By Rory Weishaar
(April 2, 2023)
Whether I am teaching athletic administration or coaching classes, I often educate students about making positive connections with everyone. I discuss the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) regarding the connections we make; specifically, regarding those within the coaching milieu. With TPD, the intention is married to perceptions about performing certain behaviors (tasks), and that’s why I harp on making positive connections – they create positive perceptions.
For example, when I coached football and needed maintenance on the equipment we used for practices, I completed a maintenance order. The order would go on the school district’s “maintenance list.” Unfortunately, the maintenance list was often prioritized by when the order came in. If there were ten orders ahead of my submittal, I would have to wait. Luckily, I also found out the maintenance list could be reprioritized by the head of maintenance. In this scenario, arguing with the head of maintenance does no good because he holds the power in this situation. I needed the practice equipment daily, and if I could not use it an important part of my practice plans (and progression in player skills) could be compromised.
This is where positive connections can help with perception and control. Because I had made it a point to create positive connections with the head of maintenance (and his staff), I was able to go to him; tell him about player skill development at the beginning of the season, and ask if the equipment could get fixed right away. I even told him I could help if he needed me to.
When I was first hired as a coach, one of the most important things for me was not only getting to know my athletes, coaches, teachers, and parents, but also making positive connections with maintenance workers, custodians, kitchen staff, bus drivers, business owners, and community members. The connection piece with each person for me was quite simple: don’t talk about football (unless asked) with them. I employed active listening. All the conversations should be about them, their families, their backgrounds, hobbies, and other areas of interest that mattered to them. The connections made had to be positive and lasting. It was never a one-and-done conversation.
When I needed assistance with the practice equipment, the positive connections with the head of maintenance paid off. He told me he could fix the equipment right away because he had some time that day based on his “to-do list.” He said no thanks for the help, he could do it by himself or enlist another maintenance person. My positive connection with him paid off!
The impact of positive connections can be attributed to the brain’s chemical serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical that gives humans the feeling of pride because we are individuals being respected by others. Serotonin is the reason for us becoming more confident within our social orders and feeling accepted and valuable. The chemical gives us the confidence to work toward goals for everyone, not just ourselves, and we feel pride from accomplishing those goals. Serotonin can give people a chemical “high” from those accomplishments. Importantly, the chemical helps us form and reinforce bonds among people with whom we socialize.
A coach can make positive connections by stimulating their serotonin responses through socially positive interactions. Continued reinforcement of the positive connections within and around the coach’s program can make the coach’s job easier if they need to ask for favors, donations, help with goal-oriented tasks, or any activity that needs to be done surrounding their sport program. If the coach has established positive connections and successfully boosted serotonin levels, people want to help and truly feel like they are contributing to the success of the program.
