Coaches Toolbox

Coaching Wisdom to Ponder Part 2

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This is part 2 of thoughts were collected from various sources.  Whether you agree or disagree with these statements, I hope you can take a few ideas that fit your needs, put some sustained thought and writing to them and turn them into something that helps you program.

If you didn’t see part 1, here is the link: Coaching Wisdom to Ponder Part 1

  1. All successful teams start over new again every year.
  2. The essence of coaching is the vision you have for your team and how it is
    communicated.
  3. Success is a matter of never-ceasing application. You must forever work at it diligently. Otherwise, it takes wings and flies away. At no time can you afford to rest on your laurels-a pause for self admiration-because there are others who have eyes on your coveted place and who would like nothing better than to push you out of it, especially if they observe you have a weak hold on it or doing nothing to strengthen your position.
  4. Systems don’t win, execution of systems wins
  5. To coach someone to be the best is a much higher an honor than being the best – Coach Dan Gable, University of Iowa Wrestling

    6.  

  6. Part of success is preparation on purpose. Jim RohnSuccess is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day, while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the cumulative weight of
    our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure. Jim Rohn
  7. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom. Jim Rohn
  8. Don’t join an easy crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high. You must constant ask yourself these questions:
    1. Who am I around?
    2. What are they doing to me?
    3. What have they got me reading?
    4. What have they got me saying?
    5. Where do they have me going?
    6. What do they have me thinking?
    7. What do they have me becoming?
    After you answer those questions, then ask yourself this question: Is that OK?  Jim Rohn
  9. You get whatever you expect to get. The only question is “What do you want?” Jim Rohn
  10. Life is an inside-out game. The trust is that all our situations and circumstances have their beginnings in our minds. Our idea of who we are creates who we become-the great news is you can change your self-impressions and change your life. Jim Rohn

    11.  

  11. Colin Powell’s Rules
    1. It isn’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
    2. Get mad, and then get over it.
    3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when you position fails, your ego goes with it.
    4. It can be done
    5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it
    6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision
    7. You can make someone else’s choices. You should not let someone else make
    yours.
    8. Check small things
    9. Share credit
    10. Remain calm. Be kind
    11. Have a vision. Be demanding
    12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayer.
    13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier
    14. Sometimes being responsible means pissing people off.

    12.  

  12. Notes from the book “The Commandos” by Douglas Waller about Navy Seal Teams
    1. The level of preparation is incredible-they leave no stone unturned.
    2. They are prepared for any scenario they face.
    3. No one deviates from the roles each team member is assigned. The mission could be jeopardized if someone does their own thing.
    4. Team members are true team players. There are no lone wolves on the teams.
    5. Individual creativity is allowed within the team framework.
    6. There is no second chance-get it done right the first time.
    7. Mental attitude is highly stressed on each team.
    8. Each team member must have an attitude toward learning. This is essential for
    training and preparation.
    9. Individual mistakes affect the whole team.

     

    Quotes from the book Leadership Secrets of the Navy Seals
    “The ruthless effectiveness and efficiency of the SEAL teams stem from the fact that we always start from, perfect, and practice the basics.”
    “The team is a dynamic that works toward success and is not hindered by pride,
    preservation, or self-interest”
    “To some, leadership is exemplified by the blind obedience to orders. It is a
    misconception that to coerce another person to do your bidding makes you a leader.”
    “The point to the intensity of any training program is, and should be, to identify those who are going to work when it counts.”

     

    The following selections are from Jeff Jansen, a peak performance coach. You can find out more about Jeff and his material at www.janssensportsleadership.com

    Lesson from The Legends of Sports Psychology
    1. Forget about the Zone, Help Athletes Refocus When Adversity Strikes. Regularly
    simulate adverse conditions in practice.
    2. Coaches Must Find and Develop Team Leaders. Give your players leadership
    opportunities
    3. Help Athletes Deal with Fear. Fear is based on past event or future worries. Keep players focused in the present.
    7 Steps to Building Your Athletes Confidence (from the book The Seven Secrets of
    Successful Coaches)
    1. Focus on potential: What you see is what you eventually get.
    2. Plant seeds of success
    3. Sell athletes on themselves: Help them feel capable.
    4. Give them a specific and simple plan to succeed
    5. Emphasize working hard and deserving success
    6. Set people up for early success
    7. Accentuate the positive

