"In life and in sports, I have always believed that one of the most important decisions you can make is: Choosing your surroundings in terms of people and environment." - "Habits That Make A Champion" by Allistair McCaw
Our environments shape us. In Freakonomics, readers learned that one of the prime educational factors was the number of books in the home. Exposure to books impacts childhood learning.
Our training environment matters...the culture and the people who surround us.
LeBron James invests over a million dollars annually in his training environment - nutrition, sleep, mindfulness, basketball.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski's fingerprints are all over The Bear...and he didn't know it. “The other thing is that you’re not gonna get there alone. You know, be on a team. Surround yourself with good people and learn how to listen. You’re not gonna learn with you just talking. And when you do talk, converse, don’t make excuses. Figure out the solution, and you don’t have to figure it out yourself. I always wanted to be part of a team. And obviously, I wanted to lead that team. What an interesting life it is to be a leader.”
Environment includes where we train, with whom we train, how we train, and freedom from distractions. Excellence doesn't survive distractions.
The "self-made man" remains a myth. Everyone gets help as "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Recognize this and share credit. "Althea Gibson, one of the first black athletes to cross the color line of international Tennis and the first African American to win a Grand Slam title once said, “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”" - Allistair McCaw in Habits That Make a Champion
Paraphrasing Harry Bosch, the Michael Connelly hero, "Everything counts or nothing counts."
Improve Our Training Environment
- Surround ourselves with good people and listen.
- Find a mentor.
- Invest in yourself. Excellence extracts a price.
- Train without distractions.
- Recognize people and things holding us back.
Lagniappe. Allistair McCaw shares environmental musts. His Habits That Make a Champion is a must read for coaches.
10 Traits of a High Performing Training Environment:
- Involves people of high character
- Drives high standards and values
- There is psychological safety
- Has competent coaches and support personnel
- Is growth minded
- There is consistent feedback provided
- Includes other high performing athletes
- Provides the appropriate facilities and equipment
- Motivates the athlete to work harder
- Teaches life skills, not only athletic skills
