Every single one of us has irrational fears.
One of my daughters is scared of clowns. Another relative is scared of going to the dentist. Another friend is fearful of speaking in public, another doesn’t like checking his bank account balance, I know a grown man that is terrified of tiny spiders, and lots of lots of people who have told me they’re terrified of flying.
I’m not belittling any of those fears. You have yours, I have mine.
But at some point, it becomes impractical - especially if you’re letting that fear stop you from doing your job as a coach and as a recruiter.
Stop being afraid of making mistakes. Aim for perfection in everything you do, but don’t be handcuffed by the idea not moving forward with something related to your job because it’s not been vetted and tested and deemed “perfect”. That doesn’t exist.
Adopt proven methods that you wouldn’t naturally think of doing. Many times, the way we teach our clients and workshop attendees to ask for a commitment is met with fear, because the researched principles we lay out don’t match the way coaches have normally done it. I can give them statistics and research to back up our recommendations, but it doesn’t matter. “What if” dominates the responses we get from many coaches (which is why we usually force them out of their comfort zone, and make them ask their prospects in the manner we teach…and it works, and then they believe us). Look for things that make you a little uncomfortable…that’s how we all grow and get better.
Don’t give fear the same standing as just being uncomfortable. That relative who is fearful of going to the dentist still goes to the dentist. Why? Because his oral health depends on it. That fear you have - a change in recruiting, adopting new scouting techniques, the idea of adjust your calendar to make sure you adopt a more comprehensive recruiting communication plan - can be ‘uncomfortable’, but don’t give it the same power legitimate fear might hold over you. Don’t confuse the two. Lots of college coaching careers have been hampered by otherwise smart, talented individuals giving into the fear of change…and it’s being driven by the fact that they feel uncomfortable.
Don’t listen to other coaches. Wait, what? That’s right, I said it. Many, many coaches you’re around everyday are negative, pessimistic, ‘that’ll never work here’ people who aren’t ever going to be great at what they do. Not all, but many. You know who they are, actually.
Want a safe strategy? Pull a George Costanza and just do the opposite of what they’re doing, and it’ll probably work out really well.
Whatever you’re afraid of, Coach, you probably don’t need to be.