Prescriptive treatments are specifically designed for the recipient. It’s customized to fit the unique needs of every individual. It rejects the thought that each person is the same as every other.
Prescriptive Treatment
This past weekend, Grant’s team wrestled in a tournament in Mountain Brook, Alabama. There were 21 teams in the tournament, which provided a lot of action and busyness. Even amongst the chaos, there were the occasional moments of waiting. Those moments present great opportunities for good conversation with parents, wrestlers, and coaches.
One of those conversations took place with Grant’s Coach. We got on the subject of the different approaches to coaching kids. There are two schools of thought. One being that there is a standard that everyone is expected to meet and is to be applied evenly across the board. Essentially, the same medicine prescribed to achieve the same result in different individuals.
The other thought being that each athlete is prescribed a treatment based on their individual needs. Essentially, a special medicine prescribed to achieve a specific result in a uniquely wired person.
Both of us subscribed to the later school of thought. As someone who has coached for my entire adult life, here are two things that must be understood in order to effectively prescribe treatment in leadership:
Everyone is Uniquely Created
Every athlete I have ever coached is uniquely created. While there are players who have reminded me of others or possessed similar skillsets, no two have EVER been the same.
There are players who respond to direct and even harsh feedback, even in front of the entire team. Then, there are those that will mentally break at the slightest public criticism. They require being pulled to the side and gently walked through the feedback. Each are inspired and motivated in different ways.
In leadership, I firmly believe that every person we are entrusted to lead is uniquely gifted. Wired differently than everyone else in the organization. The recognition of this simple principal acknowledges that in order to create a dynamic organization, it requires a different approach. One that starts with understanding people are produced from the same mold, but uniquely created.
Everyone has a Story
I have had the opportunity to coach a lot of athletes, all with different stories. Kids with supportive parents, kids with absentee parents, kids from affluent families, kids from poor families, kids with high academic potential who breeze through school, kids who aren’t naturally gifted academically who must work their tails off to pass, kids who have had a sheltered life, and kids who deal with trauma from unfathomable life experiences.
Statistics are a big thing in sports, they are milestones that define success. There is a great quote from Dr. Tony Evans that I echo frequently, “Statistics never tell the story of a soul.” Behind every successful athlete is a story, one that reads differently than any other. Great coaches recognize the value of stories, which ultimately leads to true success.
In leadership, empathy is one of the greatest gifts a leader can possess. Sympathy and empathy are two words that frequently get confused for each other. I believe that sympathy are those moments when our story aligns with someone else’s. We have physically walked in their shoes.
Sympathy happens in leadership, but more often leaders are expected to display empathy. I believe that empathy is the ability to get as close to wearing those shoes as possible, without ever actually walking in them. We achieve that Approximate Proximity through genuine listening and support of others.
Every single one of us has junk in our lives…everyone! It could be depression, addiction, financial hardship, career challenges, marital struggles, illness, injury, the passing of a loved one, or struggling children…we all have junk. Most of the time we are all like ducks, appearing calm, cool and collected on the surface, but kicking like hell beneath the surface. Every kick writes someone’s story, great leaders read every word of it.
Conclusion – Prescriptive Treatment
Show me a coach or leader that believes there is a one size fits all approach to developing people, I’ll show you someone with a losing record. One with brief tenures with unstained success. Their unrealist black and white approach to the world produces a rigid, unempathetic, and unforgiving prescription for people.
Show me a coach or a leader that believes there is an individual prescriptive treatment for developing people, I’ll show you someone with a winning record. One with productive tenures with sustained success. Their adaptive and fluid approach to the world produces a flexible, empathetic, and grace filled prescription for people.
Leadership is coaching. The same principles that apply to developing athletes can apply to developing leaders. It requires recognition of two simple concepts: everyone is uniquely created and everyone has a story. Great leaders use these concepts to develop the ultimate, prescriptive treatment for people.