By Dawn Redd-Kelly.
Communication builds trust. Trust generates commitment. Commitment fosters teamwork. Teamwork delivers results.”–Jon Gordon
You want results? Jon Gordon knows how to help.
- Communication builds trust. For the most part, the time of the coach who just hollers, but doesn’t explain has passed. Have a communication plan for your team. Whether it’s weekly check-ins or regular individual meetings. Tell your team your vision for the program…and recruits…and your team’s parents. Everyone should know why you love coaching/your sport and where you think your team is going.
- Trust generates commitment. If you’re one of those coaches who is trying to figure out how to get their team to be committed in the off-season or to hold their teammates accountable, building trust is key. Trust between the coaching staff, trust between athlete and coach, and trust between the athletes.
- Commitment fosters teamwork. This is the good stuff! Teamwork means you’ve got players who don’t care about playing time, who are willing to sacrifice their personal desires for the greater good, who lead or follow as your team dynamics require. Teamwork is competitive, cooperative, and collaborative…not combative.
- Teamwork delivers results. If you continually put in the work mentioned in the previous points, then you can bask in the wonderfulness that is a well-functioning team.
As you can see, this has to be intentional, but it’s good work and well worth the effort.
Article #2–Do You Want to Be Great?
This article and other helpful coaching tools can be found at Coach Dawn Writes
By Dawn Redd-Kelly, Head Volleyball Coach at Beloit College.
“A team with talent can be good but they must have a shared vision and a greater purpose in order to be great.”—Jon Gordon
If you’re not following Jon Gordon on Twitter and you’re a coach, go do it right now. His stuff is amazing and will make you think of the kind of team you are creating each and every day. This quote summarizes an amazing TEDtalk by Simon Sinek that totally changed how I manage my team’s culture.
Shared vision
- Who should share it? Ideally coaches first, then captains, players, your athletic administration, your team’s parents. It’s not really much of a vision if it’s not shared with and by others.
- Who creates it? You do, Coach. You find a vision that speaks to who you are as a coach and where you want your team to go and then you formalize it.
- Who nurtures it? You do. You tell your friends, neighbors, coaching colleagues…anyone who will listen! If your vision doesn’t excite you, then it won’t excite your team and they won’t have your back when you’re not around.
Greater purpose
- What is it? Why do you coach your sport? Sure, sure…to win. But what else? Most people who choose to work with young folks enjoy the maddening, frustrating, wonderfulness that makes up young adults. Somewhere in there is your purpose.
- Who should it speak to? You, your team, your assistant coaches, future players. It’s why we keep doing this crazy job even though the hours are crazy and there aren’t nearly enough thank you’s to balance out the complaints.
- Why? Because most athletes won’t compete professionally, so there’s more to it than a potential paycheck. You’ve got to believe in your value as a coach and your sport’s ability to teach life lessons that will enhance a young person’s future.
Talented teams are good. Talented teams who believe in a vision and serve a greater purpose can be great!
Are you tired of walking into practice and seeing lackluster effort from your players? Have you had it with trying to get your female athletes to care about the team as much as you do??
Click here to find out more about Coach Dawn’s eBook: Motivating Female Athletes
Comes with a FREE PowerPoint presentation called Guarantee Your Success: Using John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success To Increase Your Team’s Cohesion.