Wish Your Best Athlete Was Also Your Best Leader

8/9/2019 Wish Your Best Athlete Was Also Your Best Leader

1/22

Wish Your Best Athlete Was Also Your Best Leader?Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

"As I look back on my coaching career, almost all of our best seasons occurred when my best player was alsomy best leader." Mike Fox, North Carolina Head Baseball Coach

While virtuall an one, re!ardless of athletic abilit , could earn enou!h respect to beco"e a leader, the idealsituation is almost always when your best athlete is also your best leader.

Wh #

$nevitabl , our best athlete alread has a certain level of respect fro" the tea" because of their athletic skills%&heir ph sical talent !ives the" an undeniable le! up on their tea""ates 'hen it co"es to leadership and

provides the" 'ith an earl platfor" fro" 'hich to lead%

If they can combine their physical talent with effective leadership skills, they become a formidable forceon your team. &his (Best )thlete*Best Leader( Co"bo co""ands a certain presence and respect that !etsever one on the tea" to listen to the" and follo' their lead% )nd ulti"atel translates to a tea" that trains andco"petes at a hi!h level%

&he proble" is, "ore often than not, our best athlete is not al'a s our best leader%

Just because a person has the best athletic skills on our tea" does not also !uarantee the have the bestleadership skills%

+nfortunatel , like ou, $ have seen "an (Best )thletes( throu!h the ears 'ho 'ere prone to la iness,arro!ance, selfishness, poor people skills, an overl active social life, bein! uncoachable, etc% - hardl the"akin!s of an effective leader%

Worse, if the rest of your team follows this Best Athlete who has poor leadership skills, your seasoncould be a disaster.

+nfortunatel , if ou leave their leadership develop"ent to chance, ou are luck if our best athlete is alsoour best leader "ore than ./0 of the ti"e% 12dds obviousl not in our favor%3

!ather than hopin" your best athlete has a modicum of leadership skills, I encoura"e you to start now todevelop their leadership skills #ust as you do their physical skills.

$%& &'%( W'IL% &'%Y)!% Y*+ $...


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$ hi!hl encoura!e ou to identif our best athletes 'hen the are oun! and provide the" 'ith leadershiptrainin! earl - so"ethin! Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox astutel su!!ested 'hen 'e first developed the+NC pro!ra"%

With our Leadership )cade"ies, our coaches no' purposel tar!et and encoura!e their best oun!, athletictalents to !et involved in our 4"er!in! Leaders leadership develop"ent pro!ra""in! durin! their fresh"anand sopho"ore ears%

-nowin" that these talented athletes already have a platform of respect from which to lead because oftheir physical talent, we invest an intensive year of leadership development trainin" in them too.

Since the alread have the ph sical talent part of the e5uation, our !oal is to develop their leadership skills'hile the are oun!%

&hen, b the ti"e the are a 6unior and senior, the are "uch "ore likel to have the "a!ical (Best )thlete

)N7 Best Leader( Co"bo, 'hich is so critical to a tea"8s success%&he 5uestion for ou then beco"es9

What are you doin" now with your youn", talented athletes to try to develop them into your team)s futurebest leaders?

$nvest the ti"e no' to coach, develop, and !roo" our oun! talents to beco"e our tea"8s best leaders% $t 'ill be ti"e 'ell spent and serve to create a solid leadership pipeline that ou and our pro!ra" can rel on for"an ears to co"e%


3/22

&he even /)s of /hampionship &eam Buildin"Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

&alent : &ea"'ork ; Success

Le!endar Boston Celtics basketball Coach


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2. /omplementary !oles

Cha"pionship tea"s are co"prised of several individuals 'ho 'illin!l take pride in a pla in! a variet ofroles% &hese roles, 'hen pla ed in concert and har"on lead to tea" success% &hus, each pla er is assi!nedspecific positions and responsibilities that help deter"ine the entire tea"8s success% While individuall the arenot solel responsible for the tea"8s success or failure, collectivel each role for"s a s ner!istic 'hole that is!reater than the su" of its parts%

&he "a6or difficulties in developin! co"ple"entar roles is that so"e roles !et "ore attention and praisethereb "akin! the" see" "ore i"portant% Cha"pionship tea"s ho'ever reali e that all roles are critical to theoverall tea"8s success and 'illin!l accept and value their individual roles%

3. /lear /ommunication

) fourth characteristic of cha"pionship tea"s is clear co""unication% Successful tea"s co""unicatesuccessfull both on and off the field% &he on field co""unication helps the" perfor" "ore efficientl andeffectivel % =la ers "ust co""unicate si!ns, the nu"ber of outs, 'here to thro' the ball and call fl balls to

perfor" successfull % 2ff the field, pla ers need to continuall "onitor the tea"8s effectiveness, "odif thin!s'hen necessar , and celebrate successes%

4. /onstructive /onflict

)lon! 'ith effective co""unication, cha"pionship tea"s have the abilit to keep conflict under control% 2ften,coaches and pla ers are able to use conflict constructivel to further develop and stren!then the tea"% $t is notthat cha"pionship tea"s never experience conflict, because this is i"possible% $nstead the are able to handlethe conflict the experience and do not let it interfere 'ith the tea"8s co""on !oal% Cha"pionship coaches and

pla ers "ake sure that their co""on !oal al'a s takes precedence over an conflict%

