Nadia Kyba: Value-driven behavior are behaviors that people adapt that are based on their core values. So, when we believe certain things and we’re raised with certain values, our behaviors come out of that. For example, if one of my family’s values is hard work and I believe that hard work is an important part of who I am, my behavior, coming out of that value, would be that I would give it my all when I go to work every day, or if I’m on a sports team, I would try my hardest. So, that’s an example of values-driven behavior.
When coaches and athletes and different people who contribute to a team are able to understand the values of individuals who make up the team, they can leverage the diversity that they bring to the team and make the team stronger. So, an example of that might be that, if there’s an athlete on the team and one of their core values is courage, and that’s really important to them, and they demonstrate courageous behavior all the time, maybe they speak up when they see something that’s happening that they don’t agree with, maybe they take risks in the sport that they’re participating in, which really helps the team to progress, or maybe they get involved in public speaking and represent the team publicly. When a team knows that that individual has that as a value, they’re more apt to ask that individual to fill that role. Understanding our teammates core values really help us to understand how they can contribute to make the team that much better.
If a coach were to develop a code of ethics and individuals who are on the team do not see their personal values reflected in that code of ethics, it might be hard for them to align their personal goals with the team goals. And oftentimes on teams, that’s where we see conflict come into play. If everybody is not aligned on a team goal, it’s very difficult for a team to function at a high level and for athletes to have a positive experience in sports.
As a social worker, one of the things that I like to do, and sort of a social work practice, is to use a process where we define a team’s value, and the way that we do this, is to really dig in with the individuals on the team and help them to understand what their own personal values are. So, if individuals have several different values that are important to them and that guide their behavior in life, we help them to narrow it down to two or three values. And, an exercise that can be very helpful for a team to understand each other and understand individual values is to get team members to write down their two or three top values, individual or personal values, and then make a big list of all of the team’s values, and from that list, narrow it down into a team’s top four or five values. And from there you can start to look at how those values are going to shape the way that the team is going to show up in competition and outside of competition.
Hard work could be an individual value, and perhaps a team will also adopt that as a team value. So, when we’re thinking about linking values to behavior, hard work might show up in a team practice as punctuality. So, a coach might have an expectation that the team arrive at practice 15 minutes early, enough time to get their shoes on and be ready to go at the time that the practice starts at, and, so that then becomes a team guideline. And then when we transfer that to different contexts that the team would show up in, if there’s an athlete who’s involved in a car pool, and the team value is hard work and we’re thinking about the behavior of punctuality, that athlete is waiting outside of the house for the carpool to pick them up. So, when we think about it that way, we really are able to connect meaningful behavior back to personal beliefs and values that make sense to all of the team members.
The other piece of that that’s really important is that, if there are problems on a team down the road, which inevitably there are because conflict’s a very natural part of being on any team, a coach or another athlete are able then to address whatever the problem is by reflecting back on the listed team guidelines that have been developed by the team. So, if behaviors aren’t matching up with guidelines, it’s much easier to say, “Hey, we had an agreement about hard work and what that was supposed to look like was punctuality and being at practice 15 minutes before. I noticed that you were actually here five minutes before and you weren’t ready to go when the practice started. What’s happening for you?” Teams who are able to have those explicit conversations about how their personal values show up in behaviors, are able to function at a much higher level than teams who don’t. They’re able to understand their teammates, they’re able to understand what makes their teammates tick, and then they’re able to leverage some of those strengths that their teammates have when they’re in competition, as well as when they’re in the community or at school. And it’s a great thing when coaches create those opportunities for teams to come together and have some of those explicit conversations and come to some of those agreements when they’re forming guidelines.
TrueSport Expert and President of Now What Facilitation, Nadia Kyba, MSW, explains how fostering value-driven behavior can unite and motivate players, which helps individuals thrive and teams achieve greater success.
Learn more about Nadia Kyba.
Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.
So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.
By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.
Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.
So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.
I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.
Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.
I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.
I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.
Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.
You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.
I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?
At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.
At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.
When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.
Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.
