Watch me help this young athlete reach his physical potential.
http://www.digitalsports.com/article/type/state/typeid/25/id/65200.aspx
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Book Review: Strength Training by the Experts
Applying the principles
This book is a compilation of writings from experts in the field of strength training and is titled Strength Training by the Experts. Dan Riley is the author of this book which was published in 1982 (2nd edition). At the time of this article, a used copy could be purchased on the internet for $0.01. There is no excuse for aspiring strength coaches to not have this on the bookshelf. Dan’s writings helped to formulate my foundation as a young strength coach with his articles in Scholastic Coach from the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s.
This book does a great job of covering various topics such as muscle physiology, strength training principles, and exercise techniques. There is even a chapter devoted to teaching a weight training course. What separates this book from others in the strength field; however, are the chapters on how to organize a strength training program and how to perform a strength training exercise.
Point #1: How to Organize a Strength Training Program
Dan Riley provides eight variables for coaches to focus on to effectively organize a strength training program. The variables include the following:
• How many repetitions?
• How much weight?
• How many sets?
• At what level of intensity?
• How much rest between exercises?
• Which exercises?
• In what order should the exercises be performed?
• How often should the workouts be performed?
Dan Riley provides scientific principles to organize your program. These principles will allow the coach to produce maximum results in a minimal amount of time.
Point #2: How to Perform a Strength Training Exercise
Dan Riley discusses what happens during the execution of an exercise that produces results. The muscle does not know how many repetitions are performed. It’s the proper amount of exercising time plus the proper amount of overload that produce maximum gains. He provides five checkpoints of a properly performed exercise which provides the foundation for strength training development. The five checkpoints include the following:
• Full Range Exercise
• Eliminate any fast, sudden, or jerky movements
• Emphasize the lowering of the weight
• Overload the muscles properly
• Supervision
This book will make every coach reevaluate their program to ensure they are providing sound coaching techniques. This book will give coaches insight into organizing a strength training program that will develop maximum levels of strength in a time efficient and safe manner.
This book is a compilation of writings from experts in the field of strength training and is titled Strength Training by the Experts. Dan Riley is the author of this book which was published in 1982 (2nd edition). At the time of this article, a used copy could be purchased on the internet for $0.01. There is no excuse for aspiring strength coaches to not have this on the bookshelf. Dan’s writings helped to formulate my foundation as a young strength coach with his articles in Scholastic Coach from the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s.
This book does a great job of covering various topics such as muscle physiology, strength training principles, and exercise techniques. There is even a chapter devoted to teaching a weight training course. What separates this book from others in the strength field; however, are the chapters on how to organize a strength training program and how to perform a strength training exercise.
Point #1: How to Organize a Strength Training Program
Dan Riley provides eight variables for coaches to focus on to effectively organize a strength training program. The variables include the following:
• How many repetitions?
• How much weight?
• How many sets?
• At what level of intensity?
• How much rest between exercises?
• Which exercises?
• In what order should the exercises be performed?
• How often should the workouts be performed?
Dan Riley provides scientific principles to organize your program. These principles will allow the coach to produce maximum results in a minimal amount of time.
Point #2: How to Perform a Strength Training Exercise
Dan Riley discusses what happens during the execution of an exercise that produces results. The muscle does not know how many repetitions are performed. It’s the proper amount of exercising time plus the proper amount of overload that produce maximum gains. He provides five checkpoints of a properly performed exercise which provides the foundation for strength training development. The five checkpoints include the following:
• Full Range Exercise
• Eliminate any fast, sudden, or jerky movements
• Emphasize the lowering of the weight
• Overload the muscles properly
• Supervision
This book will make every coach reevaluate their program to ensure they are providing sound coaching techniques. This book will give coaches insight into organizing a strength training program that will develop maximum levels of strength in a time efficient and safe manner.
Book Review: Personal Coaching For Results - How to Mentor and Inspire Others to Amazing Growth
Applying the principles of Personal Coaching
The book was recommended to me by Joe Ehrmann, co-founder of Building Men and Women for Others, during a discussion about the subconscious and its role to prevail over the conscious. The book is titled Personal Coaching for Results: How to Mentor and Inspire Others to Amazing Growth by Lou Tice. The central theme of the book is how we move toward and become like that which we think about. How our present thoughts determine our future. I encourage all coaches, regardless of their specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it
to coaching.
