Hey there,
Last weekend my eldest’s hockey team made it to their junior league finals.
This was after a months-long season where they lost every game - by a lot.
I found that after a team is down 5-0, the referee stops updating the scoreboard for the kids.
My daughter usually told me the actual score afterward. But she was never discouraged.
And the team started learning to pass and skate faster when the playoffs began. For the first time, they won a few games.
Somehow this got them to the championship. They played a great game - and lost 0-8.
She’s already excited for the next season. This experience got me thinking about coaching and resilience.
Celebrate and encourage others’ potential.
This pattern of watching a child try and fail at something for months— without getting discouraged - is familiar. From learning to stand and walk to trying to read.
We celebrate their successes, and they keep trying. It’s obvious that the level they operated at today was not where they would be in a year.
Our role as a parent — or leaders — is to give others the opportunity and support to progress. This matters in terms of how you view developing others.
It is safer to keep employees doing what they already know. And it’s easy to judge newer employees for making mistakes we would no longer make.
But this attitude is a terrible way to build a person’s career – or even retain them.
Practice = growth
Since becoming a parent, I’ve found it easier to see others’ potential.
For instance, years ago, I had an employee who was nervous about public speaking. She knew her fear needed fixing to build her impact at the company, so we set a plan that began with her talking in weekly team meetings.
I knew from my kids that providing an opportunity to practice wasn’t enough. Providing reassurance that you’ll be there to catch them is equally important.
I listened to her rehearsals and gave pointers. Soon she signed up to give an all-company update. Within two years, she was leading high-stakes client presentations.
Like a proud parent, I always knew she’d get there.
Cheers,
Robin
P.S. What do you think of this week’s post?