Cats and Griz/Choate and Stitt

[Common Cat]

I am in the middle of reading Mindset The New Psychology of Success by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. The premise of the book is highlighting two different mindsets: fixed and growth.

In short, people who embody a fixed mentality believe your intelligence, abilities, persona, skill set is something that is natural to you and largely static. Fixed mindsets also are characterized by beliefs that one's ability has to be proven over and over for validation and often are supersensitive to being wrong. They filter blame any way they can in order to avoid ownership. Many famous and non famous people who fail to grow, overcome, or take chances or are "me" centric often are fixed-minded.

Growth minded people enjoy challenges, believe that they can improve their lot through hard work, embrace a team attitude, do not necessarily see failure as a setback but rather as an opportunity to grow. They believe you can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.

Dweck's chapter on sports details different approaches and outcomes famous athletes took. On one hand you had the fixed crew- athletes such as John McEnroe, Sergio Garcia, Pedro Martinez come to mind. Each story of these guys followed the same narrative...Apex athletes who when the going got tough or adversity found them essentially blew up and lost control, often blaming anything and everything except them. Think egocentric. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Jackie Joyner Kersie, John Wooden are a couple of stories that highlight growth mindsets.

Amidst camp and reports, I couldn't help but compare and contrast what I know about Choate and Stitt. I admit I know little. More about Choate and less about Stitt for certain. However, listening and reading quotes from them begins to show two different mindsets. If you listen at Colter's interviews with Choate you will hear a lot of "we" talk, work ethic, getting better...etc. Choate clearly embodies a growth mindset. I would bet Choate believes he, the coaches and team will undoubtedly get better as the season approaches (only through hard work)- in fact it's one of his goals. I'm pretty certain Stitt would say something similar as to being better in November than September. However, when I listen to how Stitt's responses to players leaving, Daum, his losses, I begin to see a deflection of responsibility. His quote the other week (and I paraphrase) "Once a kid is Griz, he'll never leave," embodies a fixed mindset to a "T". From what I've seen, and I might be wrong, but his Ego is something he is desperately trying to validate.

Looking forward, under the current regimes, I am to believe that the Cats and Griz will be on two separate paths. The ethos of each team appears to be different while chasing similar goals. Cats are leaning on growing and changing and building culture. Griz seem to want to get back to being the "Griz" a- validation for them. Both have similar goals, but I'm betting they have different mindsets, mindsets that are trickling down from their head coaches.

Quote from Dweck...
"Character, heart, the mind of a champion. It's what makes great athletes and it's what comes from the growth mindset with its focus on self-development, self-motiviation, and responsibility.

Even though the finest athletes are wildly competitive and want to be the best, greatness does not come from the ego of the fixed mindset, with its somebody-nobody syndrome. Man athletes with the fixed mindset may have been "naturals" --but you know what? John Wooden says, we can't remember most of them."

Just a thought...

[thefrank1]

Nice.

[GoCats18]

Um, you had me at hello!!

[Common Cat]

A little follow up...

Are you a fixed minded coach ? Do you think first and foremost about your record and your reputation? Are you intolerant of mistakes? Do you try to motivate your players through judgement? That may be what's holding up your athletes.

Try on the growth mindset. Instead of asking for mistake free games, ask for full commitment and full effort. Instead of judging the players, give them the respect and coaching they need to develop.

-Dweck

Ride for the Brand

I like what I'm seeing and hearing in relation to this mindset. It might not be this year but I'm betting we really surprise people and programs in the near future.

[Cat Grad]

A little follow up...

Are you a fixed minded coach ? Do you think first and foremost about your record and your reputation? Are you intolerant of mistakes? Do you try to motivate your players through judgement? That may be what's holding up your athletes.

Try on the growth mindset. Instead of asking for mistake free games, ask for full commitment and full effort. Instead of judging the players, give them the respect and coaching they need to develop.

-Dweck

Ride for the Brand

I like what I'm seeing and hearing in relation to this mindset. It might not be this year but I'm betting we really surprise people and programs in the near future.

Think of Peterson. Positive. Always accentuate the positive. No one individual fails on a play. The entire unit fails. Team. Don't ostracize an individual in any circumstance. Man I love this game. It's as close to a highly trained military unit as we get to experience in the civilian world. President Cruzado is pulling this Athletic Department up to her vision whether those still hanging onto a mere job wasting perfectly good oxygen like it or not. We may even get up to date player profiles before the first game this year...nah. But next year?