Point #1: Coaches are Pygmalion’s
The Pygmalion effect is named after the mythical king of Cyprus who carved and fell in love with a statue of a woman, which the goddess Aphrodite brought to life. The Pygmalion Effect describes the powerful influence that one person’s expectations can have on another. Good mentors (coaches) are Pygmalion’s for the following reasons: They think their protégés are special. They help us believe in ourselves. They boost our self-esteem and self-efficacy. They help convince us that we have what it takes to succeed, which affects how hard we try, which tends to produce success, which further boosts our self-esteem and self-efficacy.
I don’t know where I would be today if it were not for those who believed in me. For those who built and reinforced my own belief in myself. Those mentors created an expectation in me to succeed. A good coach is one who believes in people. If they don’t believe in that athlete, they will never lead him.
Point #2: The Power of Self-Esteem: The Wizard of Oz as a Parable
This is a classic story of a journey by Dorothy and Toto and their companions: a scarecrow who thinks he has no brains, a tin man who believes himself to be heartless and a lion who is ashamed because he thinks he is a coward. Along the journey they get to see the Wizard. The Wizard turns out to be a fake but nonetheless gives them more than they ever hoped – high self-esteem. He gives them the following:
• Scarecrow gets a diploma for brains
• Tin man gets a watch to hear his heart
• Lion gets a medal for courage so he’ll believe it
• Dorothy “always had the power to leave” she had to believe in herself.
I believe a good coach shouldn’t tell an athlete what’s wrong until they can tell them what to do about it. How many coaches are negative wizards? How many coaches take away the hearts, courage, and brains and chip away at an athlete’s self-esteem? A coach should build the athletes confidence before they build their competency.
Point #3: I x V = R
This formula: I x V = R stands for I (Imagination) times V (Vividness) equals R (Reality, to the subconscious mind). Any time you imagine something vividly and feel the related emotions, it makes an impression in the neuron system of your brain. Our subconscious minds can’t tell the difference between something that is actually happening and something that we vividly imagine to be happening.
This is an important concept for those trying to overcome the early life negative wizards - whether parents, teachers, coaches, or peers. They are the people that made a negative impact into the subconscious and shut you down through negative feedback. There is good news, however, for those who have been a victim of negative impact. You are the only one who can build a belief inside your mind. If you are aware of how beliefs are built and how self-talk (continuing dialogue we have with ourselves) works, it’s much easier to restore your self-esteem.
I feel this formula (I x V= R) is significant because as an authority figure coaches have the power to build up or tear down with their tongue. A coach is going to fill a gap in a person’s life, a new area of capability. A coach should be long on encouragement.
The book was recommended to me by Joe Ehrmann, co-founder of Building Men and Women for Others, during a discussion about the subconscious and its role to prevail over the conscious. The book is titled Personal Coaching for Results: How to Mentor and Inspire Others to Amazing Growth by Lou Tice. The central theme of the book is how we move toward and become like that which we think about. How our present thoughts determine our future. I encourage all coaches, regardless of their specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it
to coaching.
Point #1: Coaches are Pygmalion’s
The Pygmalion effect is named after the mythical king of Cyprus who carved and fell in love with a statue of a woman, which the goddess Aphrodite brought to life. The Pygmalion Effect describes the powerful influence that one person’s expectations can have on another. Good mentors (coaches) are Pygmalion’s for the following reasons: They think their protégés are special. They help us believe in ourselves. They boost our self-esteem and self-efficacy. They help convince us that we have what it takes to succeed, which affects how hard we try, which tends to produce success, which further boosts our self-esteem and self-efficacy.
I don’t know where I would be today if it were not for those who believed in me. For those who built and reinforced my own belief in myself. Those mentors created an expectation in me to succeed. A good coach is one who believes in people. If they don’t believe in that athlete, they will never lead him.
