Episode 306: Mentorship & Coaching - Exploring the Dynamics of the Coaching Relationship
Follow the Purple Patch Podcast at:
APPLE PODCASTS - SPOTIFY- AMAZON MUSIC - GOOGLE PODCASTS - YOUTUBE
In the latest episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon talks about the world of coaching and the importance of establishing a strong foundation of trust and commitment in your coaching relationship.
Your perspective, mindset, and actions are key factors in creating a successful coaching relationship. When done correctly, this relationship can lead to positive outcomes. However, if not done properly, it can easily become stuck.
Matt breaks down the discussion into three main parts: The value of being coached, the role of a coach, and how to make the most of your coaching relationship.
Although the discussion mainly focuses on sports coaching, the principles Matt shares apply to almost every aspect of our lives, including business. This week's episode is a must-listen if you are in a leadership or managerial position. Even if you are seeking to improve your relationship with a mentor or manager, the details of the discussion will help you frame your approach.
In this episode, Matt challenges you to reflect on your current situation, determine how you can improve your progress, and shift your mindset to fully commit to your journey and your coaching relationship and find sustained high performance in all of your endeavors.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 - 03:12 - Welcome and Episode Introduction
03:19 - 08:51 - Matt’s News-ings
09:06 - 11:38 - Word of the Week
11:45 - 44:53 - The Meat and Potatoes - Episode 306: Mentorship & Coaching - Exploring the Dynamics of the Coaching Relationship
Purple Patch and Episode Resources
Purple Patch Video Podcast and More
Click here for the SPECIAL Fuelin Landing Page
2024 Purple Patch Performance Camps - SIGN UP NOW for our Napa Valley and South Carolina Training Camps
We've reimagined indoor cycling - Find out more about Purple Patch Bike Live & On-Demand
Come try the Purple Patch Tri-Squad
More on Purple Patch Bike Live & On-Demand
Get a Free Taste of Purple Patch Strength
ORDER NOW - 2024 PURPLE PATCH APPAREL
Everything you need to know about the Purple Patch Methodology
Join the Purple Patch Team
The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit
Purple Patch Coaching Consultation
Learn more about our Tri Squad Program
This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch- Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20
Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt
Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program
Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running
Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching
Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming
Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events
Full Transcript
Matt Dixon 00:00
Hi. I'm Matt Dixon and welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. The mission of Purple Patch is to empower and educate every human being to reach their athletic potential. Through the lens of athletic potential, you reach your human potential. The purpose of this podcast is to help time-starved people everywhere, integrate sport into life.
Matt Dixon 00:24
Today, we're going to talk about coaching. Now, my role as a coach is to help you find sustained high performance. I do that by leveraging the methodology that's derived from my wisdom my expertise, and of course, my educational background. But as a coach, I'm always looking to draw from other experts so that I can help you succeed. One of the tools that I leverage is InsideTracker. By assessing your biometrics, we can take a look inside. And that enables us, along with the advice from the team of experts and scientists at the team of InsideTracker, to get precise around the key elements for you to yield performance gains. Now, this can help in your quest to achieve your sporting goals, but also to promote the best route for you to improve your health and your longevity. And that's important to us at Purple Patch. I'm always looking to help people achieve their sporting goals, but never a consequence of health or life. In fact, by going on a journey of sporting quest, you end up ultimately becoming a better version, setting yourself up for the best years ahead of you. And so InsideTracker is a key tool that we leverage to help people be successful. You don't need to be a Purple Patch athlete to embrace InsideTracker. All you need to do is head to insidetracker.com/purplepatch. And there we're gonna give you a sneaky code today, Purple Patch Pro 20, that's Purple Patch Pro two zero. It's going to give you 20% off everything at the store and you too can get the gift of precision around your own sporting and performance journey. Best of luck and enjoy the show.
