The One Skill You Must Have in Player Development….

The one skill you must have in player development is relationship building. To me there is no way you can develop another person without having a relationship with that individual. Relationships are so vital to this position and to any position that is created to make an impact. This position has to build relationships because in this role you may be the only person who’s dedicated to such.

Building genuine relationships is the prerequisite to creating impact in others.

The relationship building process takes time, but as the student-athletes trust you, you move away from the building stage to the maintaining stage of the relationship. The positive actions and care that you have for the individual will make maintaining the relationship easier. There will be times where you will have to challenge the student-athlete as they grow to new levels. This challenging process can be tough but it is the strengthening stage of the relationship. You won’t always agree with them, but as long as they know you have their best interests at heart the relationship stays intact. 

The relationships I have built in this space have been the main highlights of my career. Seeing my student-athletes grow from boys to young men fills my cup. You get to be there with them and for them through the thick and thin, the good and bad. You have the opportunity to be the stable presence over their time who they know cares about the things they care about in life. From honor rolls to all conference teams to graduation to their professional careers to becoming family men.  It is a beautiful journey that you are allowed to and most importantly welcomed to come along. 

This blog is specifically written to speak on building relationships with student-athletes. With that said, I wanted to share some other pivotal relationships that must be built in the player development space.

Relationships that must be built by player development staff:

1. Student-Athletes

2. Coaching Staff

3. Parents of Student-Athletes

4. Athletic Department Staff

5. Family/Friends of Student-Athletes 

6. Campus/University Staff 

7. Influential Departments in the City

Thank you for checking out this blog. For more information on player development the Beyond The Field EBook can be found here : https://www.btfprogram.com/btf-program-resources