5. /ohesion

) sixth characteristic shared b "an cha"pionship tea"s is that the !enuinel like and respect each other%&he pla ers like to spend ti"e 'ith each other outside of scheduled practice and !a"e ti"es% &he find reasonsto sta to!ether like !oin! to the "ovies, stud in!, han!in! out, etc% &his is not to sa that ever sin!le pla er isa part of the !roup, but that a "a6orit of pla ers tend to sociali e to!ether% While it is not absolutel necessar ,cohesion is a factor that often 'ill help our tea" perfor" at a hi!her level%

6. /redible /oachin"

Finall , it takes a credible coach to develop, orchestrate, and "onitor all the other (C8s( of Cha"pionship &ea"Buildin!% >ou as a coach pla a critical role in helpin! the tea" arrive at a co""on !oal, "onitorin! and"aintainin! our pla ers8 co""it"ent, assi!nin! and appreciatin! roles, co""unicatin! 'ith the tea", keepin!

conflict under control, and pro"otin! our tea"8s che"istr and cohesion% &he tea" "ust have a leader 'hothe believe in and has the skills necessar to !et the "ost fro" the tea"% ) credible coach creates an effectiveenviron"ent that allo's the tea" to perfor" to their full potential%

)s ou reali e, cha"pionship tea" buildin! is a co"plex process 'hich "ust be continuall "onitored andi"proved%


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07 teps for /reatin" a !eliable 8ipeline of %ffective&eam LeadersJeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Just as ou "ust anal e, recruit, develop, and replace our tea"8s ph sical talent, so too "ust ou continuallanal e, recruit, develop, and replace our tea"8s leadership talent%

Most coaches are fa"iliar 'ith the concept of the 7epth Chart% For those 'ho aren8t, a 7epth Chart is 'hen ou plu! our personnel into the various positions ou have? notin! 'ho the first strin! pla ers are, their replace"ents,and an other backups ou "i!ht have do'n to the third and fourth strin!%

For exa"ple, the North Carolina "en8s basketball 7epth Chart for the ./@A*@ season 'ould look like thefollo'in! for their point !uard position%

=oint uard

@% Marcus =ai!e .% Nate Britt

&he 9epth /hart helps you stay on top of your team by visually seein" your personnel stren"ths,weaknesses, and liabilities. $f there is a hole in an position, ou "ust proactivel plan to shore it up should anin6ur or other proble" occur%

Si"ilarl in recruitin! and draftin! at the professional level, coaches "ust pro6ect aheadin the co"in! ears to fill certain positions that 'ill be lost to !raduation or retire"ent%

Co"plicatin! "atters further, so"e colle!e coaches "ust con6ecture 'hether theirathletes "i!ht be turnin! pro earl 1see La'son exa"ple above3 or takin! off a season to pla 'ith the National &ea"%

&hus, a detailed 7epth Chart is a necessit for both short and lon! ter" plannin! for atea" to be successful%

While "ost coaches create and "onitor a "eticulous =ositional 7epth Chart for the ph sical skills and talent of their athletes, the often overlook a critical area to theirtea"8s success9 leadership%

Man coaches unfortunatel subscribe to 'hat $ call the (Ma!ic 4i!ht Ball &heor ( ofleadership develop"ent% &his "eans the enter each season hopin! that !ood leaders 'ill"a!icall appear b chance% +nfortunatel , it is often too late at this point%

:ust as you must analy;e, recruit, develop, and replace your team)s physical talent, so too must youcontinually analy;e, recruit, develop, and replace your team)s leadership talent.

&his is 'here a Leadership 7epth Chart can be a bi! help% Like a =ositional 7epth Chart, ou too "ust anal eour tea"8s leaders for the upco"in! ears% >ou "ust evaluate their leadership abilit as 'ell as their readiness to

assu"e a leadership position%


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)s for"er 7irector of eneral 4lectric8s Crotonville and current Michi!an Business School professor Noel &ich'rites in &he C cle of Leadership, () 'ell-desi!ned leadership pipeline, discipline, and co""it"ent areabsolutel essential in order for an or!ani ation to assure that it 'ill have the leaders it needs 'hen and 'here itneeds the"% Without a deliberate and for"al pipeline structure, leadership develop"ent is onl rando"% So"eleaders 'ill e"er!e, but their e"er!ence 'ill not be predictable, there 'ill not be nearl enou!h of the", nor 'illthe have the diversit and level of skills of those 'ho have been s ste"aticall tau!ht and tracked%(

'*W &* /!%A&% Y*+! L%A9%! 'I8 9%8&' /'A!&

Here8s ho' to create our o'n Leadership 7epth Chart based on the ones 'e use 'ith our Leadership )cade"ies9

tep 0< (ake si= columns on a spreadsheet or piece of paper.

tep 1< In the first column titled, eason, write in the years of your ne=t four upcomin" seasons.

For exa"ple, ou 'ould include the ./@ *@D, ./@D*@E, ./@E*@ seasons%

tep 2< &itle the second column Leaders.