Matt Dixon 02:15
And welcome to the Purple Patch podcast as ever, your host, Matt Dixon, and today we're going to talk about coaching and the value of being coached. What is the role of a coach? How do you make the most out of your coaching relationship? We're going to center our discussion today around sports coaching. But all of the principles that we're going to dig into, directly apply to any endeavors in life, including business. If you manage or lead someone, this is unmissable today. And the same goes for you if you're seeking to optimize the results of your relationship with a mentor or a manager. Your perspective, mindset, and actions are going to enable a coaching relationship to flourish. But then incorrectly, you won't get those results. Instead, you'll find it floundering get it right, and the positive results will flow. Today, we're gonna dig in. I'm excited. And I hope you are too. But first, before we get cracking, let's do Matt's News-ings.
Matt Dixon 03:12
Yeah, yes, thank you. Barry is Matt's News-ings. And yes, recently, several listeners have reached out to me inquiring about Purple Patch one-to-one coaching and squad. And the common and understandable question that we get will be, who's my coach going to be? What are their credentials? What's their expertise? And also, am I gonna get access to you? Yeah me, Matt Dixon. But the truth is, we do things a little bit differently at Purple Patch. So I thought what I would do today very briefly, is just answer these common questions that we get with a little bit of perspective. We designed both our squad program, which is a little bit more of an autonomous program, and our one-to-one coaching, where you do have a primary coaching relationship, from the belief of what our role starts with. And that's why we see ourselves as having a role to empower our athletes to not just achieve their results and the goals that they want in sports, but also amplify how they show up in other areas of life. And so rather than mimicking the classic models of coaching that ultimately I believe pigeonhole an athlete with just a single resource. We developed our programming from the ground up through a fresh lens to enable each athlete to achieve the objectives faster, and also show up in life. And so a few key concepts emerge from that process. The first is that every single Purple Patch athlete gains access to me regularly. We also want to leverage all of the expertise from the team of Purple Patch coaches, and of course, our experts in fields so that we can get the very best education and guidance to every single athlete. We also wanted to ensure that each athlete can develop great autonomy through a heavy dose of continuing education and the development of a toolkit to navigate their performance journey. And we want to broaden our horizon well beyond the foundational daily training program. And instead, when we think about building our coaching programs, it goes well beyond just a training plan. Ultimately, we also want to be a filter for every single athlete, we want to develop all of our education and programming specifically for the context of our athletes and their lives. And the final component of it is refusing to think short term. Instead, we think of transformation. That's a really important component. And so when we answer these questions that we get, who's my coach going to be? What are their credentials? The truth is that we are your coach, Purple Patch. I'm going to be a part of your journey, every one of the coaching team is invested in making you better, whether you're a squad athlete, whether you're coached by Coach John Stevens, Nancy Clark, or myself, Matt Dixon. Every Purple Patch coach on the whole of the team has been working directly with me for at least five years, some of them for more than a decade. And collectively, we work together as a team to ensure that every single athlete gets to draw on the expertise from all of us. We all contribute, and we all engage with every single squad athlete that at least is willing to listen. And every Purple Patch athlete is valued as the same. We try and align the program with what best serves your needs and situation, but every single Purple Patch athlete is supported, celebrated, and guided on an equal playing field. Now, these guiding principles, I think, are the very reason that we have such loyalty at the program, and also achieved such great results. And this is why I'm inviting you to join us, I want you to commit. If you promise, I can give you a promise. And this is why I'm inviting you to join us and to commit. Because if you do commit, and you lean in, I can give you a promise. And that is if you lean in, you go well into the program, you will get faster, you're also going to have more fun, feel more in control, and be successful in integrating sport into your life. And that's the thing that makes us tick. That's the power of it. We're going to help you not just improve, but develop an approach that truly works in a time-starved life. After all, that's our passion. So if you'd love to discuss your situation, and maybe explore one-to-one coaching, just reach out to us at info@PurplePatchFitness.com. And of course, don't forget, we're in March right now, we have our March Madness promotion for the squad programs. Right now you can get 10 months of coaching. For the price of nine, you're also going to receive a complimentary personal consultation from to one-to-one coach to ensure that you're on the right track individually. And you have a chance to come to San Francisco and spend an entire day with me and the coaching team. For a day of performance fun and services. That is going to be quite an occasion. We're going to track it and we'll probably even have you on this show. And so if you want to find out more details on our March Madness program, feel free to check the link in the show notes or just reach out to us at info@purplepatchfitness.com. But act fast. For that special promotion, we don't do it too often, it is only for March. And with that, we've got a little bit more education to do before we jump into the meat, meat, and potatoes. So Barry, if I could bring out the ukulele, it's time for Word of the Week.
