My guest today is my friend and PPT community favorite, Betsy Butterick! Betsy is a lifelong athlete who played college basketball, a coach, and communication specialist. She is known in the industry as “The Coaches’ Coach”, mentoring leaders - from the boardroom to the locker room. Betsy has committed her life to helping leaders learn essential communication skills to help them better connect with the people they serve.

As a communications expert and a generous teacher, she deeply understands the sociology of sports teams, and the importance of creating an optimal sports environment. More than anything, Betsy is committed to the lifelong practice of learning. If you are a coach, a leader, a parent, or around humans in general, you can learn something from Betsy.

 In our episode today, we chat about one of the most relevant topics in today’s sports landscape: Coaching Gen Z! 

 We cover:

This episode gives coaches a new perspective and actionable tips to help them connect with their team in a way that makes the coach-athlete relationship and the team stronger.

Follow Betsy: 

Website: www.betsybutterick.com

Here’s a glance at this episode:

[1:42] Betsy talks about how catching up on reading led her to one of her newest favorite resources, “The Art of Disagreement”. She then defines ”Gen Z”.

[2:50] Betsy asks coaches to finish the sentence, “Kids these days are… “ and explains what that helps her discover about a team. Lindsey and Betsy discuss the few defining challenges that Gen Z has that older generations didn’t have.

[6:33] How can I get Gen Z to listen to me? Why do they seem to care so much about what other people think of them? Betsy shares her perspective and explains the extreme way in which Gen Z internalizes failure. Rather than - “I failed”, it’s - “I am a failure”.  

[9:46] Betsy shares an example of one big mistake she sees many coaches making when it comes to giving feedback to Gen Z athletes. Lindsey and Betsy discuss why many lifelong coaches are now leaving their careers because what they’re doing is no longer working with this generation. 

[14:54] “It’s not that old school values are irrelevant, I would argue they’re more needed than ever. Our ability to connect with athletes today is paramount to our ability to transform them.” 

[16:56] Lindsey asks Betsy for a few actionable tips to give coaches who work with Gen Z. Betsy chats about the importance of co-creation and defines what that looks like.

[21:00] Lindsey draws a parallel between the best practices for coaching Gen Z and the way she approaches parenting. 

[22:50] Betsy tells a story about working with a coach who had a sign saying “Because I Said So” mounted to the wall. 

[26:46] Betsy outlines the huge risk to coaches who want to strongarm their way into coaching athletes their way. The two discuss the importance of “psychological safety” in sports. 

[28:28] How has the attention span of Gen Z shifted, and what can we do as educators to meet them where they’re at? Lindsey talks about the importance of practicing what you preach. 

[32:56] Betsy peels back the curtain to share the highlights and structure of her Gen Z workshops. 

[35:28] Betsy talks about her new workshop, “Updates from the Field, Coaching Gen Z in an Optimal Sport Experience” - based on the last 5 years of conversations she had with Gen Z athletes, and why it has become the most requested keynote.