Point #2: The Power of Self-Esteem: The Wizard of Oz as a Parable
This is a classic story of a journey by Dorothy and Toto and their companions: a scarecrow who thinks he has no brains, a tin man who believes himself to be heartless and a lion who is ashamed because he thinks he is a coward. Along the journey they get to see the Wizard. The Wizard turns out to be a fake but nonetheless gives them more than they ever hoped – high self-esteem. He gives them the following:
• Scarecrow gets a diploma for brains
• Tin man gets a watch to hear his heart
• Lion gets a medal for courage so he’ll believe it
• Dorothy “always had the power to leave” she had to believe in herself.
I believe a good coach shouldn’t tell an athlete what’s wrong until they can tell them what to do about it. How many coaches are negative wizards? How many coaches take away the hearts, courage, and brains and chip away at an athlete’s self-esteem? A coach should build the athletes confidence before they build their competency.
Point #3: I x V = R
This formula: I x V = R stands for I (Imagination) times V (Vividness) equals R (Reality, to the subconscious mind). Any time you imagine something vividly and feel the related emotions, it makes an impression in the neuron system of your brain. Our subconscious minds can’t tell the difference between something that is actually happening and something that we vividly imagine to be happening.
This is an important concept for those trying to overcome the early life negative wizards - whether parents, teachers, coaches, or peers. They are the people that made a negative impact into the subconscious and shut you down through negative feedback. There is good news, however, for those who have been a victim of negative impact. You are the only one who can build a belief inside your mind. If you are aware of how beliefs are built and how self-talk (continuing dialogue we have with ourselves) works, it’s much easier to restore your self-esteem.
I feel this formula (I x V= R) is significant because as an authority figure coaches have the power to build up or tear down with their tongue. A coach is going to fill a gap in a person’s life, a new area of capability. A coach should be long on encouragement.
Book Review: Season of Life - A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey to Manhood
Applying the principles of the Season of Life to coaching
This book was recommended to me by Matt Stover, kicker for the Baltimore Ravens, during a discussion about false masculinity. The book is titled Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood. The book is written by Pulitzer Prize author Jeffrey Marx, and chronicled through the coaching and ministering of former Baltimore Colts player, Joe Ehrmann. This book is about the positive influence of coaching. I encourage all coaches, regardless of the specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it to coaching.
Point #1: Expect Greatness
Biff Poggi, the head coach of Gilman Greyhounds high school football team, defined greatness in a speech to his players:
“I expect greatness out of you. And the way we measure greatness is the impact you make on other people’s lives…The rest of the world will always try to separate you. The rest of the world will want to separate you by race, by socioeconomic status, by education levels, by religion, by neighborhood, by what kind of car you drive, by the clothes you wear, by athletic ability. Don’t let it happen.”
How would the boys make an impact? They would make an impact by being inclusive rather than exclusive. They would also make an impact by breaking down cliques and stereotypes, by developing empathy and kindness for all. Biff added, “What’s empathy? Not feeling for someone, but with someone. If you can put yourself in another man’s shoe, that’s a great gift to have for a lifetime.”
How else would the boys make an impact? By living with integrity. By seeking justice. By encouraging the oppressed. Biff states, “The boys could make the greatest impact on the world by asking the only question that really matters: How can I help you today?”
I agree with Biff in that the greatest impact we can make is by being a servant. A servant leader is both directive while humble and not manipulative.
Point #2: Maximize your talents
This point was based on the Bible story – the parable of talents – that Joe Ehrmann shared with the head coach, Biff Poggi. To paraphrase the story, a man was preparing to leave home on a journey. He distributed property to his servants based on ability. The master returned to settle accounts with his servants. He was pleased with the two servants who had taken their talents and put them to good use. The man was not nearly as kind to the servant who made no use of it at all.
Joe explained, “God gives each person X amount of talents. The question isn’t really how many talents you’ve been given. The real question is what you do with the ones you have. The person we really want to honor is the one who maximizes whatever it is he has. On the other hand, someone with great ability but without the work ethic and the right contributions to the team is really negligible to the community.”
I agree with Joe Ehrmann’s assessment of talents. We should all try to do our best to use the gifts that God has given us, and we all have some gift, as well as some liability and limitations. We should, however, strive for excellance no matter what the endevour we choose. A team will not be successful until you get a group of gifted people varied in their gifts working together to accomplish a common objective. The individual athlete needs to aside personal goals for the good of the community.
Point #3: Masculinity (and femininity) ought to be taught in terms of the capacity to love and be loved.