Here ou should put in the na"es of the people 'ho ou think 'ill be our pri"ar andsecondar leaders for the particular ear% &hese should include the people 'ho ou think 'ill

be our tea" captains% )lso include the na"es of our potential core tea" leaders, even thou!hou "i!ht not officiall "ake the" captains%

When doin! this, $ encoura!e ou to think about the leadership skills of our best athletes -especiall our "ost talented oun!er athletes% & picall , our best athletes alread have a!ood a"ount of respect fro" their tea""ates based pri"aril on their ph sical talent% &heother pla ers often look to the" for leadership because of their (status( on the tea"% &akeadvanta!e of the platfor" of respect the alread have and be sure to invest so"e ti"e in theirleadership skills 'hile the are still oun!%

tep 3< &itle the third column !eadiness.

+sin! a @-@/ scale, rate each of our anticipated leaders% ) (@/( "eans the are full read and have the leadershipskills necessar to step in and do a !reat 6ob on 7a @% &hese leaders understand our philosoph , 'ork hard everda , "ake !reat decisions a'a fro" the pla in! field, have developed effective relationships 'ith each of theirtea""ates, and are 'illin! to confront and hold people accountable%

) (@( "eans this person has a lot of thin!s to understand before the can beco"e an effective leader% 2bviousl ,not "an (@( rated athletes 'ill "ake our 7epth Chart% Most of our ratin!s 'ill likel be in the ( ( throu!h (G(ran!e% &his "eans "ost 'ill need so"e "ore leadership develop"ent and coachin! in order to be better prepared'hen ou 'ill eventuall rel on the" in upco"in! seasons%

Like ou did previousl , be sure to rate the leadership readiness of our oun!er, "ore talented athletes% $f the aredeficient in the leadership area, ou 'ill have to "ake the decision 'hether ou are !oin! to invest the ti"e toi"prove their leadership skills to brin! the" up to speed% 1$t is 'orth it if ou can%3 2r ou "i!ht tr to rel on


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so"e others for leadership 'ho are less talented, but have a "uch stron!er foundation of leadership% B pro6ectin!ahead three to four ears, ideall , ou should be able to do both%

tep 4< &itle the fourth column tren"ths.

List the current stren!ths of each prospective leader and 'hat the brin! to the tea"% >ou 'ill 'ant to build onthese stren!ths in the co"in! seasons as 'ell as "ake sure the leader reco!ni es 'hat he*she does 'ell%

tep 5< &itle the fifth column Weaknesses.

Note the current 'eaknesses and areas of i"prove"ent for each of our leaders% What specific skills or insi!hts dothe need to !ain to be a better leader for our tea"# Hi!hli!ht their areas needin! develop"ent%

>ou "i!ht also notice in this section that "an of our potential leaders probabl share si"ilar deficiencies?t picall in the areas of conflict "ana!e"ent and enforcin! the standards of our tea"% &hese co""on areas ofdevelop"ent 'ill help ou 'ith the last colu"n%

tep 6< &itle the si=th column 9evelopment 8lan.

Based on the leader8s stren!ths and 'eaknesses, devise a custo"i ed develop"ent plan that 'ill help the"i"prove as a leader% >ou can assi!n the" readin!s, have the" shado' and intervie' a leader 'ho excels in an area'here the are 'eak, role pla ho' to handle so"e challen!in! situations the 'ill likel face, !et the" so"eAE/-de!ree feedback on their leadership fro" their tea""ates and coaches 1see link belo'3, etc% Like ou do 'hentr in! to develop a person ph sicall , create so"e learnin! experiences that 'ill help the" !ro' as a leader%

AE/-7e!ree Feedback info at9 http9**'''%tea"captainsnet'ork%co"*public*.GA%cf"

tep >< %ncoura"e your staff to sketch out their own Leadership 9epth /hart.

)sk each of our staff "e"bers to create their o'n Leadership 7epth Charts to !et their perspectives% &hen investthe ti"e to discuss our findin!s and pro6ections as a !roup% While ou 'ill likel a!ree on "ost prospectiveleaders, there 'ill be ti"es 'hen a dark horse candidate is 'orth bettin! on% Further, our readiness ratin!s of our leaders 'ill likel be so"e'hat different% Whatever the case, proactivel anal in! and discussin! our leadershipdepth 'ill eventuall pa off i""easurabl and is 'orth the short ti"e and effort%

tep < 8ersonally and privately inform your hi"h potential leaders that they have a chance to be a futureteam leader.

Let our hi!h potential leaders kno' that ou appreciate ho' the carr the"selves andthat ou think the have the chance to be a future tea" leaders% Hearin! fro" a coach that

the are respected and have the potential to be a future tea" leader is a hu!e boost of confidence for "ost athletes%Man 'ill rise to the occasion and do their best to prove ou ri!ht% &he 'ill do their best to live up to the positivei"pression ou have of the"% >ou 'ill need to re"ind the" that our respect and that of their tea""ates isso"ethin! that the "ust continuall earn and "aintain throu!h their actions% &ell the" that ou 'ould like toinvest ti"e 'ith the" to further develop their leadership skills%

Confir"ation co"es fro" the business 'orld in a book called Leading the Way % &he authors 'rite, (Bein! a hi!h- potential in the &op Co"panies often "eans ou8re held to a hi!her standard% &op Co"panies don8t pull an punches% Nearl all tell their best leadership talent that the are, in fact, their best leadership talent% While so"eor!ani ations prefer to keep 5uiet 'hen it co"es to tellin! hi!h-potentials that the are hi!h-potentials, &op
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Co"panies are often up-front 'ith this ke population, infor"in! the" not onl of their status and its benefits, butalso of 'hat the desi!nation doesn8t "ean%(

tep 07< Invest the time to develop the leadership skills of your team.

