Process over Product

We live in a very outcome-orientated society. In some ways, this is good - employees are rewarded for good performance, and punished for bad performance. If a contractor builds a good house, he can charge more. If he builds bad looking houses, he has to charge less. However, we so often throw out the method through which we achieve a result and end up with a very short term view of a long term journey.

Take the example of a young kid playing basketball who has figured out how to make free throws "granny style." As it stands, he can make 6 out of 10 shots shooting that way. If when he starts learning to shoot properly he ends up making only 4 out of 10 does it mean he should go back to what got him better results? Or, does he need to see the limitations of his current method, take a long term view of his goals,  and work on getting better at the proper process with the understanding that if he gets good at the process the results will take care of themselves? This young man, and quarterbacks, need to focus on the process.

The end point here is that how we do things is a better indicator of future success than the results we get right now. When making a fundamental change, it may take a while to ingrain the motor program but you will be better for it in the long term. The key is to make sure you are making the right changes to the process, which is why coaching is so important. Telling a quarterback to change a grip, an arm position,  a release point, etc, is a long term change that will have a large effect on their success, for better or for worse. Good coaching means good changes implemented over time that create long term success. Poor coaching can do just the opposite.

Equally bad as poor coaching is  short sighted, results-only thinking. Sometimes we are successful because of our mechanics, Other times, we are successful in spite of our mechanics. If we are successful despite bad mechanics we end up reinforcing bad habits. Never stop looking for ways to do things better and never settle for what you already know. A constant thirst to improve the process by which we do things is paramount for sustained excellence.

Coach Drayson