It’s Important to Define and Accept Roles

It's Important to Define and Accept Roles

By: Bree Nasti - Head Coach, Adelphi University

Originally Published in Fastpitch Delivery, Provided by: NFCA

This article originally appeared in the December 2014 Edition of the NFCA's monthly member newsletter, Fastpitch Delivery.

Recently, I was watching a Sunday Night Football game between the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots. During the second quarter, Brandon Bolden blocked a punt that resulted in an injury to San Diego punter Mike Scifres.

He subsequently left the game and did not return. The conversation that followed was about Nick Novak, a placekicker who has not punted in a game since high school.

The commentators expressed concern over his ability to punt for distance, his inexperience, and how those factors combined could change the course of the game.

I DON'T KNOW a ton about football, but I do know that kickers and punters are typically underappreciated, and second to only tight ends in the category of lowest paid NFL players by position. In this moment, however, the punter seemed to be the biggest topic of conversation and a potential reason for why San Diego may no longer have a chance at a win.

As with most things, I began to reflect and draw parallels between myself and my profession and the situation at hand. This is the National Football League. From an outsider's perspective, resources are unlimited and there always seems to be someone else capable of doing a job, yet this punter was irreplaceable, and there didn't seem to be an adequate alternative.

AS OUR SEMESTER winds down, we have been doing what we do at the end of every semester and that is meet with each of our players before they depart campus. We took a page out of Florida State coach Lonni Alameda's book and asked each of them to write a lineup that would reflect what they felt would provide us the best chance at winning, should we play tomorrow and under the assumption that everyone is healthy and ready to go.

After hearing what all 16 of them had to say, the results were eye-opening in a number of ways. Where the conversation went from there differed, depending on the athlete and where they felt they fit into the lineup, or didn't.

A RECURRING THEME from us, though, was roles and acceptance of roles. We wondered if some of them viewed our activity as a trick question. Maybe they were thinking that if they didn't write themselves into the lineup, even if they felt they didn't belong there, that it represented a lack of confidence.

We were clear about the objective, and we are consistently honest and direct with them, so I'd like to think that wasn't the case. We further elaborated once they completed the exercise.

We confirmed with them that by placing themselves in the lineup, they felt that they were one of the best nine hitters and of all of their teammates who played that same position, they believed themselves to be the best at it. We discussed where we felt they stood today. In some cases we agreed, and in others we didn't.

A FEW YEARS AGO, I listened to someone on staff with a professional baseball organization speak about weekly practice plans and themed days in regard to objectives. I cannot recall the specifics, but one practice day was reserved for strengths and working things they are already good at, so as to remain good at them, and get better at them.

He told a tale of the fox and the hedgehog. In essence, the fox knows many things, the hedgehog one big thing. This simple statement is a proverb. The ability to determine one's strength, work within that strength, and commit to being the best at that strength can be more valuable than the ability to do many things at an acceptable or average level.

As I've probably said before, and may say again, I thoroughly enjoy and frequently use the phrase, "Jack of all trades, master of none."

While I spared my players the entire fable, the message was that while you may not like or agree with your role, your ability to whole-heartedly commit to something you may view as insignificant is often times something that can be invaluable. We talked about the difference between good teams and great teams and what we feel those differences are.

WORKING HARD is not rare or unique. Neither is exceptional "team chemistry." Lots of teams put in hours outside of those required. What sets us apart? To me, taking pride in and committing to a role you may not want can be a difference maker. I can't think of many former or current players who I feel can genuinely do that.

My next analogy related to the History Channel's Pawn Stars. Every time I watch that show and Rick, the owner, says, "Do you mind if I bring in my expert to take a look at this?" I think, "Of course there's a person for that."

How many people have that type and depth of knowledge and expertise? Maybe more than I think, but I'm thinking they will always have a job, and it will be a valuable one, because I can't imagine there are many people who can do what they do.

I've looked down the bench for the last few years in search of a go-to pinch runner and haven't had one. This was partly due to circumstance, but maybe also partly due to the fact that no one wanted to be "just a pinch runner," and, in turn, no one found value or took pride in becoming the best pinch runner they could be.

While it may not be what they want, it could be the best way to have a close to guaranteed job, not to mention consistent impact.

MY POINT IS that the ability to recognize strengths and shortcomings, and honest self-assessment are important, but the ability to truly embrace a role that is something other than what you may want is both rare and potentially invaluable.

In Nick Novak's case, he had to embrace a role, if only for a day that was neither routine nor familiar, and was credited with his ability to do so respectably. While not always pleasant, conversations about roles are crucial, and the ability to accept them is largely unknown to us until spring rolls around.