My 16-year old son just started playing on the high school volleyball team. The sport is fairly new to me and I’m learning that there are funny names for the various positions and many different “plays” to learn, just like in football.
Unlike many other sports though, I’ve observed that when someone messes up on the court, the other players go out of their way to encourage the person with high-fives and pat’s on the back. You can just see them saying, “It’s ok, you’ll do better next time.” This doesn’t happen just every once in a while, but every time someone makes a mistake. (I’m seeing this alot lately because 80% of the boys have never played the game before.)
What a good lesson for all of us. A person – on our staff or in our family – is more apt to improve their performance with positive strokes rather than negative or non-existent strokes. A pat on the back can go a long way. Especially, when the person knows they messed up. It takes diligence, patience and an honest desire to help someone change. One pat won’t do the trick.
How are you treating the people around you? What are you modeling? How do you want people treating your mistakes?
My son is really enjoying this new sport and his team. He’s a perfectionist just like me. He has often gotten frustrated and wanted to quit a new sport in the first few weeks. I’m sure the way they treat each other’s “learning” has helped his attitude stay positive.
What do you need to do differently for your team?
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