I had such a great chat with Dan, he is a very fun, energetic and influential figure. We talked about how academics should be used to address wellbeing. It is already to some extent, but Dan asserts that academics are key for achieving wellness for any age. There is lack of literacy about mental health. What does it mean to suffer anxiety, but to feel anxious? What is the difference between suffering from depression, or feeling depressed?
Dan and I discuss humility and the ability to lead. Humility in that we, as coaches, don’t know everything and there’s needs to be a bigger concentration for continued learning. A leader limits their abelites if they believe they know everything, which can be detrimental in a professional sports environment or workplace. Furthermore, Dan talks about clarity and purpose, and how these work in tandem with being humble. Clarity provides detail for your goals going forward and the messages you want to convey. This does not only give you purpose, but a purpose that is achievable. You cannot act purposefully if you haven’t got the clarity. Dan then details his concept of ‘Big P and Little p’. ‘Big P’ purpose and ‘little p’ purpose.
P: why you get up in the morning
p: what you do to support P
This helps create conditions for people to be their best to achieve something bigger than themselves.
Dan also touches on issues that athletes must go through when they have a bad performance, bringing up example of the 3 English international soccer players after the most recent Euro Tournament. But there are so many examples of how a public platform can amplify an issue that impacts the mental health of these athletes. There is s till a big gap between empathy and pushing athletes because they are ‘professional’.
And finally, Dan shares his thoughts on a technique used by the NZ Rugby Union team called Red-Blue thinking. Red is your flight fight response, where you can have a short circuit and flip on any small thing that might annoy you. Whereas Blue thinking is the calm opposite. Dan utilises this and has developed the ability to sit in the car and choose to bring blue back into the home after he feels like he’s in the red zone.
