There are some choices that you can make, and some you can’t.

There are some choices that you can make, and some you can’t.

From what I see people aren’t as tuned into this quote as they may like to think.
 

Because making choices that you can’t make causes issues and in some cases friction.
 

See first of all we have to explore that persons world. What is in their world, how did they get where they have gotten. What motivates them, what drives them, their strengths and weaknesses. This is true, however I believe there are short cuts to this, which I call levers. For example, you are confident which is your lever, your confidence creates trust in that other person.
 

I guess this issue keeps coming into my mind because of football. I follow a team which aren’t very good at the moment. And from what I can tell there are opposing forces, people making decisions they can’t make and a general lack of togetherness and people ‘pulling in the same direction’.
 

I feel like some coaches are putting themselves at the centre of the group and others on the perimeter looking in. I think the coach should be outside the circle making sure that the environment is productive in achieving what their goal is.
 

If we are coaching a professional sports team, what are our levers that we can use to control behaviour.
 

Money – Earning money (game payments, bonuses) may affect their behaviour, but more likely to effect their level of happiness and belonging positively when getting paid, and negatively when not. Not having enough money will affect their behaviour.
 

Selection (playing or not playing) – This is a big one for coaches. I think this should be a known, written down contract for the players so they can make their own decision on selection. E.g. if you are playing in the two’s and you achieve a certain amount of goals or goal average then you get put into the ones. That is very simple, more likely there would be a lot of thought put into this document.
 

Contracts – Having a contract with the club would affect behaviour. Players would most likely really want to be apart of the club as the job would be better than what awaits them in the ‘real world’
 

Our attention – Coaches and all assistants attention will affect behaviour of the players. Positive, negative reinforcement and punishment all can be used to affect behaviour. Direct intervention would be wise to avoid but
 

Their time – Players time is something that coaches can use to affect behaviour. Giving them more time will reinforce beliefs, create morale. But so too will having the players see gains for their sacraficies.

Some decisions that coaches can’t make is ‘to win a premiership or championship’. The players are the ones who score the points. They can only really prepare the players.
 

This coach/players situation is one example of dealing with people, when you are put in charge. Dating is another instance when you are dealing with people. And also in that situation there are some choices that you can make, and some that you can’t.
 

What you do, i.e. be confident, will affect the other person, i.e. create trust. So if we understand our choices (our levers), we can better control the world around us and how we interact with it.
 
Hope this helps...
 
Joehann.

Please excuse the delay, I do have a few half finished posts in the works :)