     

    Ideas from Marty Schottenhemier, current coach of the San Diego Chargers
    Good competitors make mistakes. Bad competitors repeat them.
    When things are going well, you can win with anyone. When things aren’t going well, the only way you can win is with people who have character.
    This is about a system. Not a system of X’s and O’s, but a system of the way you
    conduct your business. It’s about the environment you create, the teaching you present, the ability to communicate and get them to value the goal.
    One of the things I think is really important if you want to be a good teacher is that when something happens rather than screaming at the kid, ask them what happened.

     

    What You Need To Know about People by Dr. John C. Maxwell
    1. People like to feel special, compliment them.
    2. People look for a better tomorrow, give them hope.
    3. People need to be understood, listen to them.
    4. People lack direction, navigate for them.

     

    What Your People Need to Know About You by Dr. John C. Maxwell
    1. Followers want to see character in their leader.
    2. Followers want to sense competence in their leader.
    3. Followers want to be challenged by their leader.
    4. Followers want to feel conviction from their leader.


Coaching Wisdom to Ponder

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These thoughts were collected from various sources.  Whether you agree or disagree with these statements, I hope you can take a few ideas that fit your needs, put some sustained thought and writing to them and turn them into something that helps you program.

  1. A coach must possess mental toughness. A coach must be ready to practice every day.  The athletes realize when a coach is not prepared. The top coaches at every level are the ones that are mentally prepared every day.
  2. Building character is the real commitment to winning. A coach who doesn’t stand by his or her convictions is doomed to be a big loser, regardless of the win-loss record.
  3. Ability is what you are capable of doing, motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. – Lou Holtz
  4. It is the loose ends with which men and women hang themselves.
  5. The major part of my job isn’t to tell the players what to do. The most important thing I do is to create a setting for them to work in. I think that is the key to any coaches job—creating an environment that’s organized, free of distractions, ready.

    6.  

  6. A team has to be a melting pot. It’s going to face a lot of different challenges and it has to have a lot of potential responses.
  7. Hustle isn’t a god given talent. It’s something that a person develops through sheer will. It’s a state of mind.
  8. Any team can be a miracle team. The catch is that you have to go out and work for your miracles.
  9. Keep the faith in times of difficulty. Every team goes through a period of unusual
    difficulty. If you’re confident that what you’re doing is right, then just work at it harder.
  10. It’s getting so everyone wants to harvest, but nobody wants to plow.

    11.  

  11. To love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun
  12. A great team isn’t built by just having top talent. It matters how these top talents combine with each other. Attitude and chemistry are the factors that kick people up to higher levels of winning, no matter what talent they have. A great collection of talent with unbalanced chemistry and poor attitude can get beaten by teams of lesser talent.
  13. Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.
  14. To have a great season requires not only a big commitment but a long and lasting commitment.
  15. Nothing is carved in stone, you can change anything in your life is you want it bad enough.

    16.  

  16. Face it, nobody owes you a living; what you achieve or fail to achieve in your lifetime is directly related to what you do or fail to do.
  17. All coaches have a powerful ally, but most are afraid to use it—the bench.  You can modify behavior. You cannot rehabilitate character.
  18. Anybody who gets away with something will come back to get away with a little bit more.

    19.  

  19. The 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders
    1. Link Paycheck to Purpose (The Ritual of A Compelling Future Focus)
    2. Manage by Mind, Lead by Heart (The Ritual of Human Relations)
    3. Reward Routinely, Recognize Relentlessly (The Ritual of Team Unity)
    4. Surrender To Change (The Ritual of Adaptability and Change Management)
    5. Focus On The Worthy (The Ritual of Personal Effectiveness)
    6. Leader Lead Thyself (The Ritual of Self-Leadership)
    7. See What All See, Think What None Think (The Ritual of Creativity and
    Innovation)
    8. Link Leadership to Legacy (The Ritual of Contribution and Significance)
    – from the book “Leadership Lessons from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma

    20.  

