Negativity Is a Losing Mindset

'A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.'

I coach my son’s U11 football team. I am just the line coach, but the dudes who coach with me are also in the same mindset as I am. Positivity wins. Let’s start off with last weekend’s game. It’s 0-0, the opening kickoff is a short one and we fall on it. You can hear our coaches getting our kids fired up and getting the offense ready for play. POSITIVE statements. A lot of ''Let’s Go!' and energy. On the other sideline, you hear the coaches angrily yelling at their players for the execution of the kick. First play from scrimmage, our line makes every block and opens the outside for our running back to score. You hear their coaches furiously yelling as we celebrate. We celebrated and our fullback punched in the extra point. After the kickoff, our defense held them to four and out. We got the ball again, touchdown. Extra point good. 14-0 in two offensive plays.s Their coaches were still mad. Angry. Yelling. We smiled, encouraged our kids, and ended up with a 42-0 mercy-rule win. Our players are awesome, but not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest. It’s all about culture and what you’re playing for.

We demand a lot of our athletes. Learn your plays, DO YOUR JOB, and we will win. Every Tuesday after we win, I buy my linemen doughnuts and give them to everyone, telling them that a random lineman (changes weekly) said everyone deserves doughnuts. We don’t punish every mistake with extra running and up-downs. We focus on what we do RIGHT, and not what we do wrong. The other game one of my linemen got called for a hold. He came off the field expecting to be scolded. I put my arm around him and said, 'What happened?' He explained it and then I said, 'You’re better than that guy, you don’t need to hold. Show the world how dominant you are!' He didn’t get one call the rest of the game and crushed it. This is also my management style at work. Managers are usually garbage. You can do 1,000 things right and you mess up once and your manager attacks you. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO MANAGE! Employees typically respond better to positivity, and numerous studies have found that positive reinforcement and a positive work environment can significantly improve employee motivation, performance, and well-being. Here are some reasons why, supported by various studies:

• Increased Productivity
• Better Decision-Making Abilities
• Boosts Creativity
• Enhanced Team Collaboration