There is much wisdom in this book from Andy Higgins, with whom I work on a regular basis not only with his athletes but also as a part of a coaching certification program that he coordinates in Toronto.
The late Jack Donahue and the legendary John Wooden had a great influence on me in my brief 10-year stint as a basketball coach. Dr. John Meagher at the University of New Brunswick was a mentor to me and taught me almost everything I know about teaching.
Dr. Kazimierz Dabrowski was in his 70s when he mentored me in graduate school. It was a humbling experience to learn from such a generous human being, one who knew so much more than I could ever imagine knowing. My working with Dr. Dabrowski was a life-altering experience and he, along with Dr. Marlene Rankel, deepened my understanding of human developmental psychology. As you shall see, Dr. Dabrowski’s work has had a strong influence on this book.
My wife, Sandra Stark, and I spent a weekend with Marlene, along with Bill and Charmaine Ramer, discussing Dr. Dabrowski’s theory and its application here. I am most thankful for that, as I didn’t, in any way, want to misrepresent or oversimplify Dr. Dabrowski’s most important work.
Sue Rosenthal took on the onerous task of working with me as an editor. She really dove into the project and she not only was good at what she did but also ignited something under me that got it finished on time! She was, as David Hemery put it when referring to one of his coaches, “a hand in the back.”
Mebbie Black turned what Sue and I did into much better prose. Her fine touch is everywhere in these pages.
Several people were kind enough to review and comment on the first draft, helping immensely to improve the final product. Thanks to Linda Morgan, Ezra Rosen, Steve Earle, Peggy Baumgartner, Mary Lou Ackerman, Sandra Stark, Shelley Swallow, Mary Ann Pilskalnietas, Barry Rosenthal, Cedric Stevenson, Karyn Garossino and Dane Jensen. And many thanks to Allyson Latta for her terrific job of copy editing.
I work every day with an exceptional team of people at Performance Coaching. Our business manager, Shelley Swallow, and I have been together for more than 20 years. She, with her fine organizational skills, has taken an active role in quarterbacking the publication of this book. Our director of training, Peggy Baumgartner, is the best corporate trainer I have ever seen. She brought her usual energy, enthusiasm and intelligence to the project. Senior associate Garry Watanabe, an ex–Southern California swim coach and former lawyer with a master’s in sport psychology (what a combo!), not only was involved in reviewing material for this book but also contributed key examples from his workshop participants.
My son Dane helped me get the idea and concept of the book off the ground, and, along with his brother, James, designed the layout for the website. James also designed the cover for the book. Many thanks also to Robert Ketchen for the design and layout of the book. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wife, Sandra, who co-wrote the “When All Else Fails” appendix and who has contributed her wisdom by way of feedback and content.
I dedicate this book to our four grandchildren, Kaili, Madelyn, Aiden, and Brandon; and to those, God willing, that will follow. May they be fortunate enough to have teachers, mentors and bosses who ignite their Third Factor!
— Dr. Peter Jensen Toronto, August 2008
Contents
Chapter 1: Developing a Developmental Bias, or a 3 a.m. Wake-up Call
Chapter 4: Build Trust
Chapter 5: Encourage and Use Imagery
Chapter 6: Uncover and Work Through Blocks
Chapter 7: Embrace Adversity
Chapter 8: Where Igniting the Third Factor Matters Most — At Home
Conclusion
Appendix A: Be a “Positive Participant” in Your Child’s Athletics
Appendix B: When All Else Fails
How did Helen Keller become such an iconic figure in our cultural consciousness? How did Nelson Mandela emerge from a lengthy imprisonment without bitterness, anger and resentment? How did Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn grow up a free thinker in an oppressive culture? There is clearly some factor in the development of certain human beings that transcends culture, upbringing and genetics. Sometimes the influence of another person or persons plays a vital role. Helen Keller, for example, was fortunate to have as her teacher Annie Sullivan, whose part in her development was immense. And Nelson Mandela, in his book Long Walk to Freedom, speaks of many people, including writers and historical figures from the past, who strongly influenced who he became.
But there was another factor at work in each of these remarkable individuals— and others whose development has been shaped by more than just genetics and environment. This crucial “Third Factor” is the role individuals choose to play in their own development.
We will soon see that this concept of the Third Factor has very broad application in any arena where pressure and the need for excellence are equally present. For many this is the work world; for others, athletics, academics, or artistic endeavors.
Dr. Kazimierz Dabrowski, a distinguished psychiatrist and my mentor in the 1970s, studied the lives of numerous exceptional human beings and discovered that this Third Factor played a major role in the moral and emotional growth of such individuals.
In my case, working with Olympic athletes and coaches has led to an understanding of the profound power of the Third Factor. Olympic sport provides the ideal “performance laboratory” where the role of the Third Factor can be closely observed. In the world of international athletics, the truly great coaches have a strong developmental bias that is directed at the Third Factor in the performer. Coaches with a strong developmental bias are always concerned with encouraging their performers to engage their Third Factor, to get passionate about developing themselves. Through my 25 years of involvement with the Olympic movement, I have seen first-hand the remarkable outcomes that this produces—both at the Games and afterward, in life.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, former players of legendary basketball coach John Wooden, wax eloquent about him. But it’s not about the basketball skills he taught them. It’s about the role Coach Wooden played in their development as human beings, encouraging them to be the best they could be and to take an active role in their own growth and development. John Wooden is not unique in this regard. I have worked with many coaches over the years and witnessed their developmental bias and their skill at igniting the Third Factor in their performers. Doug Leigh, one of the world’s top figure skating coaches, put it succinctly once when we were discussing a world-class skater late in his career. “In the end,” he said, “all you have left is the person.”
If you have purchased or are leafing through this book, you already have a fair dose of the Third Factor. People looking for ways to help others improve by getting better at something themselves are engaging their Third Factor in big ways. Similarly, the developmental bias already at work in you may have drawn you to the book’s title or contents