)fter creatin! a Leadership 7evelop"ent =lan, follo' up and invest the ti"e develop our oun! leaders% &hereare a variet of 'a s ou can do it includin! the follo'in! used b so"e of our coachin! collea!ues%

7urin! the off-season, so"e coaches 'ill invite a !roup of sopho"ores in on a re!ular basis to discuss theirleadership philosoph and ho' their tea" can better develop as leaders%

Carolina 'o"en8s soccer coach )nson 7orrance has his prospective leaders read chapters fro" &he LeadershipMo"ent b Michael +see"% &he book includes real-life historical happenin!s and ho' positive or ne!ativeleadership pla ed a pro"inent role%

Florida 'o"en8s soccer coach Beck Burlei!h takes her prospective leaders throu!h areas of the &ea" Captains Net'ork 'ebsite to develop her leaders% She assi!ns the" various links to read as 'ell as havin! the" take thefive "odule e-course% &he then post their insi!hts on the 7iscussion Foru" and discuss the" as a !roup%

7uke "en8s basketball coach Mike r e'ski invests I/ "inutes ever 'eek to !roo" and "entor a sopho"ore, 6unior, and senior leader on his tea"%

Man coaches also use the @/-"odule pro!ra" outlined in " Team Captain s Leadership !anual 'ith theircurrent and prospective leaders%

More info available at9 http9**'''%6eff6anssen%co"*coachin!*resources%ht"l leadership

&he primary point is that if you want to have stron" veteran leaders, you must proactively invest the time todevelop them when they are youn"er to create a reliable pipeline. As I)ve said before, If you want yourleaders to be an e=tension of you, you must e=tend yourself to them.

7iscover @. Si"ple >et Si!nificant 7ail &o 7o8s for Leaders

Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Student-athletes of all a!es often 'onder, "What can I do to be a better leader "

Fortunatel leadership opportunities abound and present the"selves on a dail basis% While the "a be subtle,leaders are usually "iven at least a do;en opportunities to demonstrate leadership every sin"le day.

&hese leadership opportunities are rarel available in the for" of dra"atic, rousin!, ('in one for the ipper( t pespeeches, but "ost often present the"selves in si"ple, et si!nificant interactions on a dail basis%

&here8s a 5uote 'e often use in our Leadership )cade"ies b Helen eller that drives ho"e the value of thesesee"in!l trivial, et critical leadership "o"ents% She said, "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it ismy chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is mo#ed along not only
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by the mighty sho#es of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."

Most e"er!in! leaders erroneousl vie' and define leadership as the "i!ht shoves reserved onl for the heroiccaptains of the tea"% $n actualit , ho'ever, it)s the tiny pushes of leadership that happen more fre@uently andhave the "reatest impact over time.

&o help our e"er!in! and existin! leaders reco!ni e, value, and act on the "an tin opportunities to lead everda , $ have created a si"ple @.-point checklist% $ encoura!e ou to !o over the checklist 'ith our leaders to sho'the" 6ust ho' si"ple leadership can be - et ho' profoundl po'erful the a!!re!ate of these @. dail leadershipactions can be on our pro!ra"%

01 I(8L% Y%& I$ I I/A & 9AILY &* 9*) *! L%A9%!

0. Be the hardest worker at practice today. Without fail, one of the 5uickest 'a s to i"pact a tea" is 'ith ouro'n 'ork ethic% Choose to be one of the hardest 'orkers on our tea" toda % Not onl does it set the tone for the'ork ethic of our pro!ra", it is also one of the best and 5uickest 'a s to enhance our leadership credibilit 'ith

our tea""ates and coaches%

1. Be a spark of ener"y and enthusiasm today. Let our passion for the sport shinethrou!h toda % Spread a conta!ious ener! and enthusias" a"on!st our tea""ates% &hink about ho' luck ouare to be able to pla and co"pete%


10/22

cr on%

>. /onstructively confront ne"ativity, pessimism, and la;iness today. )s a leader, have the coura!e toconstructivel confront the ne!ativit , pessi"is", and la iness that 'ill crop up on our tea" fro" ti"e to ti"e%$nstead of fuelin! the fire b 6oinin! in or silentl standin! b , be sure to refocus our tea""ates on solutionsrather than d'ellin! on and co"plainin! about the proble"s% Left unchecked, these proble"s can 5uickl !ro' todistract, divide, and destro our tea"%

. Build and bond your team today. &ea" che"istr naturall ebbs and flo's throu!hout the course of theseason% &ake the ti"e to "onitor and "aintain our tea"8s che"istr %Let our reserves and support staff kno' ho' "uch ou appreciatethe"% Sta connected and current 'ith each of the natural sub-!roupson our tea"% 7ouse an brush fires that "i!ht be occurrin! and continuall re"ind tea" "e"bers about ourco""on !oal and co""on bond%

07. /heck in with your coach today. $nvest the ti"e to check in 'ith our coach toda % )sk 'hat ou can do to best help the tea" this 'eek% Find out 'hat our coach 'ants to acco"plish 'ith toda 8s practice% )lso discuss ifthere is an thin! our coach is concerned about re!ardin! our tea"% 7iscuss our collective insi!hts on ourtea"8s che"istr , focus, and "indset% Work to!ether to effectivel co-lead our tea"%

00. !emind your team how today)s work leads to tomorrow)s dreams. $t8s eas to !et bo!!ed do'n durin! our season 'ith "onotonous drills, tirin! conditionin!, and de"andin! 'orkouts%


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&eam Buildin" 070< &he our ta"es of &eam9evelopment

For"in! - Stor"in! - Nor"in! - =erfor"in!

