Answer This One Question To Finally Reach Your Potential

But you must answer honestly

It’s late.

I’m sitting at my desk. A small lamp is lighting the open page of my notebook.

I’m trying to figure out a key piece of the game plan for our upcoming game. And if I can just work out this one last detail, I can call it a day.

But it’s just not coming to me.

Until, in a flash of inspiration, I remind myself of one key question.

The question at the centre of all my decisions as a coach:

Who are we?

Suddenly, the solution is right in front of me.

It’s so obvious!

I jot it down, nod to myself as I look it over briefly, and close my notebook for the night.

Who are you?

Every team has an identity.

Are you a fast team, built on speed? Or a big, strong team? Or a veteran team? A smart team? A cohesive team?

You can win with any type of team, as long as you understand your identity.

It all comes down to self-awareness.

A vital component to success, both on and off the football field.

Why does it matter?

As a coach, you’re forced to make a lot of decisions.

Decisions about personnel, schemes, play calls, etc.

If you attack each of these decisions independently, in a vacuum, it can become overwhelming.

If you are instead tethered to a core identity, things become much simpler.

Subtle Details

Your core identity will get you started, but understanding the subtleties of your situation will supercharge your progress.

Perhaps you’re a big, strong team, except out at the corners of the Defence where you have a lot of speed.

Now you’re starting to see the complete picture. The complex realities of a unique team, one that has never existed before and will never exist again.

Now you’re ready to fly.

Off the Field

We all have a core identity.

And just like with any football team, we have a bunch of subtleties out near the edges.

That’s the good stuff.

Understanding and accepting our identities can be a life’s work.

But the closer we get to answering this question, the further we can go.