No Potential

One of the things I've realized recently is that I really, and I mean really, dislike the word "Potential", and its close affiliates. 

I've come to the conclusion that this is one of the most overused and overrated terms, and that it means very little. 

As a coach, you'll probably end up using this one too often. I mean, coaching people should indicate that you can spot potential. So what's so bad about that?

I'll save you the dictionary definitions. Potential is all about possible future occurrences. Nothing concrete in the present, all TBD and zero certainty. 

In fact, you can say potential is a fantasy. You may base it off real, current qualities but if it's unable to produce in the present, what does it really mean? 

Is the meaning of the word really superior in any way to the phrase "I hope that..."? Does it actually offer more than hope, perhaps loosely based on actual good odds (or what we decide are good odds, which is probably based on our own personal bias)? 

The way I see it, saying that someone has potential may actually do more harm than good. It often creates expectations, which will lead to pressure and in many cases - disappointment. A person that is said to have the potential to do something or be someone will often feel these expectations and pressure and these will, in many cases, hinder their ability to get to where others expect them to go.  

Now, as a coach, I'll be the first to say that in order to achieve your goals, especially as an athlete (at any level), you will probably need to learn how to deal with expectations, and definitely need to be able to handle pressure. However, since a person will rarely spot their own potential for something, but rather hear it from their surroundings, this is a specific way of putting someone else in a box (I wrote a post about that too) that they're probably not yet able to get out of.

It is more likely, and healthy, that dealing well with expectations and pressure will come once that person has actually made some real progress, and produced some results. 

But early on, in the so-called potential stage? That's likely setting that person up for failure. 

I can't even tell you how many disappointing outcomes I've seen, from those same ones who were said to have the highest potential to do or to be great. 

So next time you want to give someone the best chance to succeed in something they're after, do that person a favor and save the tired potential speech.

Instead, help them focus on their next baby step (yep, same post), then the next one, and so on. Help them be patient with themselves and with the process they need to go through. After all, no amount of perceived potential can guarantee they'll ever get there, but at least you can help steer them in the right direction, early on - and with minimal unnecessary pressure.