While che"istr class is not re5uired for "ost coaches, it is t picall one of the "ost i"portant sub6ects toco"prehend% 2ne of the best 'a s to build tea" che"istr is to have a clear understandin! of the t pical sta!esof tea" develop"ent% Much like a child !ro'in! up, 6ust about ever tea" pro!resses throu!h certaindevelop"ental sta!es throu!hout the course of a season% >our role as a coach is to use the follo'in! sta!es oftea" develop"ent as a !uide and facilitate our tea"8s natural pro!ression throu!h the"%

$t is i"portant to re"e"ber that not all tea"s 'ill auto"aticall pro!ress se5uentiall throu!h these sta!es butthis "odel 'ill serve as a !ood !uide for developin! our tea"8s che"istr % Most proble"s arise 'hen coachesare not fa"iliar 'ith the sta!es of tea" develop"ent or 'hen the tr to push a tea" to (peak( too soon%

ta"e 0 ormin"

For"in! is the first sta!e and occurs as our pla ers be!in each ne' season% >our returnin! pla ers are a earolder 1and hopefull 'iser3 and our ne' fresh"en and*or transfers are tr in! to fi!ure out 'hat is !oin! on%&his initial sta!e involves excite"ent as 'ell as uncertaint because so"e pla ers are not even sure if the are!oin! to "ake the final cuts% 2thers kno' the 'ill "ake the tea" but are unsure about the role the "i!ht

pla % 4xperienced pla ers 'ill be tr in! to !et a feel for the ne'co"ers in an atte"pt to see if the can help thetea" or if their position "i!ht be threatened% 2n the surface, "ost people 'ill be cordial and friendl as the"eet and interact 'ith the ne' tea" "e"bers, but internall there are often a lot of unans'ered 5uestions thatcan cause stress%

ta"e 1 tormin"

&he second sta!e occurs 'hen a !roup of individuals 'ith various 'ants, needs and insecurities starts to "oreclosel interact and co"pete 'ith one another% $nevitabl , because of the various personalities and individual!oals on our tea", conflicts bet'een pla ers, coaches, staff 1and an co"bination of these !roups3 'ill surelarise% =la ers 'ill be testin! our standards 6ust as ou 'ill test theirs% $ndividuals 'ill be overtl and covertlv in! for startin! positions and leadership roles% Work ethics and positive and ne!ative attitudes 'ill beexposed% >our tea" 'ill be!in to discover 'ho is pla in! 'hat positions and roles and ho' "uch pla in! ti"eeach person "i!ht !et% ou "a even 'ant to alert our tea" tothe fact that not ever one is !oin! to a!ree and like each other @//0 of the ti"e and that this is a nor"al andnecessar part of tea" develop"ent% &he bi!!est ke is ho' constructivel our tea" handles the inevitable


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conflict% & picall , 'e take ti"e on the front end to teach our pla ers so"e conflict "ana!e"ent skills in aneffort to 'eather the Stor"in! sta!e%

ta"e 2 ormin"

&he Nor"in! sta!e occurs 'hen our tea" be!ins to settle on a set of rules and standards as to ho' thin!s 'ill be done% Nor"in! relates to our tea"8s standards in practices, the classroo", 'ei!ht trainin!, conditionin!,"ental trainin!, social life, etc% 2ccasionall , these standards are for"all 'ritten and a!reed upon but t picallthe evolve unobtrusivel over ti"e as (this is the 'a 'e do thin!s%( 2bviousl , our tea"8s nor"s andstandards concernin! attitude, 'ork ethic, tea" support, acade"ics, etc% have a tre"endous i"pact on thesuccess of our tea"% )s a coach, it is i"portant that the tea" nor"s ou establish help to create and foster asuccessful environ"ent% 7urin! " 'ork 'ith tea"s, $ encoura!e the pla ers to openl discuss, establish and"onitor the standards the 'ant to co""it the"selves to - both on and off the field%

ta"e 3 8erformin"

&he =erfor"in! sta!e is the eventual !oal of all tea"s% &his sta!e follo's Nor"in! and occurs onl aftereffective standards are in place and fir"l e"braced b the tea"% &he tea" be!ins perfor"in! as a cohesiveunit that respects and trusts each other% &he kno' 'hat to expect fro" each other and this ields a sense ofco"fort, confidence and consistenc % Coaches talk a lot about peakin! at the end of the season% &his =erfor"in!sta!e is exactl the (peakin!( that coaches are tr in! to achieve - 'hen the tea" is 6ellin! and 'orkin! as a'ell-oiled "achine%

+nfortunatel the =erfor"in! sta!e is not a !uaranteed aspect of our season% =erfor"in! re5uires that ourtea" has constructivel handled the conflict of the Stor"in! sta!e% Not onl do ou need to overco"e theconflict, but ou and our tea" also have to be sure that ou have set effective rules and standards in the

