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By Jeff Roux B.P.E.; CSCS “Be Curious, not judgemental.” – Ted Lasso (probably not Walt Whitman) The world of health, fitness and performance is filled with ideas, philosophies and opinions. In most cases (I hope) it is also backed up by science. Science has taken a bit of a hit lately in this new post-pandemic world. In many cases peer reviewed research and studies are well behind real-life experiences and demonstrable results before they become accepted as facts. I never feel that I have the absolute answer to anything. I have my own opinions, formed from my own education, experiences and learning opportunities along the way. In the internet world there is plenty of information available, the difficulty is being able to sort through it enough to separate fact from fiction and information from misinformation, or even worse, dis-information. Information is data. It is raw, unadulterated and non-discriminatory. What happens to it next, is not. Misinformation, outlines facts in a way that skews a narrative in a specific direction but is not always representative of what those facts actually say. Disinformation is taking that data and manipulating it to intentionally mislead people into an alternative decision. These days, it is a lot to decipher.
Always Be information. Once you can confidently arrive in this place, no matter where that opinion lands, it will be the correct one, for you. Curiosity makes athletes better learners and coaches, better teachers. As soon as you think you know everything, you stop being curious, you stop learning, and you stop getting better. One of the best shows available to watch these days is on Apple + called, Ted Lasso. If you had not heard of it before, it certainly hit everyone’s radar when it cleaned up at the Emmy Awards. Ted is an American Football Coach hired to coach a Premiere League Soccer team, initially with the expectation that the team will fail so that the newly divorced owner can get back at her cheating ex-husband who loves the team and lost it to her in the divorce settlement. But Ted is not your usual coach. He may not know much about football/soccer, but he knows people. Ted’s gift is understanding what people want and need to make them happy; he helps them see these things more clearly in themselves and in each other. He is curious about what makes each individual person tick, what motivates them. He also helps them understand this in themselves better as well. This is a true coaching secret weapon. As Ted’s positive energy and spreads, a true culture shift begins to evolve the team to a place where the outcomes of the game, become less important than the emotional growth of the players, which then ultimately leads to more successful outcomes for the team. Funny how that works. In my opinion, this model of kindness, empathy, and building a positive culture and atmosphere will create a winning environment.
The best way to handle this information overload, is to ask questions, to consider alternative sides of a discussion and most importantly, to be curious.
The A-B-Cs of coaching: A – Always B – Be C – Curious and, A – Always B – Be C – Coaching Curiosity starts with asking questions and considering as much information as possible before establishing an opinion. Not, simply considering enough information until you are convinced that what you already believe is true, but until you know that what you have learned is a true interpretation of the
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