singer 08:52
We like the way he thinks, serious with a wink. Let's open the book, it's time to take a peek. It's the Dixonary word of the week.
Matt Dixon 09:06
Yes, indeed, it is Word of the Week. This week it is commitment. The subject today is coaching. We're talking about coaching. And later in the show, you're going to hear me talk all about some of the foundational aspects of a coaching relationship. But in a coaching relationship, trust is the backbone. It's important, perhaps the most important part of any relationship. But with that trust isn't something that can just happen with the flip of a switch. It doesn't happen immediately, especially in a coaching relationship. Trust is something that emerges over time with investment from all of the parties who are engaged in the process. So it's not enough for me as a coach to say, Oh, just trust me if I haven't established that trust in the first place. And I would never advocate For an athlete to just blindly trust everything, without building validation and experiences that foster that experience and emotion. So it kind of leaves you in a bit of a pickle, doesn't it? Because you're gonna start a mentoring relationship or a coaching relationship. And I tell you that at the start of it, you're not in a place where you could and should blindly trust that person who's guiding you. So what does that leave you? Well, it leaves you with a simple word, a word of the week commitment, because you don't have to trust someone. But you can fully, wholly, commit. Once you decide to take on a mentorship or to employ a coach, that's the point that you commit. You should commit to being open, to try new things, to be committed to the expertise and guidance, to be committed to doing your part, and to invest in the relationship so that we can make it successful. Because via commitment, that is going to be the gateway, the key that unlocks over time, trust, trust will build, but first commit, that's the thing that you need to do to optimize. If you commit, you yield. It's food for thought, especially when you're entering a coaching relationship with an expert. Our Word of the Week commitment. And with that, folks, fill your boots because it's time for the meat and potatoes.
Matt Dixon 11:45
Yes, folks, it is the meat and potatoes. We are here to discuss coaching. So to kick it off, I thought what we would do is define coaching. Just pause before we kick into it. And think about what is coaching really, in any endeavor. We're going to talk a lot about sports today. However, coaching exists across a variety of fields. So what is coaching? Well, I did a little search. And here's my favorite, I think encapsulates the meaning in many ways. Coaching is a development process that enables clients to build their capabilities so that they can achieve personal, professional, and organizational goals. Coaches partner with their clients in a process that inspires and enables clients to maximize their personal and professional potential. That's it. And so in many ways, coaching is a catalyst to performance, it's an ingredient for you to make the most out of yourself. You are the hero in this journey, you're the hero in this story. And so I want you to bear this definition in mind as we navigate today's discussion because I believe that it provides all the clues that you need to develop a positive and beneficial coaching relationship. Today, what I thought we would do is break the topic into three parts. The first is my perspective on the value of being coached and what a relationship can do to ignite your performance. Secondly, I want to take a pause and a step back and tread over some of that ground that we're going to cover in the value part. But go back and define what's the role of a coach. What do I do? Why am I here and what am I looking to help you do? And then finally, some key elements of how you can maximize or make the most out of your coaching relationship. So three parts the value, the role, and then you getting the most out of it.