    20. Qualities of A Great Teacher
    1. Model/mentor; teach kids individual responsibility; give players what they need,
    not what they want.
    2. Caring/loving
    3. Wise use of time
    4. Sense of humor
    5. Have a mission (overriding purpose)
    – Coach Don Meyer

     

    21. 11 Hard Facts In Coaching High School Athletes
    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 tools are 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 or her players?

    1. All players dream about being starters, 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 play creates more bad habits than good habits.
    6. If just one player does not commit themselves 100% all the time, their teammates
    will sense it and let down the same way.
    7. Every player consciously or otherwise chooses a role model. Some choose good
    models, others choose bad ones. The player will make their choice by
    themselves. The coach can only influence and hope.
    8. Regardless of how much time or effort a player puts in, nobody wants to win as
    badly as the coach.
    9. The player who lives for “next year” rather than doing it “this year” will never
    realize their potential.
    10. The one common denominator of successful high school athletes is confidence.
    The coach can build it up or tear it down.
    11. Remember, every player is an individual.

     

    22. Coaches, especially young ones, must understand the enormous challenge inherent in directing and supervising young people, of dealing with their multifaceted personalities. And the first step in the training process is to get to know the players personally. Remember, a salesman cannot sell anything unless they know the product inside out- or outside in. Neither can a coach show up with just a whistle and expect to coach effectively. A coach must develop perspective, perceptiveness, sensitivity, and an understanding of athletes.  Once they do this, they will be able to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding, and
    cope fully with their players problems.  – Author Unknown

    23. Athletes may not remember what coaches tell them about the technical aspects of their sport, but they will never forget the coach.


Being a Great Teammate

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This post was originally posted on Coach Starkey’s Coaching Blog Hoop Thoughts.

I think there are great messages in the post that you can share with your athletes to make a difference in your program, regardless of what sport you coach! I hope the examples can stimulate your thinking to come up with lessons from your particular sport.

WE CAN ALL BE GREAT TEAMMATES

Bob Starkey, Assistant Coach, LSU Women’s Basketball

You can ALL be a great teammate. And great teammates affect teams in a special way!

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

This is the second of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We must first create the mental vision of what we want to physically become. What do you want to “see” when it’s over? Stephen Covey spoke of an exercise of picturing yourself at your own funeral, floating around and listening to what people were saying about you. What would you want to hear? Are you living the life you need to live for people to feel that way about you? Would your teammates come back for your funeral? What would they say?

I spoke about attending the two memorial services for Coach Don Meyer — on in Aberdeen, South Dakota in the area at Northern State University and one in Nashville, Tennessee in the arena in Lipscomb University. I spoke about the staggering number of players that return to pay their respects to Coach Meyer and the amazing things that were said about him. You can tell a lot about a person at the Memorial Services. Coach Meyer was a “great teammate.”

In fact, Coach Meyer always spoke about the importance of being a great teammate. He would tell the story of Mickey Mantle who with all his accomplishments prided himself most on being a great teammate. In fact, it prominent lettering, that is what is written at the top of his monument at Yankee Stadium — above all the other accomplishments.

So the first journey of becoming a great teammate is wanting to be a great teammate.

CHALLENGE OF BEING A TEAMMATE

The problem with being a great teammate, as with anything else special and important, is there are going to be inherited challenges and struggles along the way. We spoke to the teams about some of those challenges.

Being a great teammate is a full-time job!

You can’t be considered a great teammate if you are only fulfilling that role on a part-time basis. It is easy to be a great teammate when things are going your way — you are in the starting line-up…your shots are falling…coaching is calling your number. But can you be a great teammate when you are playing poorly? You can’t let frustrations and emotions effect how you handle your responsibilities of being a great teammate. What if you are a role player or coming of the bench? This has absolutely no bearing on your ability to be a great teammate.