Joe Ehrmann discusses the three components of what he termed false masculinity: athletic ability, sexual conquest, and economic success. I was present at a speech where Joe discussed his components of false femininity: dependant on body type or size, beauty, what you own, a man to complete yourself (Snow White – prince).
I think as coaches it is important to improve the self worth of the athlete, especially female athletes. Improving the self worth will change the self talk (what you repeatedly tell yourself), which will not only improve performance, but your beliefs, your behaviors, and your emotional responses to events and experiences.
In the book, Joe states that “masculinity ought to be defined in terms of relationships. It ought to be taught in terms of the capacity to love and to be loved…life wouldn’t be measured in terms of success based on what you’ve acquired or achieved or what you own.”
For the male, when you look back at the end of your life, the measure of a man should be what kind of father or son you were. Were you connected to people through relationships? Could your children take you in their arms and know when they are talking – you are listening? I try to get my identity at home instead of your work place.
This book was recommended to me by Matt Stover, kicker for the Baltimore Ravens, during a discussion about false masculinity. The book is titled Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood. The book is written by Pulitzer Prize author Jeffrey Marx, and chronicled through the coaching and ministering of former Baltimore Colts player, Joe Ehrmann. This book is about the positive influence of coaching. I encourage all coaches, regardless of the specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it to coaching.
Point #1: Expect Greatness
Biff Poggi, the head coach of Gilman Greyhounds high school football team, defined greatness in a speech to his players:
“I expect greatness out of you. And the way we measure greatness is the impact you make on other people’s lives…The rest of the world will always try to separate you. The rest of the world will want to separate you by race, by socioeconomic status, by education levels, by religion, by neighborhood, by what kind of car you drive, by the clothes you wear, by athletic ability. Don’t let it happen.”
How would the boys make an impact? They would make an impact by being inclusive rather than exclusive. They would also make an impact by breaking down cliques and stereotypes, by developing empathy and kindness for all. Biff added, “What’s empathy? Not feeling for someone, but with someone. If you can put yourself in another man’s shoe, that’s a great gift to have for a lifetime.”
How else would the boys make an impact? By living with integrity. By seeking justice. By encouraging the oppressed. Biff states, “The boys could make the greatest impact on the world by asking the only question that really matters: How can I help you today?”
I agree with Biff in that the greatest impact we can make is by being a servant. A servant leader is both directive while humble and not manipulative.
Point #2: Maximize your talents
This point was based on the Bible story – the parable of talents – that Joe Ehrmann shared with the head coach, Biff Poggi. To paraphrase the story, a man was preparing to leave home on a journey. He distributed property to his servants based on ability. The master returned to settle accounts with his servants. He was pleased with the two servants who had taken their talents and put them to good use. The man was not nearly as kind to the servant who made no use of it at all.
Joe explained, “God gives each person X amount of talents. The question isn’t really how many talents you’ve been given. The real question is what you do with the ones you have. The person we really want to honor is the one who maximizes whatever it is he has. On the other hand, someone with great ability but without the work ethic and the right contributions to the team is really negligible to the community.”
I agree with Joe Ehrmann’s assessment of talents. We should all try to do our best to use the gifts that God has given us, and we all have some gift, as well as some liability and limitations. We should, however, strive for excellance no matter what the endevour we choose. A team will not be successful until you get a group of gifted people varied in their gifts working together to accomplish a common objective. The individual athlete needs to aside personal goals for the good of the community.
Point #3: Masculinity (and femininity) ought to be taught in terms of the capacity to love and be loved.
Joe Ehrmann discusses the three components of what he termed false masculinity: athletic ability, sexual conquest, and economic success. I was present at a speech where Joe discussed his components of false femininity: dependant on body type or size, beauty, what you own, a man to complete yourself (Snow White – prince).
I think as coaches it is important to improve the self worth of the athlete, especially female athletes. Improving the self worth will change the self talk (what you repeatedly tell yourself), which will not only improve performance, but your beliefs, your behaviors, and your emotional responses to events and experiences.
In the book, Joe states that “masculinity ought to be defined in terms of relationships. It ought to be taught in terms of the capacity to love and to be loved…life wouldn’t be measured in terms of success based on what you’ve acquired or achieved or what you own.”