Matt Dixon 13:38
So let's start with the value first. In prior shows, I've discussed the secrets and the traits of high performers. I've worked in World Class sports, and high in business for the last two decades. Every high performer that I've worked with, that is successful, has a couple of key common things that always occur, they always have a great physical ready state, or what I like to call a performance base layer. And that enables them, whether it's world-class sport, whether it's high-end, elite executive performance, they enabled themselves to show up daily their very best through great health, and great energy, ensuring that they can get the most out of their day and elevate when they need to elevate. And so there's the whole physical side of that, and of course, all of the training and all of the supporting habits is the gateway to establish that. But also, whether we're talking in business, whether we're talking in sports, each of the high performance that I've worked with always showcases as well a common set of traits and a mindset that collectively I label a high-performance mindset. Now interestingly, a trend that I've observed is that the higher the level of the athlete, in other words, the more successful the athlete and also in parallel, the higher you tend to go in In organizations, there's a trend that the more likely it is that that person tends to embrace and value coaching. They have a higher tendency to reach out for external support or guidance. And I think that's interesting. Let's think about athletes first. If I reflect on the Purple Patch pros, the ones that you've heard of the successful ones, the champions, the most successful athletes that I ever had the privilege to work with, all of them were highly coachable. And on the flip side, I've worked with athletes that were incredibly physically gifted, but you've likely never heard their names. They didn't put a dent in world-class sport. And the trend that I saw with them is the lack of coaching ability. And sometimes it wasn't them. It wasn't it was anything wrong with them. That was just their big hurdle. They couldn't leverage it. They weren't very coachable. And in parallel to that, almost every high-performing and often well-known C-level executive that I got to work with, was very, very coachable. The reason for this, I believe, is that a coach, the right coach for you, can be a huge driver of your success, no matter what you're looking to achieve.
Matt Dixon 16:26
And so when done with that premise, I think that we can highlight the value of a coach in a few very quick bullets. The first coach brings, of course, domain expertise. In other words, in this field, they have an expertise that should be above whatever your expertise in that field. So that's what you're looking for someone who knows quite a lot about what they're coaching. So that's the first obvious thing. The second thing that a coach also brings is wisdom. They have a lot of prior case studies or situations. And while you might think that you are unique, coaches have typically seen it all before and can draw on your experience of working with other athletes or clients, and then apply those lessons to you. And so when you combine both that expertise and wisdom, as well as some domain expertise, you start to have a really powerful partner for you achieving your performance. A coach is also well equipped to help provide perspective, you are the person doing the doing. And so appropriately, you're going to spend the majority of your time proverbially in the weeds. You're committed, you're the one doing the work. And it is impossible for even a world-class athlete or a C-level executive, to consistently see the big picture in what they're doing. without someone to act as a sounding board, draw them out, and help them with the broader perspective. The final component of a coach is they are relatively non-emotional. Look, great coaches care. But ultimately, they are better equipped to retain a logical and unemotional mindset for your journey than you are. Because for you, it's personal. It's deeply meaningful, you are likely driven by purpose. And so it's a much more challenging component for you to make logical, broad perspective decisions as you go on your journey. As the doer, the athlete, or the business executive, your role, unlike the coaches, is to bring deep caring, passion, commitment, hard work, focus, and all of the other elements that drive your success. The coach is there to help you set the path, define your focus, hold you to account, support you, ensure that you retain perspective, course correct when things go off track, et cetera, et cetera. I'm going to dive into that in the role of the coach in a few moments. And the coach is better equipped to do this, because of their domain expertise, their wisdom in prior similar situations, they've kind of seen it all before, even though you feel like you're unique, and their ability to retain perspective. And of course, they're hopeful ability to communicate and guide you, for you to get the most out of yourself. This all adds up to a coach being an accelerant in your journey. In other words, the effort that you put in all of that commitment, all of that hard work, when you layer the partnership of a coach, should ignite a bigger ROI on your effort. That's the value of a coach right there. And so with that, I think it's important to pause a little bit Because quite often when someone decides to get coached, they fall into the trap of feeling like they're relinquishing control, like you're putting your journey in someone else's hands. But the truth is, if you've got a successful coaching relationship, that coach doesn't own your journey, they're not able to create your results for you. You own your journey, you bring the passion, you bring the hard work, but the coach can be the catalyst for you to get the most out of all of those components. In every sport, in all business, the best are coached. How many professional athletes do you know that are successful, that create enduring success that decide to be self-coached? How many Olympians an Olympic medalist and Olympic champions have achieved this success with no coaching? How many CEOs are not coached one way or the other, almost none. And there's a reason for that. Coaching works, but it shouldn't be reserved for Olympic champions, or CEOs of organizations, because we all can benefit. If it's the right coach for you, with the right mindset, and you lean in, and you approach coaching in the right way. In other words, if the coach that you choose, understands their role, and brings their very best, but also the student, the athlete, and the client, also appreciate their role, your role in this and your responsibility, and how to leverage the expertise and the wisdom of the coach that you're partnering with, then things can get powerful. So that's how I see coaching in the value of it.
