Build Your Team of Mentors and Coaches

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Build Your Team of Mentors and Coaches 

by Steve Fraser, Olympic Champion 

   

"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a months study of books" - Chinese Proverb 

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The dictionary defines the word mentor as "a wise and trusted counselor or teacher." Another common definition is "a coach."

Many successful people achieve success by surrounding themselves with mentors and coaches. This article addresses the importance of seeking out and building relationships with mentors and coaches in your athletic career. For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to the mentor as a coach; but realize that mentors come in all forms and may not always be a coach.

A Coach Can Give Us Perspective

We athletes are often caught up in the emotions of trying to improve and win in our athletic careers. We are often too close to the action to really see the big picture. Emotions - fear, excitement, anxiety, confusion, disappointment and frustration - can often cloud an athlete's perspective and overwhelm them.

Coaches can detach themselves from the emotion and see the athlete and the situation from a distance, thus giving them a better view of what is really happening and what needs to be done. Coaches give us wisdom of a lifetime of experience, saving us many hours of trial and error.

A Coach Can Give Us Proficiency

Proficiency in the way we train and learn new techniques and strategies. The coach can fill in the gaps of knowledge. They can help us to understand complicated situations and issues. A coach can save us a lot of time and energy. In short, they can help us take a short cut and speed up our journey to the top.

A Coach Can Help Us Learn Patience

It takes patience to get to the top of any field. Wrestling is no different. To be the best in wrestling it takes patience; patience which allows us to stay committed and focused for a long enough time to make good things happen. Learning a new skill always requires some learning curve. A good coach helps us to struggle through the frustrations of learning new techniques and skills. A good coach helps us to struggle through failures and set backs, failure and setbacks that are inevitable in anyone's quest for success.

Most athletes have had good mentors and/or coaches. Personally, I have had numerous mentors, coaches and role models that have proven invaluable throughout my wrestling career.

Where to Find Mentors

There are many kinds of mentors and they are everywhere! If you are open and teachable, each person you meet could potentially teach you something to help advance your athletic career. Every encounter you make, no matter how trivial, has the potential to be a positive learning experience. Accidental mentorship happens everyday for the people who are open to learning.

Mentors can be coaches or training partners but can also show up in many other forms. Parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, friends, and, yes even enemies can be great mentors. Some relationships may last for years, others may only last for a few minutes. Some just show up out of the blue and some you may have to search out.

On Your Journey...

On your journey between where you are now and where you want to go, there will be many points along the way that will require mentorship and coaching. It may be dealing with an issue in the area of your attitude, a technique, a tactic, a strategy or a habit. Often this will require a hands on, in the trenches kind of mentor or coach. Most athletes will have a coach that they can consult with, but sometimes you may not have a person capable of filling this role in your life. If this is the case you must seek him or her out. How do you go about this?

List specific issues you need to address - the areas of your performance that you need improvement, so when you approach a potential mentor you have a clear, concise idea of what you are asking for.

List missing resources necessary to achieving your goals...coaches, training partners, videos, books, magazines, etc.

Network with your own circle of contacts. You probably know someone who knows someone that can help you with the answers you need on issues you have.

Have a bold and open attitude about finding solutions to your needs. Do not be bashful about asking for help.

Widen your search for help. Do not be afraid of traveling some distance to get specific mentorship, coaching or training. I used to drive two and one-half hours almost every weekend for a couple of years to get additional training and coaching from some experienced wrestlers and coaches.

Please be advised...you are seeking more than specific answers to your problems. You want to establish great mentorship relationships - relationships with people who can coach you to success - but remember, many of the potential mentors are very goal oriented, busy people themselves so respect whatever time and resources they may be able to share with you.

Another source of mentors can be found in your heros, your champions and your role models. Your heroes may or may not be accessible, but still can be a great source of inspiration and learning. Becoming an avid student of their lives and their teachings.

Access their courage, wisdom and insight through alternate means. Read their biographies and autobiographies. Watch documentaries that have chronicled their lives. You will learn that most successful peoples lives have been full of challenges and setbacks that were overcome through commitment, persistence and focus.

Most successful people will tell you that could have not done it alone. They had a great support team helping them achieve their goals. A support team that includes family, friends, coaches, training partners, advisors, role models, etc. I encourage you to build your own personal "Team" of supporters who you can count on for help. A team of experts and non-experts that will enhance your learning process and accelerate your career!