Permitting Risk-Taking: Coaching for Growth

While watching my daughter in the stands of her church league teen volleyball team, I saw something that broke my heart.

It was clear one of the girls on the opposing team was the daughter of their coach. This particular young lady had successfully scored four unanswered points — all with her smooth underhand serve. And now it was game point.

The girl looked over at her father and indicated she wanted to try an overhand serve. It was clear she was motivated by her success to take the risk.

But he shook his head and signaled for her to stick with the tested, known underhand serve.

I felt so bad for her. Her growth potential had been shut down in favor of a safer decision. Safer, that is, for the extrinsic reward for her dad, the coach, and winning the game. The intrinsic motivation to try that risky overhand was clearly aimed at building self-confidence. But it was denied. And that’s what broke my heart.

So what’s the lesson? When coaching and mentoring, give your people permission to fail. Give them freedom and allow them to attempt some things that might be risky. Maybe they’re not quite there, but they’ll never get there if you don’t let them try.

Let people take risks. You may set parameters for safety or to limit potential loss. But allowing them to try is the fastest way for them to grow. Add “giving permission to take risks” to your coaching tool box. You’ll be glad you did.

Image credit: 2017 Canada Summer Games