Matt Dixon 21:59
But now let's dig a little deeper into the role of a coach of what does or what should a coach deliver. Or perhaps, to start this, we should start with what a coach isn't. I think that that might help us get to, what is it and what is my role as a coach's role. So no matter what your goals are, or what endeavor you're chasing, a coach is not a person that can ensure you realize your potential, because you own the journey. So it isn't pixie dust that we're talking about here. It's down to you, you have ultimate responsibility, and you have ownership of this, a coach can't sprinkle that pixie dust, and ensure that you just catapult to your brand of personal excellence. They can't help you flip a switch from self-doubt to belief, a coach can't do the work for you. It cannot be your source of commitment, or purpose, or motivation. That all comes from inside you. And that's a really good thing. When you start to realize this is my journey, I own it, and I also own my results, then what you can do is reach out externally. And equip yourself with the best partner and guide to help you get the most out of your commitment, your hard work, and all of the efforts that you put in. Because of that, what a coach can help you do is ensure that you get the most from your prerequisites to excel, your commitment, your prioritization, your focus, your toughness, and your resilience. And so with that in mind, what should a coach be able to do? What is their role? Well, I think the first thing is a deep understanding. A coach needs to be a facilitator. And they need to be able to understand you and sometimes help you define what's important to you. What will yield the results, what's your purpose, and what are your goals? And so a part of it is a coach is a great person to partner with to help you create the picture of what success is. And sometimes that's very, very difficult to do alone. So having a sounding board and someone that can facilitate that, that's an important step. Because that picture sets the compass and the lightning rod of all of your actions to drive you toward that goal. So a coach should be able to help you do that. A second component that a coach should be able to do is then establish the roadmap and the pathway to you for you to go on and achieve your goals and your purpose. And so there's a roadmap and exercise, it's a part of it. Through all of that, then you might have a picture. You might have a roadmap. But goodness me, I promise you because every person does, you're going to have a blizzard of components that you could focus on, but a coach should help you be able to filter. These are the most important things for you to focus on for you to get your results, and perhaps equally important, what to ignore, and what to not integrate into your program. So a coach is also your filter of knowledge, information, focus, and everything else. And when you have that, then the coach can be the prescriber to set out the specific actions or behaviors that are going to move you along that journey toward your goal. Now, if you're an athlete, that means prescribing your daily and weekly training program, perhaps defining your approach to nutrition and hydration, sleep, and practices of recovery. In other words, the prescriptive element of this, unfortunately, many athletes and coaches start and end with just that, here's your plan. Good luck. But we've already talked about a few practices and three key steps before we even got to the prescription. But yes, prescription is a part of it. But that's not ultimately what program or coaching is beyond the prescription, then great coaching should have mechanisms in place to help you be held to account for those agreed focus points to the execution of the program as prescribed and also provide support when you stumble along setbacks and challenges. Now, of course, as a part of that, you're going to be receiving feedback. And in return, you're going to be giving feedback so that both of you can keep the program on track. That's not where it ends. Coaching should also be a source of education empowerment, to enable you to develop a keen sense of self-management, making you smarter along your performance journey, be a sounding board to ensure that you help retain perspective, see the big picture, that you're equipped to make smart decisions in pursuit of your goals. And of course, ultimately, yes, motivate you, and inspire you, so that you stay on task when things get tough. They can't be the source of your motivation. But they can be there to remind you of your goals and commitments when you do have fatigue when things do get tough when you do get distracted. Ultimately, a great coach should be your biggest supporter, your greatest advocate, and a true partner to yourself, a great coach doesn't just tell you what to do my way or the highway. A coach doesn't just deliver a blueprint or a training plan and believes that the job is done. A coach is not a blind cheerleader, who's just going to simply act as your primary pathway for support and motivation. And cheering. That's not what great coaching is. In fact, in a great coaching relationship, there can be a tremendous amount of conflict, there can be in the pursuit of excellence, the opportunity for a coach to deliver you sometimes the hard truth, to help you retain clarity to hold you to account. And so great coaching is not lovey, it's about helping you achieve your goals and maximizing your potential. And so with that, it's a slightly evolved way to think about coaching. But what does it mean to you if you decide to get coached by someone? How do you maximize your coaching relationship?
