What Are Your Strengths?

When you look at, think about, and talk about your athletes and your teams, do you talk more about what they can do or can't do?

I have been around coaches who focus on the strengths of their athletes and teams and who are solution-oriented, and I have been around coaches who see, focus on and talk more about the weaknesses of their athletes and their teams.

When I am around coaches who focus on weaknesses and what they can't do, the feeling in the gym or field is more negative, depressing, and there is less positive energy. These coaches tend to punish more than they teach, and the athletes are more defensive than they are coachable. The athletes are disengaged, the coach is in a bad mood, and those teams don't have as much success as other teams that I am around.

When I am around coaches who focus on strengths and what their teams can do, the feeling in the gym or field is more happy and hopeful, and the athletes are more engaged. The coaches tend to teach and correct more than they punish, and the energy and the level of execution are higher because the coaches know what their athletes are capable of and hold them accountable to a high standard.

I enjoy being around, working with and playing for coaches who identify and build on their athletes' strengths, and who encourage, motivate, and inspire their athletes in everything that they do. That does not mean that they live in a fantasy land where they don't address weaknesses. The approach and mindset are just different, it is more positive, and it seems to help everyone learn more, grow more, and have more joy in the process.

These experiences have led me to live and lead with strengths.

WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS?

Start every day believing in yourself and believing in your kids. Identify and focus on your strengths and believe in your ability to do great things, then push yourself to learn, grow, and do a little better every day.

ASK YOURSELF - WHAT ARE MY THREE GREATEST STRENGTHS AS A PARENT?

Success is a journey that lasts a lifetime, but and the first part of that journey is believing in your ability to make it through, to the end. Start your journey by identifying your strengths. What do you do best? Write down three things that you do best.

ASK YOURSELF - WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF YOUR KIDS? WHAT DO THEY DO GREAT?

Fall in love with the habit of looking at and celebrating your strengths and the strengths of those around you, learn how to talk about your strengths and the strengths of those around you, and use those strengths as a way to deepen relationships and build underdeveloped skills. Our kids' motivation to learn and achieve is directly affected by our confidence in their potential and in our confidence in our own ability to nurture this potential.

ASK YOUR KIDS - WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR THREE GREATEST STRENGTHS ARE?

Have them practice identifying, talking about, and celebrating their strengths. When we talk about our strengths, it makes us feel better about ourselves. Have your kids write down what they think their three greatest strengths are. Create a plan or process where they read those a few times per week so that they never forget to focus on and celebrate the good things that they do.

Science tells us that when we think about, talk about, and celebrate our strengths, our bodies release chemicals called endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in our bodies and make us feel better.