The Team Leadership Report

Creating an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable enough to come to you with problems can be the cornerstone of individual and team development. When counseling team members it is important to think about four ingredients of effective communication so your message has a better chance of being received. Respect for team members. This includes an awareness of a person's individuality and an understanding that different people are motivated by different things. It also includes an understanding that what is discussed individually will remain private and not discussed with other team members. Self-Awareness. This quality is an understanding of you as a leader. The more you are aware of your own values, needs, and biases, the more you can relate to your team members. A player may come to you with a problem and you could instinctively react in a negative way because of some bias you may have. This in turn could immediately affect the communication process. Credibility.

It’s not unusual for All-America High School Athletes to be spoiled by their early success. They are often told how good they are, and in many instances are given preferential treatment. It’s hard for them to believe they have things to learn, but the fact is that when new recruits start out, their knowledge is often limited. They often have great ability and even some knowledge but they often lack wisdom. They usually are deficient in so many areas—especially the mental approach to the game. There’s a large gap between where they are and where they need to be but they can’t see it. The leader must find a way to get these young players to see this gap, make them understand it and believe it exists, before they can break through their know-it-all habits.  We always keep in mind these two important characteristics regarding behavior: People won’t change their behavior until they change their beliefs and, They’ll change their beliefs only when they see for themselves that th

Want to ensure all of your team members are improving? Make sure you allow for these four important factors: Daily learning. Stimulate team members to do what it takes to improve. Elbow room. As they improve in competence, let them gradually take on more responsibility. Support. Show your players that all the team’s work is valuable, even if it’s not glamorous or doesn’t get public attention. Meaning. When things get tough, give consistent reminders of what the work will lead to. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Season In Words by Dan Spainhour $19.95