What Can Coaches Do to Reduce Resistance and Build Buy-In?

 

As a coach, you’re often faced with implementing strategic decisions and making tough calls. And just as often, the athletes on your team may resist those decisions or the changes that you’re trying to make. Getting buy-in from athletes isn’t always easy, but it is often critical to the team’s success and your relationship with players.

Here, board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, shares strategies for reducing resistance and building athlete buy-in.

Understand What Resistance is, and Where It Comes From

Resistance rarely comes from an athlete who is actively trying to be difficult and find flaws in your proposed plans. “Resistance tends to come when worldviews aren’t aligned,” says Gilboa. You have a view of the world built on your experiences and where you are in life, while athletes have an entirely different worldview.

Resistance can also come from a place of caring deeply about something—and that’s actually a good thing. “Often, athletes are resisting a change that you’re suggesting because they care, not because they’re trying to be difficult,” says Gilboa.

Ask if What You’re Hearing Really is Resistance

What you see as resistance may not be resistance at all. “Don’t hear every question as resistance: Open your mind to the idea that it might be engagement and not resistance, or it might be collaboration and not resistance,” says Gilboa. “I think coaches often have a strong power structure view in mind. Some coaches think that collaboration and questioning undermine their authority, when actually, if they can stay curious about it, they’re going to find that it increases their respect amongst the athletes.”

“As a coach, you need to open your mind to the fact that your athletes questioning you about something may not actually be resistance,” says Gilboa. “That may be how you were conditioned to view it. But it might be the athlete trying to engage, because they’ve been taught to be collaborative. For example, if you say that a set of mats need to be washed off and you’re outside in the field with a hose, your athletes may suggest bringing them into the showers to rinse in warm water instead. That’s not resistance: It’s collaboration.”

Be Curious About Your Athletes

When you think your team isn’t buying into an idea or you’re facing resistance from one athlete, Gilboa says that rather than feeling defensive, try to feel curious. “Assume that you don’t know exactly what’s going on with the team or the athlete,” she says.

“It’s easy to make assumptions, especially when we think we know an athlete very well. But if you can start with curiosity about why they’re resistant to a change you’re suggesting, that helps you understand where they’re coming from, and it can potentially help you reframe your proposed changes in a way that makes more sense to them.”

Ask Athletes to Help You Understand Them

Curiosity is important, but so is asking questions of your athletes in a way that doesn’t make them defensive. Gilboa recommends the simple question, “Can you help me understand?” Or “What’s this story for you?” if you’re not sure how to proceed.

From there, you can ask an athlete to share the scenarios that they see playing out. For instance, if an athlete is injured but wants to return to play immediately while you believe they need more time on the bench, let that athlete walk you through the scenarios they see. You may realize that in their mind, another week on the bench will mean no more playing time for the rest of the year, or that a college recruiter will miss seeing them in action and they’ll lose out on a chance for a scholarship. Once you understand where the athlete’s resistance is coming from, you will be better equipped to help them.