Matt Dixon 28:39
Well, maybe to endorse the point and perspective here, I want to tell you a story. Imagine Jim buying his dream house. Technically, the house isn't his dream yet, because he purchases a fixer. It has super bones, it's in a great neighborhood. But to become a dream house, he's got to take on a project. A major remodel needs to occur. It includes knocking out walls, a small extension, blowing out a rather dark and enclosed kitchen to make it more airy in a great living space cetera. But being no trained professional himself, what he does is he goes to professional resources. Very smart, this Jim. He gets a great local architect and a structural engineer with a super reputation. And he even gets an Irish contractor on board. And that's because great stories always include Irish contractors. He puts his hands and his dreams under the guidance of trained professionals to help him accelerate the project and get the best house possible. Well as his friend, you follow along with the journey of excitement and it's wonderful to see your friends immersed in the creative process. The architect nails it, maps a great design, great use of space. The engineer designs the structure to be sound and safe. He's ready to go, with the design and plans in hand. And then Jim goes off course. Instead of passing it off to our trusty Irish contractor, instead, Jim starts to tinker with the plans a little bit, and he starts to make adjustments. With his reliable eraser in hand, he shifts things around, adds a few windows shifts some beams, and makes a larger opening in the doorway. After all, it's all the rage nowadays. He retains elements of the expert’s plan, but he removes some of the other elements. He adds new pieces to the puzzle. He remembers stuff from his old projects, and he just adds it into this. Okay, I'll pause here. You might wonder, Why am I telling this story? A man who is following his passion, and his dream, but acting with recklessness. It's pretty obvious where the story would end - disaster. He employed experts in the field, but he only followed partially their advice. Despite having limited experience itself and no understanding of structural engineering, he added and changed the plans. Well-intentioned, yes, but it's going to be a construction disaster. It's going to be for Jim, a death of a dream. Now, you probably think this story is implausible, nothing's going to happen here, no right-minded person would take a set of plans from experts that they've employed, and then decide to willy-nilly change them without any consultation. Why would you do that ever? Well, guess what, in coaching, people do it all the time. But instead of corrupting the plans of an engineer or an architect, they do it as someone being coached. Let's talk about athletes, I can't tell you how many athletes take a program and think that's great. But I'm just going to add a, b, and c. Or, well he told me to go easy, but I'm going to go hard. And I'm not going to take that recovery. And I'm going to add extra mileage or hours. And it comes from a lack of confidence. But also, subconsciously, almost unconsciously, the inability to be truly coached. And that's the point of this tale. If you gonna decide to employ a coach, I encourage you to go on a search and find the program that fits your ethos, your situation, and your mindset. But once you decide to be coached by someone, commit, and go on a journey, because so many folks don't understand how to be coached. And it's not a criticism, it's just really challenging somewhat times, to foster and develop a productive coaching relationship, where the athlete successfully follows the wisdom, that perspective, and the expertise of a coach, a domain expert, with all of those elements that we've talked about so far. And this is a key component of it. The best coaching relationships I have, and not with athletes who just follow blindly with everything I do, but actually with people who lean into the program, all of the resources that are offered, lean into other athletes on the program, become participants in their journey. It's not pixie dust. It's leveraging the expertise and the resources for them to get the most out of their program. And so when you think about coaching, I'm just going to give you a few key points to remember.
