Commentary
In September of 2009, I sat in the Cleveland Indians visitor dugout with my hitting coach Greg Walker. I told him how frustrated I was with my performance that season. I found myself starting to come with reasons. Lack of playing time, bad match-ups, the complexity of a bench role. Then I stopped, looked at him and said, “No more excuses, I need your help to show me how to get better.”
“Ownership” is the word that comes to mind when we talk about this with our athletes and teams. Over the course of my 30’s I have begun to discover traits in people I look up to either personally or in reading about. I love to read and I have a backlog of books that I am hoping to read over the course of 2019!
I see over and over with great leaders this one trait that stand out…Ownership. When things go bad and mistakes are made it usually has nothing to do with the person directly, yet they take ownership. They seize accountability. They don’t avoid it. When something goes wrong, they seek responsibility instead of avoiding it and figure out what they can do to correct course. Their calmness, desire to make it right, and their refusal to allow the event to change their state is mirrored by those around them.
Why am I talking about this? Parents! If you want your athlete to be hard working, kind, passionate for school, enjoy learning, the list goes on… ARE THEY SEEING THIS IN YOU? Be honest with yourself and take inventory of what you are displaying daily in front of your athlete. You are their largest influencer until adulthood.
Athlete see, athlete do…
Dream Big,
Lesson
MIRROR NEURONS HELP US:
- • Influence others’ emotional state
- • Encourage group interaction
- • Teach children important life skills
Your Turn
ASK YOURSELF:
- • How are you influencing the team with the emotions and actions you convey?
- • Have you ever been affected by a teammate or classmate in a negative way by the way they were acting?
- • Have you ever been affected in a positive way by a teammate or classmate in a positive way by the way they were acting?
Start mentally recording your behaviors and see what kind of positive impact you can make when you are more intentional with your actions.
LEARN MORE: https://blog.cognifit.com/mirror-neurons/
Final Thoughts
~ G. Rizzolatti
“We are social beings. Our survival depends on our understanding the actions, intentions, and emotions of others. Mirror neurons allow us to understand other people’s mind, not only through conceptual reasoning but through imitation. Feeling, not thinking.”
