My job is to be relentlessly positive.
The people I get to work with have to get better at something, but we need to view that as a positive experience. No matter where they are in their development or how quickly it is going, improvement is always possible.
Now, sometimes bad things happen, but we can make those negative experiences a positive experience if we can just be mindful. Let me give you an example.
I had an NBA rookie I was working with. He was off to a very good start and had already improved a lot. In college he shot 42% from the free throw line, and we were half way through his rookie year and he was already up to 65%. We were all thrilled with his progress.
Then he broke a bone in his foot and was going to out for a month. Bad news.
But he and I quickly came up with a plan. The first thing I said to him was “As much as this sucks, we are being given a chance that most people don’t get. We can use this time to refine a skill even more in the middle of the season.”
We identified a little skill that he was better at, but that he could still improve even more on . I showed him the detail, showed him the importance, and then showed him how he could work on that skill while sitting in a chair.
He bought in. He held himself accountable to improving this tiny detail that seemed so small and insignificant. He worked every day to get a little better.
Once he was able to play again, he finished the season shooting 84% from the free throw line for the last two months.
All we did was identify an opportunity that was disguised as a setback. People saw the disappointment in not being able to play, we saw the chance to practice more. There are all kinds of these little choices out there, we just have to be willing to identify them and shift our perception of “work” to fit the challenge.
