Round #19 - Curiosity to learn. Courage to unlearn.
I enjoyed watching 20-year-old Carlton forward Ashton Moir (pictured) kick four goals in just his sixth AFL game, in a very encouraging performance for the Blues against Melbourne in the Respect Game.
In many ways, he was the difference maker, bringing class and a little bit of X-factor that was the reason he was drafted at pick #29 in the 2023 National Draft, and are the attributes the Carlton senior team currently needs more of.
But for all of his tremendous talent and the excitement he brings, the full realisation of his ability will be defined by his:
"Coachability"
“If you were to recruit a person based on one characteristic, what would it be?”
I cut my teeth as a recruiter in the AFL, assessing the capabilities of young footballers, trying to forecast their futures, mostly when those players were plying their trade at a standard well below what would be required of them in the premier football competition in this country.
You were required to pit your skills of assessment against similarly qualified recruiters, who’d spent the same number of hours watching the same players in the same games, editing the same video, talking to the same coaches, teachers, parents etc., yet our assessments would vary such that we would compile a remarkably different list of players come draft day.
Even at the elite level of sport, recruitment remains a very inexact process, although you would never know immediately post-draft, as club recruiters speak confidently about the players they have selected and their likely pathway into top-level football and the expected role they will be playing.
The facts are however, if the draft of five years ago was to be held tomorrow, it would share little resemblance to its original form.
In a results-oriented industry, the fortunes of AFL clubs and their key personnel, live and die on this often ambiguous process.
Despite efforts to reduce the margin for error, including many thousands of hours and as much science as a well-resourced elite sporting competition can muster, we get it wrong, and often. The same phenomenon occurs across all major sports worldwide.
There are, however, sporting organisations that get it right more often, even marginally, and they are rewarded. For the best part of two decades, the New England Patriots in the NFL defied the system, winning their way into nine Super Bowls and winning six, in a competition that has a draft and salary cap explicitly designed to prevent this from occurring.
Their recruitment was legendary, littered with stories of unfashionable players who have played critical roles in the success of their team.
So, back to the original question:
“If you were to recruit a person based on one characteristic, what would it be?”
We will all have a different take, however, my answer is:
”Coachability”
—
“The curiosity to learn. The courage to unlearn"
I enjoyed watching 20-year-old Carlton forward Ashton Moir (pictured) kick four goals in just his sixth AFL game, in a very encouraging performance for the Blues against Melbourne in the Respect Game.
In many ways, he was the difference maker, bringing class and a little bit of X-factor that was the reason he was drafted at pick #29 in the 2023 National Draft, and are the attributes the Carlton senior team currently needs more of.
But for all of his tremendous talent and the excitement he brings, the full realisation of his ability will be defined by his:
"Coachability"
—
"Becoming coachable is the cornerstone of success"
Our world is constantly giving us feedback, personally and professionally.
This requires a systematic and active practice of reflection that builds on a genuine growth mindset, absorbing, recognising, and applying the feedback the world is giving you, and articulating the path forward, personally and organisationally.
Coachability, in my experience, is the fundamental differentiator of high performance, hence the question:
"How coachable are you?"
Coachability is basically asking:
"Are you up for growth?"
For most, the answer is yes. But the question is really:
"Are you up for change?"
The change needs to be informed and meaningful, framed, and, while often ambiguous and nuanced, it must make sense and hopefully give meaning, if not certainty. The question, therefore, is:
"Are you up for feedback?"
But from the feedback, we need to do something, make it happen, overcome the inevitable resistance, so the next question is:
"Are you up for action?"
And with action comes an expectation. We hold ourselves true to the expectations that we have set for ourselves, therefore:
"Are you up for accountability?"
—
"Have you ever taught yourself anything?"
Coachability can be defined in a number of ways, but most fundamentally, it is the self-directed desire and capacity to learn.
How do we determine whether a person has high coachability?
A simple question...
"Have you ever taught yourself anything?"
Then wait for the response. If their eyes light up and they start talking about something they feel a deep passion for, however obtuse, you will learn so much about that person. Should they struggle however, I would have serious concerns about employing that person.
There is a certain determination and honesty implicit in this, a form of integrity and humility, as it requires the individual to focus on their personal development, a skill transferable to their role within the organisation.
It also allows the person to evolve as the organisation faces into its own ambiguity and the likelihood that it will need to change in the uncertain world that most businesses are required to confront.
While the best players do possess physical talent that enables them to compete at the highest level, this is merely their ticket to the game. What makes them special is their capacity to take responsibility for their careers, and the critical personal attribute they all possess is their commitment to learning and improving, and a work rate to back it up.
How does this apply to you and your business?
Simply, give yourself the best opportunity to get your talent right.
Yes, you will make mistakes, but you will make fewer if you focus on the individual’s coachability.
From a recruitment perspective, the individual will likely have ‘track-record’ concerning personal responsibility, development and learning in other aspects of their lives. To this extent, I encourage you to delve deeper during the recruitment process, and if you find someone with high levels of coachability, you are on to a winner.
It is an effort well worth making.
Play on!
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You cannot outperform your leadership.
Our offering is designed for leaders who know that personal leadership effectiveness drives team and organisational performance and that there must be a better, more efficient and effective way to learn leadership.
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