Talk that Wins and Loses
Week #7 of The Class is Wednesday night
A Ragin’ Cajun stormed off the field at the end of the 7th inning this weekend. Between the foul line and the dugout steps the Louisiana Lafayette pitcher had firm words for the team’s pitching coach. Social media chattered when the coach grabbed his jersey. Two other coaches stepped in to send #13 on a walk. The competitive moment is about communication.
An athlete, and a person in general, can say almost anything….at the right time, place and pace. He can say almost nothing productive when the time, place and pace are wrong. These guardrails give a when, where, and how to express opinions and ask questions, a process that doesn’t always lead to agreement. It does load the dice for clarity.
Time, Place, and Pace
Negative: “Coach, what can I do to get in the lineup?”
Time: 3rd inning
Place: Dugout
Pace: Frustrated tone
Positive: “Coach, what can I do to get in the lineup?”
Time: Before practice
Place: Coach’s office
Pace: Seeking ways to improve
Risk it in the Classroom
Raise a hand in class. You may be wrong but risk is growth too. Stanford Professor Matt Abrahams shares how to overcome the fear of speaking, and how to be quick on your feet when called on. The professor challenges the audience in a series of entertaining, thoughtful exercises.
From Tech to Teacher
In The Class it may look like Coach French is doing an internship or a work-release program. He runs video and monitors the waiting room welcoming guests. He’s actually serving. In reality, he’s a tech pioneer who humbly does small jobs to help (you) the students grow. It’s been his life’s work since he retired. He’s our guest this week.
Coach French has a unique way of teaching mental sharpness, performance in the batter’s box and in the dugout. His experience comes from running through the minor leagues, but not like you think. A year after finishing a college baseball career at the University of San Francisco, he began a climb to the majors…in the tech industry. It took decades. His early 20’s first job was setting up convention booths. It was a way to cut teeth and to learn the new world.
Coach French finished his career as VP of Strategy for ServiceNow, a Fortune 500 company. The company he helped shape, shapes cloud computing today. 80% of the Fortune 500 uses ServiceNow.
Always thinking of himself as a baseball player, Coach French carried a leather Rawlings bag. It was a mindset; the grit and team lessons learned on the diamond. A decades-long commitment to simply “doing his job” and skills honed over years, built his role in one the fastest growing companies in American history. After retiring, he began to coach and build programs for student success on the field and in life. As you can tell, he’ll be in class for one reason, to make you better and stronger.
This week Coach French shapes The Class with professional experience and simple self-talk/activation exercises that fuse imagination and execution.
The Class
Join us for different format this week. A short communication intro and then 35-minutes of conversation and performance training with Coach French. Signing up takes 30-seconds and it’s a free.
www.sevwins-prep.org/the-class
If you are already signed up, see you Wednesday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time!
Invite link -
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85044990216?pwd=VlExWTlBTjBYeTRqVHNVejBNMDJFdz09
See you Wednesday!
On the adventure,
Greg Moore
People
Greg Moore
A former D1 and national team coach who spent 29-years in Higher Ed. The 2017 National Consortium for Academics & Sports award winner founded a non-profit, Sevwins Prep - college prep for ALL. It launched in 2023 and serves over 15,000 players, parents and coaches.