There is much we can learn from best in the world coaches that we can apply to our pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance and encouraging others to do the same.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
Across all levels of sport and performance, in particular at high competitive levels, coaches perform indispensable and essential roles. At the core, one of the fundamental purposes of a coach is to foster a culture amongst the athletes in which each individual is able to grow, improve, and perform to their highest level. When we consider best in the world coaches, there are many things we can learn from how they go about their roles and the philosophies they utilize. Of course, there are many different approaches to coaching which can have similar outcomes. The purpose of this article is to consider two highly successful coaches from different sports who have similar philosophies that can be readily applied to the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete.
Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll are widely considered to be two of the more successful and influential coaches in their respective sports. Phil Jackson is a professional basketball coach who is now retired. He won 11 championships while coaching the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Chicago Bulls he won six championships over the course of two three-peats and won an additional five with the Los Angeles Lakers. These accomplishments have him widely considered to be the best coach in NBA history. It is noteworthy that across both of the professional teams, he was able to manage conflicting and challenging personalities, as well as encourage players to take on roles which at first they may have been reluctant to do, and consistently related to his players in a way that allowed them to play to their highest capacity.
Pete Carroll is a football coach who is one of very few that have won championships at the collegiate and professional levels. He was the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years and was the most successful coach for that franchise, including winning their only Super Bowl. He has recently started coaching the Las Vegas Raiders. Similar to Phil Jackson, Pete Carroll is known for his ability to foster a culture and environment for his teams that allows each individual to perform to their highest level. One of his particular philosophies that he has described is his approach to “learn the learner“. By this, he describes an emphasis on understanding each athlete and the specific backgrounds, interests, and goals that they may have. With this information, he is then able to relate to and connect strongly with the players, fostering an ability for them to pursue their fullest potential and play at their highest level.
As can be seen from the description of each of these coaches, they are both highly successful in their respective sports. More importantly, the relationships they were able to develop amongst the players on their teams allowed each of their teams to perform at a high level. In addition, these coaches are fondly remembered by their players as being strong and influential coaches able to manage complicated team dynamics, bring the most out of their players, and cultivate an atmosphere which was widely enjoyed amongst the team.
While it is undoubtably the case that each of these coaches also required a tremendous amount of hard work and attention to craft specific skills and details, there is another learning point which can be applied towards the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance that is common to both. Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll were able to create a culture and environment for their teams which allowed their players to perform at their highest level. Within their teams, role players were able to play prominent roles at various times, contributing to the team and winning championships. It is instructive to learn from these two excellent coaches regarding this common element of creating an environment that allowed their players to be at their best. This directly translates to the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete.
Ultimately, from my perspective, both coaches were able to develop strong connections with their players. The methods they each used may have differed to some degree, but the end result was similar. They were able to form a strong bond with their players and facilitate similar bonds amongst many of their players as well. This created a sense of belonging amongst the players and coaches. From the perspective of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, this strong bond and connection would provide important cues towards anchored and grounded states amongst the team. As noted in past articles, the mobilized state, consisting of a hybrid blended state between anchored and grounded states and activated states is the preferred state for human performance. For this reason, by developing a strong connection amongst the team and facilitating anchored and grounded states, both coaches were able to foster an environment conducive to entering the preferred state for performance. They facilitated entry into the optimal performance state for their players, as well as the other coaches.
In addition, through relating strongly and bonding well with the players, the coaches were able to facilitate social engagement between the coaches and players. This provides further cues towards anchored and grounded states. The philosophy of accepting their players as unique individuals and fostering their individuality while maintaining an overall team first concept is similar to both of these coaches.
From the perspective of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, this would create a sense of belonging amongst the players and coaches through social engagement and the interactions amongst the members of the team. Overall, this would foster stronger anchored and grounded states than would an adversarial or confrontational system common to many other team environments. On account of the strength of the anchored and grounded states which both Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll seem to have developed amongst their teams, they were able to facilitate and essentially leverage the biology of each of member of their teams such that they could perform at an optimal level.
When considered from the paradigm described above, it becomes evident how these two great coaches have been as successful as they have in their respective sports. In order for individuals to perform at their highest level and on a consistent basis, it is necessary for their biological states to regularly and consistently shift into preferred states for performance. Given the inherent nature of competitive and professional sports, it is more likely that the players would inherently shift towards activated, attacking, and perhaps anxious states due to the surrounding environment and cues across the internal, external, and relational pathways. By providing cues towards anchored and grounded states, both coaches were able to facilitate shifts into the blended performance states described above. In addition, through the strong connection, bond, and sense of belonging they were able to strengthen anchored and grounded states as well as develop an environment in which the individuals would effectively influence the biological state of those around them towards optimal states for performance.
It is important to emphasize that there is no indication that either coach was aware of these principles or intentionally worked within this framework. By looking at the patterns of similarity between the two coaches and their teams from the perspective of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, this analysis is developed. It appears as though both Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll instinctively knew and embodied these concepts and principles and applied them across their teams.
The common element amongst these two coaches was respecting all players and encouraging their uniqueness as individuals. This fostered a greater sense of belonging and connection which resulted in shifts toward anchored and grounded states. We can directly apply this in working with others. We can follow the example of these coaches and foster a sense of belonging through accepting the uniqueness of the individuals around us and cultivating connection and strong bonds amongst members of our teams. When applying this principle to ourselves, this translates to greater self-compassion and self-acceptance. It is important to note that these concepts are foundational even amongst best in the world coaches in the domain of competitive professional sports. These attributes typically emerge from anchored and grounded states, indicating the importance of applying the mind-based and body-based skills to strengthen and shift towards these states.
We can learn from both of these coaches regarding the importance of providing cues towards anchored and grounded states. This applies to both ourselves as well as those around us. In essence, we are always coaching. We may be coaching ourselves or those around us. We are coaching many attributes, including the skills, strategies, and tactics necessary to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. By learning the common element between Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll, described above, we can apply these lessons within our own lives and those around us.
In order to optimize the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, a common element is the provision of cues towards anchored and grounded states. This allows us and those around us to leverage our respective biology towards the optimal biological state in any given moment. When we are in a performance domain, this would be shifting into the optimal performance state. Outside of high performance domains, we may choose to shift into anchored and grounded states to promote connection to ourself, those around us, and our surrounding environment, such that we are able to engage socially, as well as restore and recover.
As can be seen from the above discussion, there are important lessons which can be learned from both of these highly successful professional sports coaches. In order to optimally embody the mind-based and body-based skills within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete and foster the ability of those around us to do likewise, it is important that we create a culture which is supportive of this endeavor. Ultimately, this most often requires promoting anchored and grounded states which is strongly facilitated through cues of connection and belonging. This is important across each of the three pathways, specifically, the internal, external, and relational pathways.
To learn more including about polyvagal informed coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
REFERENCES
Caroll, PN with Roth, Y. Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion. New York: Penguin Group, 2011.
Jackson P, Delehanty H. Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. New York: Penguin Books, 2013.