Coach to Coach

12The Two Abilities

After another solid practice with the team, Brian was excited to get to the diner to meet with the old coach and report how everything had been going. He was using what the old coach had shown him and was already seeing and feeling the results. In particular, he noticed that the high fives were becoming contagious with his linebacking crew, and when he let one of the players know he was proud of him for his effort, the player gave even more.

When Brian pulled up at Trackside, he could already see the old coach waiting for him at their usual table.

“How's it going?” asked the old coach. “I may not know much, but I do feel I'm a good interpreter of body language. And from your energy, I have a feeling you have some good news for me today.”

“You read me right as usual, Coach,” said Brian. “But I think I have both good and bad news for you today.”

After saying this, Brian sat down and after ordering a different salad and water, he started back in on the conversation.

“For the good news,” Brian said, “I believe that I made some big progress with Marcus today. The paper exercise was a real home run and he took it much more seriously than I expected. Actually, the kid surprised me with his answers.”

“I told you he might be more than you think,” said the old coach with a smile.

“And not only has his effort increased,” continued Brian, “but that effort and the connection we are demonstrating is rubbing off on the rest of the team.”

“How so?” asked the old coach. ...