The Power of Coachability

By Scott Weighart, Director of Learning and Development

Last week one of my favorite athletes retired after a 14-year career in the National Hockey League.  His story is a real testament to the power of coachability on your way to reach the highest possible levels in your career.

Mike Grier grew up in Holliston, Massachusetts, the son of former National Football League running back Bobby Grier.  Mike wanted to play football like his dad.  The problem, believe it or not, was that he was too big.  His weight exceeded the limits for Pop Warner football.  So he took up ice hockey.

Due to his size, his parents developed the habit of bringing his birth certificate to games to prove to skeptical parents that he was not too old for the competition.  As a rare African-American player on the ice, he sometimes endured racial taunts.  His parents told him the best way to respond: “Put the puck in the net.”

A Boston University assistant coach noticed him as a high school player.  When head coach Jack Parker first noticed the young man’s build, he said to his assistant, “So I guess what we like about this guy is his size?”

“No,” the assistant coach replied.  “What I like most about him is that when the game is over, all of the kids from both teams want to be around him.”

 

So Mike Grier went to Boston University, where I first saw him play in 1994.  He was huge-6’1 and about 250 pounds.  When he caught up to an opponent, he often flattened him.  And he always had a big smile for the fans.  He was an immediate favorite.  The problem was that he was just too slow.  I remember thinking, “Well, he’ll be entertaining to watch for four years.”  There was no way he’d have a long-term future in hockey, I thought.

What I didn’t know was the advice his parents had given him before starting his collegiate career.  “We only ask one thing of you,” they told their son.  “Be coachable.”

Think about the power of that.  They didn’t ask their son to be a star or to score goals.  All they wanted was for him to be open to coaching.  If he could listen to an expert and follow their advice to the nth degree, everything else would take care of itself.

They were right.  The coaches told him he would need to follow a rigorous offseason conditioning program.  He lost 27 pounds and started his sophomore year as a sculpted athlete.  And he became committed to becoming a better defensive player.

The rest was history in more ways than one.  He emerged as a collegiate superstar that year.  With the blessing of his coach, he left college early and went directly to the NHL.  He became the first ever African-American player to make the NHL after being born and trained in the United States. While he was never a superstar, he was considered a strong defensive forward and an outstanding guy to have in the locker room.  He played in over 1,000 games, and I estimate that he earned more than $15 million in salary over his career.

We all can get better if we work with the right coach and are willing to work hard to improve, and the financial upside can be staggering.

If you haven’t done so already, I strongly recommend that you consider investing in a coach who can help you reach the big leagues in whatever it is that you do.  In a competitive world, it can make the difference between being stuck in a modest role and being poised for a rapid ascent to being among the best in your profession.