Improving Coaches Abilities To Zoom Out.

Question One: What stops coaches from being able to zoom out?

Question Two: Instead of being consumed, how can we better zoom out and see the big picture?

Improving the skill of dialing in our focus in both wide frames and within a tight window. Seeing the forest for what it is, seeing individual trees, their interaction, and the interaction's impact. My thoughts are directed specifically towards training but could easily be applied to life outside of sport.

I asked this question of myself and my close friend as it has recently caused me to pause frequently. We work so hard to be present and not get caught up in the moment on autopilot. While in the same moment being able to think long-term impact, play the game, not be satisfied with instant gratification, and extend time horizons.

It is yin yang. We want to optimize performance with a blend of both.

Seeing the forest for what it is. Seeing the trees for what they are. Understanding the interaction.

HEALTH: One of the greatest impacts on our ability to zoom out effectively is our health. Good health practices set the stage to have greater clarity, especially in those extremely stressful situations. Poor health creates situations where you are unable to tap in and bring your absolute best to training/coaching, as well as those stressful decisions having a greater cost. Improve our overall health to drive our performance as coaches which in return has a greater positive impact on our student-athletes (sleep, physical, fueling choices, energy management, stress + rest = growth, etc).

PERSPECTIVE: Improving your perspective through collaborating with others or creating opportunities to gain value is another way to improve on the ability to zoom out. Perspective can be gained by simply asking “Can I call you, ask some questions, and walk you through what I am currently seeing?” Part of zooming out is asking for help. Being able to put your ego aside and ask for feedback is a cornerstone of zooming out. I do not believe you can maximize the effectiveness of zooming out or zooming in by doing it alone.

My close friend inspired me with this specifically. It is not only asking for help or feedback. It is creating opportunities to get feedback and change your current view by inviting a change to your coaching environment. For example, having a parent or peer observe training can cause a moment of pause. In that moment of pause, you complete a quick scan of training and yourself to assess "am I proud of what we are doing?" Within that moment it isn’t even about their feedback it is the personal work you are doing on your own that was created by their attendance.

LIFE: Having a life and expressing range outside of your current role provides you an opportunity to zoom out in a better way when you come back to the training and coaching. Coming back to that big decision or writing out training plans with a fresh start after investing in yourself differently. A clear mind and better thinking about the current situation through engaging with something that has nothing to do with the craft you already dedicate so much time and energy towards. You can better see the forest, see the trees, their interaction, and long term impact by solely stepping back and coming back later.

Similar concept to Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” Sharpen your ax by investing in your life and health. Executing at a higher level by being able to zoom in and out.

Make Health A Priority.

Changing Perspectives & Feedback Loops.

Have A Life Outside of Your Current Role.