Start With I

I always want to coach players that start with "I." When I ask them what went wrong, why they are struggling, or what they have to do to improve, they start by saying "I have to..." They talk about what they have to do better.

Too often you hear players talk about what happened to them. When things aren't going well, they immediately go to everything else around them. The officials weren't very good, they double-teamed me right away. If someone asks them about why they didn't play much, they'll say "well, coach didn't give me a lot a minutes..." If they start answer the question with "they..." they aren't taking full accountability.

I want to be around people who own their situation immediately. There are always outside factors that impact what happens to you. But no one needs to hear that. And whatever those factors are, they aren't going to help you. What can help you is what you can control. I want to coach guys who own what they control and take full accountability for what happens to them.