The Team Leadership Report

Sports organizations value coaches who build relationships and demand accountability from every player on their teams. Pete Carroll, head coach of the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, is a prime example of a coach who isn’t afraid to build personal relationships with his players, and not just on a surface level. Carroll is truly committed to making his players feel cared about and loved. These qualities are important for developing professional athletes and student-athletes at all levels. They See Themselves as Mentors, Not Just Coaches. They not only coach the technical and tactical aspects of the game, they also focus on developing the whole person. Mentors seek to have lifelong relationships. They are relational and they hold their athletes accountable. They are Teachers, Not Screamers. They are process-driven rather than results-driven, and they constantly teach while being "easy to please and hard to satisfy." They may be loud and get excited, but they are

Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an idea, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that idea into practice. Excellence—going far beyond that call of duty, doing more than others expect…this is what excellence is all about. And it comes from striving, maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail, and going the extra mile. Excellence means doing your very best—in everything; in every way. One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.—Edward de Bono Every noble work is bound to face problems and obstacles. It is important to check your goal and motivation thoroughly. One should be very truthful, honest, and reasonable. One's actions should be g

Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. , in his book The Magic of Team Work characterized team commitment this way: Loyalty: Commitment to each other on the team. Sense of mission: Commitment to the team vision or cause. The team vision will never become a reality until the players rally around it, commit to it, and bend their backs to make that vision a tangible reality. Class: Commitment to quality and excellence. Competitiveness: Commitment to winning. How you play the game is important, but winning at the end of the day is success. After all, your team is not committed to just play well, but they are committed to win. Accountability: Commitment to continual improvement. Accountability is absolutely essential to the health and success of any team. A team without accountability is not truly a team; it's just a collection of individuals pursuing their own goals. Mental toughness: Commitment to hustling and finishing. Self-discipline: Co

              Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words. they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life

Coaching is a learning experience, in the same way that being a student or an athlete is a learning experience. Season after season, coaches have to learn more about game strategy, practice organization, community and school relations, and philosophy. Probably the best learning tool is sharing ideas with fellow coaches and dealing with young people. The coach who becomes more perceptive about how athletes think and feel is going to establish a better relationship with them and get more out of them. What exactly should every coach know about his players? I believe he must start with the following hard facts: 1. All players dream about being stars, but very few are willing to pay the price for total commitment. 2. If the coach does not make them do it, it will never get done. 3. Players are looking for direction, though they may not realize it. 4. What motivates one player may not motivate another. The coach must discover the trigger for each individual. 5. Unsupervised p

For everything there is a season, And a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate, A time for war, and a time for peace. —Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ________________________________________________________ Coach Yourself: A Motivational Guide For Coaches And Leaders About This Book Coach Yourself is a unique book, compiled exclusively for coaches to provide you with physical, mental and spiritu

How many years does it really take to change/create a culture in an athletic programl? John Mundy of bloggersodear.com reaches into the coaching and professorial ranks for help with answering some difficult questions. Once upon a time, mid-season coaching changes were almost strictly the domain of the professional ranks. Firing a college coach mid-season was an anomaly, normally precipitated by some heinous act that threatened a school's image or staved off an NCAA investigation. Now, with the acceleration of the "McDonald's-izing" of society (We want what we want and we want it NOW), such terminations are becoming more commonplace. And that's a problem. The Number Three Whenever discussion turns to justifying the termination or retention of a coach, inevitably talk turns to, "How long should it take to build a winner?" From eavesdropping on office discussions, engaging in sports bar arguments or listening to television talking heads, t

There are three steps to restoring damaged credibility as advocated by John Maxwell: 1) Acknowledge the mistake Never run from acknowledging that a mistake has been made, although it may not be your fault. A credible leader moves quickly to acknowledge a mistake and to take responsibility for it as well as provides stakeholders an explanation and a solution. A poor leader assigns the blame to others or makes a plethora of excuses which results in nothing being resolved and further damage being done. Any acknowledgement of wrong-doing should be voluntary - a forced acknowledgement (because someone is caught red-handed) does nothing to re-establish trust. 2) Apologize A leader that stands up to apologize in the face of adversity or a wrongdoing by someone else within the company establishes his or her credibility. While you may lose "face" for the moment, your sincerity garners you the respect of others and helps enhance your reputation among like-minded peers and co

The accomplishments of your players on the court or playing field represents only half the battle.  Part of a coach’s job is to help players develop character and prepare them for adult life. Here is a list of 10 expectations that you can give each of your players that will hopefully help them prepare for everyday life on and off the court. Take an active role in your classes.  Sit up front in the classroom and participate in your education.  Your academic priorities should be paramount for you, your parents, and all your coaches.  We build our program around individuals that want to be successful in the classroom. Develop people skills.  Communicate, communicate, and communicate!  Always be positive and encourage others.  Our team has one of the most vocal and supportive benches of anyone we play—and it makes a difference.  If you have a problem or a conflict, please talk to someone about it.  Players that are able to communicate with coaches and teammates play an importan