Character

In today's athletic arena, where everyone is looking out for themselves and how to get theres, the issue of character is undervalued and under-appreciated. Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. As an educator, there are six steps in developing good character in your student-athletes:

1. Understand the Quality - you need to illustrate a clear understanding of the character quality you are trying to reinforce.

2. Grasp Its Actions - describe the character quality in term of thoughts, words and behaviors that are representative of those that result when a person possesses this quality.

3. Realize Its Benefits - you need to show the student what are the benefits of good character. For example, help individuals reach their full potential, increase productivity, improve relationships, benefits and encourages others, and contribute to success.

4. Practice Its Actions - put your student-athletes in positions on a daily basis where they must exhibit the character qualities that you are teaching. Tackle enthusiastically a task that you typically dislike doing. On occasion, implementation of the desired end action may be too demanding to accomplish in a single step, and may have to be approached in a sequence of smaller steps.

5. Encourage It in Others - encouraging the character qualities in others is beneficial to others when everyone is encouraging, not only the teacher or coach. Encouraging others will keep sharp your awareness of the character quality itself, keeps you actively communicating about it and possibly gaining a new understanding of the quality, and encourages you to keep actively developing the quality in your own life.

a. Model - demonstrate the character quality

b. Remind/Emphasize - remind the importance of developing the quality

c. Expect/Require - by attitude, actions, and words make expectations clear

d. Recognize - affirm and bring attention to good character and decisions

6. Be Encouraged - invite your fellow coaches/educators to encourage you in developing character qualities, and keep yourself accountable. You are a leader!