Matt Dixon 33:22
Number one, your coach is your partner, it's a partnership. And what that means is you have a critical role in the success of the partnership. That's how results flow, you shouldn't lose ownership, and you need to lean into it as a partner 50/50. Yes, the coach should bring it but you've got to bring it as well. It's not a passive relationship. Make sure you remember that when you enter a coaching relationship.
Matt Dixon 33:55
Number two, perhaps the most important thing, when you decide to become coached, it's going to take some courage, because you are going to need to by definition, evolve and change your prior approach to the sport. I see many athletes employ a coach, but then are unwilling or maybe unable to evolve their prior approach. They're rigid without realizing it. They just subconsciously hope that the coach is going to organize what they've done before and deliver the same thing again, which of course, ultimately when you step back is madness. But change is really hard by definition. A great coach should help you evolve your approach to what you've done before may be reasonable results may be less favorable results to get the most out of it. And so when you enter a coaching relationship, it's going to be new. It's going to be uncomfortable. It's going to require change, but you are evolving so that you can get better results. And so eyes wide open and make the big grand experiment for yourself. It's risk-free and I'm going to come back to that in a couple of moments.
Matt Dixon 35:10
Number three, be an active participant. Be an active participant. I can reflect on myself as an athlete, I was committed, I worked my tail off, and I had a great work ethic. But in honesty, I don't think I was a great coached athlete. And that's because, for most of my coaching relationships, I kind of acted like a loyal puppy. I was hanging on the every word and instruction of any coach I had like it was solid gold. I remember once being prescribed a running session, that was two and a half hours. But I had to leave that morning on a very early flight to a wedding. So what did I do? I got up at 1:45 in the morning, and I ran for two and a half hours. Now you might think, well, that's tough. That's commitment. But it's not. It's stupidity. And so in other words, to be a great coach-athlete, you need to bring it, you need to participate, you need to communicate, it is 50% you.
Matt Dixon 36:11
Number four is communication. This is a key component because many coached athletes think about a great coaching relationship, as the athlete being the recipient of feedback. If you want to maximize your coaching relationship, and you want to ultimately get the best results for you. Remember, you own the journey. And so communication begins with you. Remember that, it's your journey. Do you want to get the most out of it? Give feedback first, ask for feedback, ask questions, arrive at discussions prepared, maybe with a little agenda, squeeze the sponge, but shift your perspective, from coaching, being something that is reactionary, (I do what the coach asked, I answer questions, I give feedback when I'm asked) instead to being proactive, (I seek to understand the plan. I execute it as intended, and I self-manage as much as I possibly can. I ask questions, I provide feedback. And then I demand feedback in the key areas that are important to me. I am the proactive part of the relationship). And I don't say this, to give a gateway for the coach to be lazy to just sit back and wait for your feedback. But if you the athlete lean in, and you have to charge, and you have autonomy, and you lead, you're gonna get the most out of any coach that you work with. A great coach isn't gonna let you be quiet, he's going to chase you when you're not there. But they will step up to the mark. And you will maximize and create a wonderful coaching relationship if you lead the charge.
Matt Dixon 37:55
Number five is your coach as a filter. If you do your homework, and you trust and believe in your coach or your coaching program, enable them or allow them to be your primary source of information and your filter of everything that's out there. There is no value in having a coach. But then, independently of that, seeking all of the other opinions, thoughts, and strategies of friends competitors, and other experts. Instead, filter everything through your coach. That's their role. Because they are the people that are going to help you define success. Go back to what the role of a coach is. If you're not filtering things through your coach, it's going to get confusing for you and I promise you, even if some of the elements are positive for you, it's not going to be productive on your performance journey. Your coach is there to develop a filter and ensure that you focus on the elements that can drive your performance needle relative to your goals. And if you're a part of a program like Purple Patch Squad, we are your filter. Ask questions, and lean in, but don't spend your whole life looking for the grass is greener information on the other side of the fence. It's never going to be productive for you. And with five elements in place, I'm going to give you one more number six.
