On behalf of the Amateur Softball Association, welcome to the December issue of the ACE Coach monthly email from ASA Director of Coaching Education and two-time Olympic Coach Mike Candrea: Candrea on Coaching. As a youth sports coach, you naturally want to prepare your team to win as many games as possible, and as a Responsible Coach, you want to prepare your players to win off the field, too. The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program is proud to bring you this series in which Coach Candrea will provide you with coaching tips and resources that you can use for the betterment of your youth softball team.

December 22, 2009
Volume I, Issue 12

The Effects of Positivity

December is one of the greatest times of the year!  As we begin to decorate our homes for the holiday season and enjoy the anticipation of family gatherings, we often make promises as we ring in the New Year to become better spouses, parents, children and even coaches!  It is also a special time for me knowing that we are just around the corner from another season of highs and lows.  Have you ever thought about the effects that we can have on people just by eliminating the negativity in our relationships, work environment and of course, our teams?

I just finished reading the book titled "How Full is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.  I was so impressed with the message that I felt it would be a great time to encourage you to think about your approach to people in the work place and on your team.  We all know how great we feel when someone gives us a compliment or surprises us with a kind note, text or email.  It is something that takes very little time, yet it has long lasting effects. 

As coaches, we are quick to find the things that kids don't do well, which is the nature of coaching. But how often do we acknowledge the good things that are happening with a player, on our team, or in the work place?  With a little thought regarding the impact of positivity, we as coaches have the ability to master one of the most important factors of productivity.  Our ability to manage people will have a direct affect on performance and relationships in the work place and on the field with our kids. 

I would like to share a powerful theory from this outstanding book.

The "Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket" hits home the Responsible Sports team and the principle of filling our youth softball players' emotional tanks. Emotional tanks are just like a cars gas tank, when its full we can go anywhere, but when its empty, we can't go at all, just like the invisible bucket! Former Olympian Jessica Mendoza talks about how her parents played a critical emotional role in her life. Her dad helped her stay focused on the game, while her mom supported her heart. Watch her Parents' Role video! Check out the Responsible Sports Media Library for more of videos of Jessica Mendoza, her parents giving their point of view, Coach Candrea, a youth softball coach and more!

The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket:

• Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it's empty, we feel awful.

• Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use that dipper to fill other people's buckets by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from other's buckets by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions we diminish ourselves.

• Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic.

• But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy, and undermines our will. That's why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.

So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill each others buckets, or we can dip from them. I's an important choice, one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness.

A simple fact is that 9 out of 10 people say they are more productive when they're around positive people.  We live in a negative culture and it is our job as parents, coaches, and leaders to do our part in always being the bucket filler!

Wishing you and your families a happy Holiday Season!

Coach Candrea