Leave it to Beaver. Affirmations, Animals and Performance Psychology
When Super Bowl winning coach Pete Carrol was the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, he wanted to place an emphasis on forcing fumbles, so he decided to motivate his players by offering a prestigious reward: a stuffed animal attached to a rope.
Any player who forced a fumble during a game was rewarded with the honor of carrying a plush beaver for the following week. But why a beaver you ask?
“The beaver is the most diligent worker in the animal kingdom” is the message Carroll wanted to send to his players, as he believed that in order to cause fumbles a player had to be a diligent in his efforts. In fact, in the following clip you can hear Carroll’s assistant coaches and players use the specific language, “the most diligent worker in the animal kingdom” on five separate occasions. They got the message loud and clear! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9rOuYjMDa0 time stamp: 3:03–5:35).
As a LEADer, what qualities do you want to foster within yourself and/or instill in those under your supervision? Positive self-talk/affirmation statements (i.e., I am smart, I am prepared, I will succeed, etc.) are known to increase that ability by creating a positive self-image. Attaching an animal or object to that quality also creates/establishes effective use of imagery; thus further reinforcing the idea of what you want to be known for and is a fun way to connect with those you are working with.
I also want to be known as a diligent worker. I may not be the smartest guy in the room but I will out work you. As Will Smith put it, “If you and I get on a treadmill together, either you are getting off first or I am going to die.” To remind myself of who I am and what I strive to be, I purchased a paper weight for my desk reminding me of “the most diligent worker in the animal kingdom”
Coach Nelson serves as a high school football coach who is pursuing his doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology. He has worked for division 1 athletic departments, professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities. Most recently coach Nelson was hired as a trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and as a mental performance coach for Mindurance.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
PCA: https://www.positivecoach.org/team/nelson-levi/
Mindurance: https://mindurance.com/viewAdvisor.asp?ic=51819&catID=
References
Woolsey, C.L., LeNoir, C.S., Williams, R.D., Sean, D., Mannion, J., Evans, M.W., & Ramcharan, M. (2015).