Nor"in! sta!e in order to ascend to the =erfor"in! sta!e%

/ommon 8roblem Areas of 9evelopin" Your &eam

&ea"s can !o back and forth bet'een these sta!es, especiall as ne' challen!es and de"ands arise durin! theseason% $n6uries, conflicts and losses can cause a tea" to re!ress fro" the Nor"in! sta!e back into the Stor"in!sta!e% )s ou probabl reali e, tea" buildin! is a co"plex, ever-chan!in! process that "ust be continuall"onitored and ad6usted%

0. tuck in tormin" ta"e

eepin! these sta!es in "ind, "ost of the proble"s that $ see 'ith tea"s are ones of conflict 'here tea"s !etstuck in the Stor"in! sta!e% Conflicts are continuall flarin! up because individuals often do not have the skillsand*or "aturit to effectivel handle their differences% &hese differences are either perpetual open sores or theare s'ept under the carpet onl to fester and rear their u!l heads at the "ost disastrous ti"es%

1. e"ative orms

)dditionall , so"e tea"s "ake their 'a throu!h the Stor"in! sta!e but the unproductive nor"s that areestablished beco"e their eventual do'nfall% &he nor"s that are established "a be totall counterproductive to

our tea"8s success% For exa"ple, (7o 6ust enou!h to !et b ,( (4ver person for the"selves,( (Coach pla sfavorites,( are all nor"s and attitudes that have prevented tea"s fro" reachin! their potential% &ea"s 'ith poorstandards continuall keep the"selves fro" pro!ressin!%


13/22

$n this situation, it is often best to intentionall shake our tea" up and "ove the" back into the Stor"in!sta!e% &his is 'here ou as a coach challen!e their attitudes, 'ork ethics and standards because ou reco!ni ethat the are actuall hurtin! the tea"% >our !oal is to !et the" to reco!ni e their behavior and ho' it runscounter to the !oals that the have set% &hen ou need to encoura!e and help the" establish "ore effectivestandards - or so"eti"es even i"pose "ore effective standards%

)s ou reali e, ou are an i"portant catal st in "onitorin! and "ixin! our tea"8s che"istr % eep the sta!esof tea" develop"ent in "ind as ou !uide our tea" fro" For"in! to =erfor"in!%


14/22

'ow to 'elp Your 8layers +nderstand and Accept&heir !oles"%ometimes a player s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team." %cottie &ippen, Chicago

'ulls

+nderstandin" and acceptin" roles is one of the bi""est areas for developin" a successful team. &heobvious proble" 'ith !ettin! individuals to pla roles is that certain roles have "ore outside appeal than others%)s &ennessee coach =at Su""itt observes, (


15/22

&wo Ways to 9efine E /larify &eam !oles

0. Individual (eetin"s with %ach 8layer

&here are a fe' 'a s that ou can help define and clarif our pla er8s roles% 2ne is to have an individual"eetin! 'ith each pla er specificall discussin! their role% $t usuall is best to be!in the "eetin! b askin! the

pla er ho' she feels about her present role as she sees it% Find out ho' satisfied she is 'ith her role as 'ell asan future roles she "i!ht like to pla % 4ither the pla er sees thin!s the 'a ou do or ou need to brin! in our

perspective as a coach to help clarif it for her% $f a pla er 'ould like to pla a !reater role, discuss 'hat outhink it 'ill take for her to have a chance to pla the desired role% $t "a ran!e fro" extra practice to a realitcheck to, in a fe' instances, transferrin! to another tea"% &he ke is to have honest and open co""unication

bet'een ou and each pla er%

1. &eammates /larifyin" !oles for %ach *ther

)n excellent and effective 'a of clarif in! and appreciatin! roles is to have our tea" assist in definin! rolesfor each other% Man tea"s have found this exercise to be 5uite beneficial% Have our pla ers sit in a circle anddescribe each pla er8s role% )sk the tea", (What does Jenn brin! to this tea"# What do 'e need fro" her inorder to reach the tea" !oals 'e have set for ourselves#( $f the person is a starter, the pla ers 'ill likel discussher stren!ths and help her see her role "ore clearl % $f she is a sub, pla ers 'ill talk about the need for her to

push the starters to !et better as 'ell as appreciate the (little( thin!s she does%

Appreciatin" %veryone)s !ole on the &eam

&he "ost i"portant factor in helpin! pla ers accept their roles depends on ho' appreciated the feel for pla in!the"% >our ackno'led!e"ent and praise as a coach !oes a lon! 'a in helpin! pla ers feel "ore appreciated%4ssentiall , ou need to create a sense of pride in pla in! ever role% >ou 'ant each pla er to understand thecontribution she "akes to the tea" and take pride in it, re!ardless of 'hether it is valued b the fans or "edia%

=hil Jackson ackno'led!ed the i"portance of role pla in! in his book %acred (oops. ($ kne' that the onl 'ato 'in consistentl 'as to !ive ever bod - fro" the stars to the nu"ber @. pla er on the bench - a vital role onthe tea"%(

ails and $lue Awards

ettin! people to accept roles re5uires that ou appreciate the"% B appreciatin! the" for pla in! roles, our pla ers be!in to understand that their role is valued and ulti"atel i"portant to the tea" reachin! its co""on!oal%

