The importance of coachability cannot be underestimated

Coachability is important, whether you’re a young athlete, a professional athlete or even a non-athlete.

I attended a lunch event with Jacob Ullman of FOX Sports last week, and as he wrapped up his presentation, he put up a list of qualities that don’t require talent but can make anyone stand out in the work force.

One of the qualities that stood out to me was being coachable.

When I was little, my dad would always impart this advice on me. Of course, me being coachable made his life easier as my head coach for the plethora of sports that I played growing up, but I know that he shared that advice with me to better prepare me for the real world. To this day, I value this advice and instruction from my dad.

In my third year of college, I’ve really come to appreciate when people are coachable. I’ve seen interactions between faculty and my peers and have observed that those who are willing to listen, take criticism in stride and — to put it simply — be coached are the ones who tend to get further than the ones who don’t.

So, it makes sense that the sports executive put up a list for success and being coachable was one of the qualities on the list.

But, what about what happens when professional athletes aren’t coachable?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one of the first players that comes to mind. His personality is larger than whatever room he’s in. An argument can be made that most, if not all, NFL quarterbacks are this way, but that’s not the case.

Earlier this season, Rodgers made comments about the wet ball drills that his coach, Mike McCarthy, had the team do before their game in Detroit, where rain was forecasted.

ESPN quoted Rodgers saying that he went through the drill “as a favor to the coaches because I don’t like that drill, because it’s unrealistic.”

Yes, it’s good that he went through the drill for the sake of listening to the coach. I’m not saying that players should blindly listen to their coaches or people should blindly listen to their supervisors, but there should be a level of respect to how they act.

Rodgers also carries himself with an aura that he’s better than those around him. This isn’t a secret. A number of current and former players have talked about this.

I think part of being coachable comes with being a team player. To me, when someone is coachable, two things can come from it. One, the person themselves benefits from the instruction and advice. Two, the people surrounding that person — whether it be teammates or coworkers — will inherently benefit. A coachable player — in their willingness to learn — can improve the camaraderie and relationships of the team. When a player is willing to listen to instruction, he or she begins to improve their level of play, which, in turn, improves the play of the team.

An NFL quarterback that comes to my mind as being coachable is Dallas Cowboys’ rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. In the absence of Tony Romo, this fourth-round pick has led the Cowboys to a 5-1 start.

As the time for Romo to come back into a starter role draws near, talk coming out of the Cowboys’ locker room has been that they support Prescott starting and that Romo hasn’t really been around. The locker room support around Prescott is a testament to Prescott as a player and as a teammate, not to mention that he’s helping lead the team to a winning season — something they’ve only had once in the last six years.

Anyway, all of this started with the idea of being coachable. Regardless of what level a person is at, being coachable — as well as being a team player — is one of the best qualities someone can have and utilize to be successful.   

Jodee Storm Sullivan is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. Her column, “The Storm Report,” runs Tuesdays.