For the male, when you look back at the end of your life, the measure of a man should be what kind of father or son you were. Were you connected to people through relationships? Could your children take you in their arms and know when they are talking – you are listening? I try to get my identity at home instead of your work place.
Book Review: Blink-The Power of Thinking without Thinking.
Applying the principles of Blink to coaching
The book was recommended to me by Frank Eastham. Frank is the principle at Oakland Mills high school and the Human Rights Commissioner in Howard County, Maryland. Frank recommended Blink because it reveals the importance of how we must acknowledge and assess our conscious and subconscious actions as we attempt to build deep and meaningful relationships. The book is titled Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, cites examples from different sources about how we think without thinking, about choices we seem to make in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that aren’t as simple as they seem. For example, our attitudes towards things like race or gender operate on two levels. On the first level we have conscious attitudes. This is what we choose to believe. On the second level of attitude, our attitude acts on a subconscious level, the immediate, automatic associations that tumble out before we’ve even had time to think. I encourage all coaches, regardless of their specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it to coaching.
Point #1: The Role of Contempt in a Relationship
This point was based off a study in which researchers could predict with fairly impressive accuracy who was going to get divorced and who was going to make it based on only three minutes of a couple talking.
Each couple was analyzed with a coding system that had twenty different categories of emotions. The most important emotion of those analyzed was contempt. Contempt is any statement made from a higher level. A lot of time it’s an insult: “You are a …... You’re scum.” It is so stressful that it begins to affect the functioning of your immune system. Contempt is closely related to disgust, and what disgust and contempt are about is completely rejecting and excluding someone from the community.
The role of contempt in a relationship has made me aware of the consequences in either receiving or delivering this emotion in conversation or gesture. Being able to identify this emotion has also enabled me to address it when encountered so it won’t inhibit building healthy and meaningful relationships. I understand and strive to coach with the fruit of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Point #2: Be relationship driven
The point was exemplified by malpractice suites filed against doctors. The risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes the doctor makes. Patients tend to file lawsuits because they’ve been harmed by shoddy medical care and how they were treated on a personal level. The how is that patients were rushed, ignored or treated poorly. Their was a clear difference between those doctors who have never been sued and those that have been sued at least twice. The surgeons who had never been sued spent more than three minutes longer with each patient (18.3 vs. 15 minutes) than those who had been sued. They were more likely to make “orienting” comments, “First I’ll examine you, and then we will talk the problem over” which helps patients get a sense of what the visit is supposed to accomplish.
The analysis went even further. After analyzing the conversation between surgeon and patient, the difference in being sued or not sued was entirely how they talked to their patients. If the surgeon’s voice was judged to sound dominant, he was in the sued group. If the voice sounded less dominant and more concerned, the surgeon tended to be in the non-sued group.
In the end it comes down to a matter of respect, and the simplest way that respect is communicated is through tone of voice.
This point reinforces the importance of building a repoire with the athletes I coach. A repoire is built by observing, analyzing and evaluating. I cannot help the athlete if I don’t know the athlete.
Point #3: I must be exposed to those different than me on a regular basis.
In classical music circles, it was believed that women could not play like men. They didn’t have the strength, attitude or resilience for certain kinds of pieces. This “fact” was born out because men seemed to sound better than women in auditions according to the conductors, music directors and maestros. No one paid much attention to how the auditions were held, because it was viewed that a music expert could decipher the quality of music under any set of circumstances.
Orchestra musicians began to organize themselves politically and wanted the audition process formalized to prevent conductors from abusing their power in hiring practices. Formalizing included erecting screens between the auditioner and the committee audition committee (the committee was established to replace the conductor). An extraordinary thing happened once the new rules were put into place: orchestras began to hire women. Since screens became commonplace, the number of women hired increased fivefold.
The act of listening to someone play was corrupted. Some musicians look like they sound better than they actually sound, because of confidence and good posture. The act of listening was done with the eyes, not with their ears and heart.
When confronted with the act of their prejudice, the orchestras solved their problem. They were able to control the environment in which rapid cognition (first impressions) takes place in their unconscious.
This is a reminder that I need to see people for who they truly are. We can change our first impressions because they are generated by our experiences and our environment. We can alter the way we thin-slice, by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions. I must make an effort to be exposed to those different than me on a regular basis and be comfortable with them so I am not betrayed by my first impressions.
