the price
• You must have the persistence to follow through with your set goals (BE A FINISHER)