)s coach


16/22

>ou can create various a'ards for 'hatever roles ou dee" i"portant to our tea"8s success - like reco!ni in!the pla er 'ith the "ost rebounds, assists, char!es taken, or screens% Let our pla ers co"e up 'ith the na"esfor the a'ard% )ri ona8s "en8s tea" created the ()ll =rops &ea"( to ackno'led!e the pla er 'ho bestexe"plified the tea"8s standards for success% >ou can either deter"ine our a'ard based on ob6ective stats orhave our tea" vote for the pla er the felt did the best 6ob% We usuall announce the a'ard at practice, put up asheet on the pla er8s locker, and add his*her na"e to the "ain a'ard list in the locker roo"%

Your team)s success depends on your ability to "et your players to understand and accept their roles. +sethe previous su!!estions to help ou define and appreciate each pla er8s role and soon our tea" 'ill have a'innin! che"istr %

&his article is an adapted excerpt fro" Jeff Janssen8s book Championship Team 'uilding) What *#ery Coach +eeds to $now to 'uild a !oti#ated, Committed Cohesi#e Team.


17/22

5 Leadership Lessons from the $eor"e Washin"tonLeadership Academy

by Becky Bedics, Ed.D., Director of the George Washington Student !thlete "eadership !cademy

&he eor!e Washin!ton Student-)thlete Leadership )cade" has been a ver popular pro!ra" a"on! Wstudent-athletes and coaches% +nder the !uidance of =atrick Nero, 7irector of )thletics and


18/22

1. 8revent a Leadership Foid Between /lasses

2ne of the "ost challen!in! thin!s $ hear fro" coaches is (&here is no leadership in our Sopho"ore 1or Junioror Senior3 class% $t is challen!in! because unless ou are ne' to the tea", these student-athletes have beenavailable to train and coach their leadership skills their entire colle!iate athletic career%

eor!e Washin!ton coaches take an intentional approach to buildin! leaders on their

tea"s lon!itudinall and creatin! 'hat 'e at the Janssen Sports Leadership Center call a(Leadership 7epth Chart( to build consistent leadership across the classes%

&err Weir, coach of the Men8s and Wo"en8s Cross Countr , tea"s conducts one-on-onediscussions 'ith each student-athlete re!ardin! ho' the can each "ake an i"pact andhelps the" find opportunities to lead fro" an position in the lineup, or an class% Healso encoura!es the oun!er leaders on the tea" to (help out( veteran leaders 'hen

possible so that (b the ti"e the are veterans the"selves, the are even better at it%(

Wo"en8s Lacrosse coach &ara Hannaford and Wo"en8s


19/22

&he 5 -ey /omponents of /ommitment

(ow do you define commitment

What e-actly does it mean to truly be committed to someone or something

$n toda 8s a!e of entitle"ent and instant !ratification, the critical concept of co""it"entis !ettin! 'atered do'n in the "inds of "an athletes%

>7G of coaches believe that today)s athletes don)t fully understand nor appreciatethe importance of commitment. &o co"bat this insidious assault on the i"portance and

value of co""it"ent, $ have athletes define the concept of co""it"ent and have the" discuss the E eCo"ponents of Makin! and eepin! a Serious Co""it"ent listed belo'% $ stron!l encoura!e ou to do thesa"e%

Here8s ho' 'e define co""it"ent9

/ommitment is a serious, lon" term promise you make and keep with yourself and others to fullydedicate yourself to your task, trainin" andHor team, even when, and especially when times are tou"h.

urther, commitment means not only promisin" to do somethin", but much more importantly, actuallyinvestin" the necessary effort and actions to make it happen.

&he 5 -ey /omponents of /ommitmentBased on this definition, ou ll notice that there are six ke co"ponents of "akin! and keepin! a SeriousCo""it"ent%

A erious /ommitment is a...

0. olemn 8romise

$nstead of 6ust bein! hollo' 'ords said casuall in passin!, a Serious Co""it"ent is a sole"n pled!e ou

"ake and keep 'ith ourself and others% >ou "ust understand the co"plete conse5uences of our co""it"entand full "ean it 'hen ou sa it% When ou "ake a co""it"ent, others 'ill take ou seriousl and rel onou to be true to our 'ord%

*ur tradition calls for a commitment to accountability. &his is not an assumption J this is a promise thatI will be there for youK and I can count on you bein" there for me.

Bob Ladouceur, 9e La alle 'i"h chool ootball /oach


20/22

1. ull Investment

) Serious Co""it"ent "eans ou full invest ourself in the cause - ph sicall , "entall , and e"otionall %>ou connect co"pletel 'ith our cause and passionatel pursue it b puttin! our 'hole heart, "ind, and soulinto it% >ou don t hold back but !o all in , puttin! in our full attention, ener! , and effort to acco"plish our!oal%

8ut your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. &his is the secret of success.wami ivananda

2. Willin"ness to acrifice

When ou "ake a Serious Co""it"ent to so"eone or so"ethin!, it also "eans ou 'illin!l and selflessl"ake individual sacrifices for it% $t is a ke priorit for ou and so"ethin! ou 'illin!l 'ork the rest of ourlife around, even if it causes so"e personal hardship to ou% Co""it"ent "eans ou kno'in!l and 'illin!l!ive up thin!s ou "i!ht 'ant in the short-ter" to potentiall !ain so"ethin! of !reater value in the lon!-ter"%$n a tea" settin!, co""it"ent also "eans so"eti"es sacrificin! our individual !oals for !ood of the tea"%

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, notthe individual, is the ultimate champion.

