just one of the top five traits that players hope for in a coach. The other four are relational by nature—traits of a mentor, teacher, and coach.
“Coaches can often be more helpful to a young player’s development by organizing less, saying less, and allowing the players to do more.”6 As coaches we need to create an environment that naturally empowers and encourages players to do more. An empowered player gains the self-confidence to take initiative in doing more, which fuels their creativity, imagination, and passion and creates even greater momentum and motivation.
Youth sports is such a large demographic that no one really knows how many kids are participating annually, but I’ve seen figures estimating that somewhere between 30 to 45 million kids annually participate in organized youth sports in America alone.
If each kid participated in just one organized sport annually, then the preceding number means there will be possibly 300 to 450 million opportunities over the next decade for a coach to positively impact a child during a season of youth sports. This is a generational opportunity, but let us put aside the number of kids for a moment and focus on what may be the more important figure.
An estimated 3.5 million youth coaches in America are coaching these 30 to 45 million kids a year. That averages out to about 1 coach for every 10 kids participating in organized sports, and this number may not accurately reflect the millions of part-time parent coaches. According to the Stack.com article, the larger challenge facing youth sports is finding qualified coaches. If only 36 percent of 3.5 million coaches have training in effective motivational techniques, then roughly 2.25 million coaches have a need for a practical tool like the GET MOR3EE formula. If the NAYS estimate of only 5 to 10 percent of youth coaches having any relevant training is anywhere close to accurate, then there is a massive need to meet.
Whenever I hear a story from parents or coaches about a coach’s poor behavior or seeming lack of coaching ability, I ask them why they think that is the case. The majority of the responses include a reference to the coach as “unequipped.” Unequipped is exactly what the Alpine Group study describes. Equipping coaches is the greatest value of the GET MOR3EE formula. There is a clear need to equip coaches with a simple motivational tool to apply in coaching their players and teams. If we can do that, I think we will begin to have fewer complaints about the lack of coaching ability. If we do hear “unequipped” associated with the description of a coach’s ability to lead and motivate, then instead of being constantly frustrated, we have a way to encourage and equip more coaches, not just to be more positive but also to be empowering leaders and role models for our youth.
CHAPTER 2
THE GET MOR3EE FORMULA
The GET MOR3EE formula for coaches is so simple to teach and apply. This book organizes the many principles of winning motivational coaching into a simple-to-recall formula for applying in your teams. Whether you are a new coach or a 30-year veteran, the GET MOR3EE formula for motivating and encouraging your teams to higher achievement will improve your coaching acumen. GET MOR3EE is an acronym for the properties that compose the formula I’m sharing with you.
In this chapter I summarize the seven properties that make up the GET MOR3EE formula for you. The properties mentioned more than likely won’t be anything you haven’t heard before. You may even practice some application of these properties already in your coaching. They are all components of effective leadership and coaching. I simply organized the properties into an easy-to-recall system and formula for practical application with my teams.
Don’t get hung up on the ordering of the properties too much. I do think the acronym helps as a reminder to think about them in this order, but I believe that as long as you are making sure to connect and touch on each of these properties with your team, you will have success. Motivation and ownership are definitely more foundational, so I like to start with establishing the foundation of those components with my players and team. I try to convey the concept of ownership early with my teams, as the R3 properties are best enhanced and understood through the concept of ownership. Encouragement can and should be sprinkled around anywhere and everywhere. You may even begin the relationship by encouraging a person, and that is what brings them into a relationship with you. Encouragement is effective anywhere. Empowerment is the product we are seeking as a result of mixing together the other properties fully.
Developing your understanding and building your coaching acumen in any one of the properties will help you develop as a coach, but learning how to mix them all together and why will equip you to take your players and your team to heights that you and they didn’t know they could go. Whether you are a new coach or 20-year veteran, I applaud you for being curious and seeking additional ideas for getting the most out of your teams. Maybe you are looking to break through to the playoffs for the first time or desiring a systematic approach for motivating your players.
Whatever your motivation as a coach, I challenge you to put GET MOR3EE into practice with your team during your next season. Each season your team is a new mystery, and the GET MOR3EE formula can help you decipher the clues to solve the mystery and find the keys for unlocking your team’s greatest potential.
Let’s look briefly at each property of the GET MOR3EE formula.
MOTIVATION: Motivation is the ability to inspire someone to something more. To truly inspire is to breathe life into another. Another factor is getting to know your people and understanding their motives. Discovering their “have-to” and “want-to.”
OWNERSHIP: Ownership is the value individuals bring to a role and the equity they create in it. When individuals avoid taking ownership, they are just consuming and using everything and everyone around them and not adding value to themselves or anyone else. They are not building equity in themselves or within the team. Equity is where there is worth. Equity is valuable. We need to instill a sense of ownership in our people, and they will increase their investment into the team. The concept of ownership is the foundation of R3.
R3 = RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT, REWARDS: This is illustrated as R to the third power in the GET MOR3EE acronym to help the leader understand that these three things aren’t to be added upon each other sequentially but are to be thought of as multiplied together to a power. Power is the appropriate word, because responsibility, respect, and rewards are all powerful drivers in a high achiever. Together they are explosive. As a leader, I need to understand how to align these needs of the individual with the mission of the organization. The better I can do this, the higher potential payout from the individual.
Diagram 1: The Three Rs and Motivation
RESPONSIBILITY: The individual made an investment and accepted some ownership; now give them some responsibility. Set a standard and present a clear picture of the role. Explain the duties of the role. Convey your expectations of them in that role and ask them if they are ready to accept ownership of those responsibilities. Confirm their commitment.
RESPECT: Respect is a vital part of any relationship and this process. It’s no coincidence that respect is at the heart of this formula. Respect fosters the goodwill of the organization. Without respect the formula is unsustainable. It would be akin to ripping the battery out of your car. It disrupts the function of all the other components and takes the energy. If you have a person who will not respect the process, the people, or the standard, he or she will hold you back from reaching your team’s full potential. I can always work with respect.
REWARDS: What is the payoff for their efforts? What is the ROI (return on investment)? What’s the incentive? What’s the benefit? A reward can be tangible or intangible. Have you as the leader aligned the reward with the work? Have you portrayed the reward as valuable and worth their efforts and commitment?
ENCOURAGEMENT: Belief from a leader is a huge component of the encouragement piece of GET MOR3EE. Encouragement is powerful and necessary for an organization to flourish and grow. Accountability is also encouragement. As leaders we need to recognize the power of consistent encouragement and the power of encouragement through accountability. Encouragement is the fuel