Matt Dixon 39:20
And that is a key basic thing. Follow the plan. Remember our story about Jim? In a partnership, once you've gone through the process, you have your vision, your purpose, your goals, your path secured, defined your focus, and actions are prescribed, isn't it madness then to go off course, to shift things too much to add more? How can anyone understand what success is there? Or even start to pick apart when you have met with adversity or even failure which is a part of the sporting journey? It's like how a friend with that house and the renovation project - disaster is your new course. Follow the program. But you only get to do that well, if you have the first five elements in place. So you can tell it takes courage to be coached well. But ironically, it's also risk-free.
Matt Dixon 40:19
Let me finish today with a vision for you. I'm going to give you a personal challenge, I want you to just really briefly pause and reflect on your situation currently, whatever stage of development, whatever results you've achieved, and ask yourself a simple question. Have you got great results consistently, via your current situation and approach? So are you incredibly happy with what you're achieving? If the answer is yes, don't change your current situation. But can you envision improving your results - getting faster, getting more out of your journey, getting the results that are meaningful for you? Are you confident that currently, you're doing everything you can to ignite those results in the elements that are important to you? Let's assume that you believe you can improve and that there is more to go and get. Okay. Well, there's a pathway for you. Let's imagine that you dive in. Let's say that you decide to let me coach you, or Purple Patch guide you, or another coach guide, whoever it is. Let's say that you decide to partner and guide your program and all of your education and act as your filter and all of those elements. Let's say you go with that. What's the risk there? Imagine from here, now in March until the end of the year, with no trust developed yet remember, but a commitment, go back to our Word of the Week, that you commit. Imagine if you commit, you come on board to the program. You lean into the coaching, you lean into all of the tools to be effectively coached. And I mean, be coached, like all the way and you go all in, not with blind trust, but a willingness to commit and being open to evolving your program. What's the very worst that could happen? There's almost no downside. You're gonna learn a lot about yourself, whether it's with Purple Patch, or elsewhere, you're gonna learn a lot about yourself, you're gonna lean in and draw some information, some expertise, some knowledge. And so if you feel like there could be more, there is gonna be more. But why don't just give it a crack? Don't just straddle, dive in, lean in. Because in doing so in really going for it and being coached, it can be, it should be the ignition point, the catalyst, for you to get the most out of your effort. It's not about putting in more effort, it's about getting the most out of it. And if the coach is worth their salt, if the program is really good, you're gonna learn a ton. And guess what, you're gonna likely to improve. And that's fun. Doesn't that sound great? With a perspective, see you next time. Take care.
Matt Dixon 43:22
Guys, thanks so much for joining. Thank you for listening. I hope that you enjoyed the new format. You can never miss an episode by simply subscribing. Head to the Purple Patch channel on YouTube, and you will find it there and you can subscribe. Of course, I'd like to ask you, if you will subscribe and also share it with your friends it's really helpful if you leave a nice positive review in the comments. Now questions that you have, let me know. Feel free to add a comment and I will try my best to respond and support you on your performance journey. As we commence this video podcast experience, if you have any feedback at all, as mentioned earlier in the show, we would love your help in helping us to improve. Simply email us at info@purplepatchfitness.com or leave it in the comments of the show on the Purple Patch page and we will get you dialed in. We'd love constructive feedback. We are in a growth mindset as we like to call it. And so feel free to share with your friends but as I said, let's build this together. Let's make it something special. It's really fun. We're trying hard to make it a special experience and we want to welcome you into the Purple Patch community. With that, I hope you have a great week. Stay healthy, have fun, keep smiling, doing whatever you do. Take care.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coach, athlete, journey, program, relationship, great, patch, results, purple, goals, achieve, enable, expertise, performance, elements, commitment, trust, commit, ensure, lean