Page 112 - The Apple Experience

principal. This is a proven method to encourage the repetition of positive
behavior and to give your employees (or students) a chance to shine in front

of their peers.

Filling Emotional Tanks

Jim Thompson is the executive director of the Positive Coaching Alliance, a

nonprofit organization that has sparked a movement of 200,000 youth sports

coaches, training in the group’s mission: to use sports to teach character.

Double-Goal coaches are those who want to win, but also aim to teach life

lessons through sports. According to Thompson, there are an infinite

number of teachable moments in youth sports that are overlooked by coaches

and parents who are obsessed with winning. For example, if a kid strikes out,
a First-Goal coach might have a conversation with the player about

improving his mechanics. A Double-Goal coach covers the mechanics but

also uses the moment to teach traits like resilience, bouncing back from

setbacks, and giving it your best shot.

Effective praise is a key component of the Positive Coaching program.

According to Thompson, the secret to effective praise is the “Magic 5:1

Ratio”: find five reasons to praise for every one thing to criticize. Thompson

calls it filling a person’s emotional tank:

We all have emotional tanks like a gas tank in a car. If it’s

empty, your car doesn’t run. If it’s low, you’re not going to
perform well. You can get people to do something out of fear

for a short term. But the very best coaches build up their
athletes or employees so they are excited and can’t wait to go to

work and face the challenge. Constant criticism drains tanks.
We’re not anti-criticism, but you need to offer receivable