It isn’t the first thing I think of when I analyze college football players but I wonder if coaches do. Today’s players are from the Millennial Generation. And, we are not.
Players today were mostly born between1994-98. They are different then their coaches.
Bryan Harsin, who turns 40 this November, sets the tone for how to motivate this group. Coach Harsin is still young enough to relate to these players but may have more in common with a 60 year old then he does a 20 year old. He is more Generation X, his Dad is an older Baby Boomer and he understands where he is from. He, like the rest of us, is figuring out where we are going.
Gen X was born in the early to mid-60 to mid-70’s, like Harsin, and for the most part are self-managed, cynical, pragmatic and independent.
What a battle.
Harsin is driven, goal oriented and a relentless worker. He believes in hours spent AT the office, problem solving and leadership. He still likes to wear his ear buds and tune out the world occasionally but his ears are usually tuned into his players. He doesn’t get much feedback on his daily performance because, for the most part, his direct supervisors have no idea what he is doing. And you can include fans and media in the group as well.
And, he knows that. He is independent and skeptical of outsiders.
Athletic Directors and Presidents stay out of his way and say stuff like “we will evaluate the program, like we do every year, at the end of the season.”
Imagine telling an 18 year old that. “I will let you know how good you are doing when the season is over.” Ha!
Players today want instant feedback and mostly positive stuff at that. They grew up on instant chats, letting the world see who they like and reading google reviews. They are achievement oriented and want to know how they are doing along the way. Don’t think Annual Performance Review, think DAILY.
I think the roar of the crowd maybe the most important validation they can feel. Fans should understand roars don’t come from TV sets or computer screens. Players getting validation that they matter is pretty difficult to come by when the stadium, mostly on the road, isn’t full. Albertsons Stadium, by reputation, is the loudest in the conference and is a great advantage. Unless, of course, we are talking about the first 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter…
Harsin just named 4 season long captains for the 2016 team. Maybe he tired of rotating the responsibility around to game captains, players who only can worry about themselves and have no interest in how others get a job done. At times, coaches don’t know what makes some players tick especially when it comes to identifying leaders. But, since these players have grown up in so many team environments they take to group task well. Finding a leader though is tough.
I agree.
I see a lot of young people walking around with phones stuck in front of their face or in an office setting with headphones on. Productive employees, focused on their task, but not aware of others. It can be a challenge to decide who should be the next manager.
And, Coach Harsin has to deal with the fact that these kids were raised by Baby Boomers who are accused of coddling their kids and making everything easy for them. Participation trophies, private tutors and constant praise.
Wow, what a job.
Gen X in charge of Millennials raised by Baby Boomers. Makes me want to put on my headphones.