The book was recommended to me by Frank Eastham. Frank is the principle at Oakland Mills high school and the Human Rights Commissioner in Howard County, Maryland. Frank recommended Blink because it reveals the importance of how we must acknowledge and assess our conscious and subconscious actions as we attempt to build deep and meaningful relationships. The book is titled Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, cites examples from different sources about how we think without thinking, about choices we seem to make in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that aren’t as simple as they seem. For example, our attitudes towards things like race or gender operate on two levels. On the first level we have conscious attitudes. This is what we choose to believe. On the second level of attitude, our attitude acts on a subconscious level, the immediate, automatic associations that tumble out before we’ve even had time to think. I encourage all coaches, regardless of their specific sport, to read this book.
I would like to share with you three points that I received from the book and how you can apply it to coaching.
Point #1: The Role of Contempt in a Relationship
This point was based off a study in which researchers could predict with fairly impressive accuracy who was going to get divorced and who was going to make it based on only three minutes of a couple talking.
Each couple was analyzed with a coding system that had twenty different categories of emotions. The most important emotion of those analyzed was contempt. Contempt is any statement made from a higher level. A lot of time it’s an insult: “You are a …... You’re scum.” It is so stressful that it begins to affect the functioning of your immune system. Contempt is closely related to disgust, and what disgust and contempt are about is completely rejecting and excluding someone from the community.
The role of contempt in a relationship has made me aware of the consequences in either receiving or delivering this emotion in conversation or gesture. Being able to identify this emotion has also enabled me to address it when encountered so it won’t inhibit building healthy and meaningful relationships. I understand and strive to coach with the fruit of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Point #2: Be relationship driven
The point was exemplified by malpractice suites filed against doctors. The risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes the doctor makes. Patients tend to file lawsuits because they’ve been harmed by shoddy medical care and how they were treated on a personal level. The how is that patients were rushed, ignored or treated poorly. Their was a clear difference between those doctors who have never been sued and those that have been sued at least twice. The surgeons who had never been sued spent more than three minutes longer with each patient (18.3 vs. 15 minutes) than those who had been sued. They were more likely to make “orienting” comments, “First I’ll examine you, and then we will talk the problem over” which helps patients get a sense of what the visit is supposed to accomplish.
The analysis went even further. After analyzing the conversation between surgeon and patient, the difference in being sued or not sued was entirely how they talked to their patients. If the surgeon’s voice was judged to sound dominant, he was in the sued group. If the voice sounded less dominant and more concerned, the surgeon tended to be in the non-sued group.
In the end it comes down to a matter of respect, and the simplest way that respect is communicated is through tone of voice.
This point reinforces the importance of building a repoire with the athletes I coach. A repoire is built by observing, analyzing and evaluating. I cannot help the athlete if I don’t know the athlete.
Point #3: I must be exposed to those different than me on a regular basis.
In classical music circles, it was believed that women could not play like men. They didn’t have the strength, attitude or resilience for certain kinds of pieces. This “fact” was born out because men seemed to sound better than women in auditions according to the conductors, music directors and maestros. No one paid much attention to how the auditions were held, because it was viewed that a music expert could decipher the quality of music under any set of circumstances.
Orchestra musicians began to organize themselves politically and wanted the audition process formalized to prevent conductors from abusing their power in hiring practices. Formalizing included erecting screens between the auditioner and the committee audition committee (the committee was established to replace the conductor). An extraordinary thing happened once the new rules were put into place: orchestras began to hire women. Since screens became commonplace, the number of women hired increased fivefold.
The act of listening to someone play was corrupted. Some musicians look like they sound better than they actually sound, because of confidence and good posture. The act of listening was done with the eyes, not with their ears and heart.
When confronted with the act of their prejudice, the orchestras solved their problem. They were able to control the environment in which rapid cognition (first impressions) takes place in their unconscious.
This is a reminder that I need to see people for who they truly are. We can change our first impressions because they are generated by our experiences and our environment. We can alter the way we thin-slice, by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions. I must make an effort to be exposed to those different than me on a regular basis and be comfortable with them so I am not betrayed by my first impressions.
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