(ia 'amm, ormer occer uperstar

3. Lon" term *bli"ation

) Serious Co""it"ent is a lon!-ter" obli!ation ou "ust continuall 'ork to'ard and ideall see throu!h toco"pletion% $t isn t so"ethin! ou tr out and then easil abandon% $t is so"ethin! ou establish, e"bod , ande"brace for the lon! haul%

&hose who stay will be champions.Bo chembechler, ormer (ichi"an ootball /oach

4. 8act to 8ersevere

) Serious Co""it"ent "eans stickin! 'ith so"ethin! even 'hen, and especiall 'hen, ti"es are tou!h% Justlike the traditional "arria!e vo's of for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, true co""it"ent isun'averin! re!ardless of the circu"stances% When ou "ake a co""it"ent to so"eone or so"ethin!, ou"ake a pact to persevere throu!h the tou!h ti"es to!ether% $t 'on t be eas , but it is al"ost al'a s 'orth it%

%veryone starts stron". uccess comes to those with unwaverin" commitment to be at the end.'oward chult;, ounder and /%* of tarbucks

5. A"reement to Act

Finall , a Serious Co""it"ent is 'a "ore than 'ords% $t is best de"onstrated and proven b our actions on are!ular basis% =eople 'ill initiall listen to our 'ords but 'ill ulti"atel "easure our co""it"ent and ourcharacter b our deeds%

/ommitment is an act, not a word. :ean 8aul artre, 8hilosopher


21/22

&eam Leadership %valuation

+sin! the scale fro" one to five belo', rate our tea" leader b puttin! the nu"ber in the correspondin! boxon each of the follo'in! . 5uestions%

@ ; Stron!l 7isa!ree . ; 7isa!ree A ; +ndecided ; )!ree D ; Stron!l )!ree

mmitment@% is one of the hardest 'orkers on the tea"

.% cares passionatel about the tea" s success

A% is a co"petitive person 'ho 'ants to 'in/onfidence

% has confidence in hi"*herself as a person and his*her abilit toleadD% 'ants to perfor" in pressure situations

E% bounces back 5uickl follo'in! "istakes and errors/omposure

% sta s cal" and co"posed in pressure situationsG% sta s focused 'hen faced 'ith distractions, obstacles, andadversitI% keeps his*her an!er and frustration under control

/haracter@/% consistentl does the ri!ht thin! on and off the court*field

@@% is honest and trust'orth

@.% treats tea""ates, coaches, and others 'ith respect

Leader By %=ample &otal Msubtotal H please fill inN

coura"er ervant@A% reaches out to tea""ates 'hen the need help

@ % takes the ti"e to listen to tea""ates%ncoura"er /onfidence Builder

@D% re!ularl encoura!es his*her tea""ates to do their best

@E% re!ularl co"pli"ents his*her tea""ates 'hen the succeeder !efocuser

@ % co""unicates opti"is" and hope 'hen the tea" is stru!!lin!

@G% kno's 'hat to sa to tea""ates 'hen the are stru!!lin!

4ncoura!er - &ea" Builder


22/22

@I% has developed an effective relationship 'ith each tea""ate

./% is a tea" pla er 'ho seeks to unif the tea"%nforcer

.@% holds tea""ates accountable for follo'in! tea" rules andstandards..% constructivel confronts tea""ates 'hen necessar

.A% is 'illin! to address and "ini"i e conflicts bet'een tea""ates

. % is fir", fair, and direct 'hen dealin! 'ith conflicts and proble"s

Focal Leader &otal M/lick In Bo= for inal &otalN

&eam Leadership %valuation corin" 9irections

&he &ea" Leadership 4valuation is divided into t'o parts% &he top @. 5uestions help ou rate our tea" leader

as a Leader b 4xa"ple% &hen the first @. 5uestions are co"bined 'ith the final @. 5uestions to help ou rateour tea" leader as a Kocal Leader%

Leader By %=ample corin"

&he Leader b 4xa"ple 4valuation "easures the four critical areas our captain needs to be an effective Leader b 4xa"ple9 Co""it"ent, Confidence, Co"posure, and Character% &o co"pute our tea" leader s Leader b4xa"ple score, add our ratin!s for the first @. 5uestions%

01 33 ; Not a Leader b 4xa"ple34 41 ; Solid Leader b 4xa"ple

42 57 ; Spectacular Leader b 4xa"ple

&he total for the Leader b 4xa"ple section should at least be D if not hi!her% )n thin! and belo' ourtea" leader is not successfull leadin! hi"*herself to earn our respect% &he closer the score is to E/, the better

6ob ou believe our tea" leader is doin! of leadin! hi"*herself%

Focal Leader corin"

&he total score for all . 5uestions 'ill !ive ou our tea" leader s ratin! as a Kocal Leader%. -

13 > ; Not a Kocal Leader

7 074 ; Solid Kocal Leader 075 017 ; Spectacular Kocal Leader

>our tea" leader s total as a Kocal Leader should at least be I/ if not hi!her% )n thin! GI and belo' our tea"leader is not doin! an ade5uate 6ob of leadin! hi"*herself or others% &he closer our captain is to @./, the "orehe*she is doin! 'hat is necessar to be an effective leader%

Documents

Wish Your Best Athlete Was Also Your Best Leader