It was at this point that we showed them this short video clip of Emmitt Smith speaking at his induction into the National Football League Hall of Fame.

After viewing the video we spoke about what we saw and heard. What we heard was one of the greatest running backs in the history of professional football get emotional talking about his teammate Daryl Johnston.

Think about some of the things Emmitt had to say about his teammate:

“You took care of me as if you were taking care of your little brother.”

“Without you, I know today would not have been possible.”

Daryl Johnston wasn’t scoring touchdowns…he wasn’t getting headlines in the newspaper…they weren’t showing highlights of him blocking on ESPN.

But it is incredibly obvious the impact he made on Emmitt Smith by being a great teammate — and in turn that impacted the Dallas Cowboys to greatness.

But the other part of that is that on his special day, when Emmitt would have been justified in talking about his own accomplishments, he had Daryl Johnston standup and then told the entire world the way he affected him and his teammates.

Emmitt Smith too, was obviously a great teammate.

You have to be a great teammate to everyone!

This is not friendship. You can’t just pick and choose who you want to be friends with in terms of being a great teammate. Remember, the first part of the word — TEAMmate. In fact, it is incredibly important that you are a great teammate especially to those who may not deserve because they need one the most. This will be challenging a lot of times — but it is essential in being a great teammate.

You have to be a great teammate everywhere!
It is not enough to be a great teammate on the basketball court at practice or during games — though great teammates always shine through during adverse situations on the court.

I’ll tell you where great teammates are needed — in the locker room. I fully believe that more championships are won and lost in the locker room than many realize. Coach Meyer would always ask the question: Do you know who is running your locker room? It’s a special place that is owned and operated by the players. Rarely are coaches there. After a rough practice or tough game who are the leaders and what direction are they leading? Do you have quality teammates in the locker room to keep the team focused?

You also have to be a great teammate away from the gym. The axiom that coaches should understand is that “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Great teammates understand this as well.

I gave the example of Temeka Johnson, a point guard I had the privilege of coaching at LSU. She was a great leader and great teammate. The day before our first official practice, she would take the incoming freshman out to dinner. She would then proceed to tell them what practice was going to be about…what was difficult about it…what did the coaches expect…what did their teammates expect.

No one told Meek to do this. I didn’t even find out about this ritual until after she graduated from one of those players she took to dinner. That’s a great teammate.

KEYS TO BEING A TEAMMATE

We then spoke to the teams about three key ingredients of being a great teammate.

#1 Listening
We talked about listening with the intent to understand. Be a detective when you listen — search out clues in which you can help a teammate or file something away for later.

#2 Vision
You should be looking for what you can do to help. A big part of being a great teammate is “Servant Leadership” — look for opportunities to serve.

#3 Sacrifice
We talked about how Tim Duncan had took a pay cut to help the front office sign some better players to make the team better. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade has done the same as well. All three are wearing championship rings because of that sacrifice. Peyton Manning has done the same in football at both Indianapolis and Denver.

But it doesn’t have to be about money. I told the story about when I was coaching Shaquille O’Neal and he came to meet with the coaches and volunteered to move to the bench to allow one his teammates to start. He thought it would help his teammate’s confidence which would lead to him playing better which would lead to our team being better. Shaq said, “Don’t worry about me Coach, I’ll give you the same thing whether I come off the bench or start.”

I then asked the teams if they would be willing to do that. Would they care enough about their teammate and the success of their team to give up their starting spot? I asked them, “What if your coach came asked you to come off the bench? What if he said ‘you’re playing great but if we start Sally it might get her jump started and then you would give us great energy when you came into the game.’” Would you respond by saying “Coach, whatever is best for the team,” and then enthusiastically except your role or would you say “Coach, whatever is best for the team,” and then mope and complain to anyone that will listen.

BENEFITS

The benefits of a culture of a great teammates is success for the team first and foremost. But there is always reciprocal benefits that individuals achieve. Tim Duncan sacrifice part of his salary to make his team better. And he was rewarded with a championship and bonus money. Awards go in large part to teams that win.

We did not have time to show Kevin Durrant’s MVP acceptance speech but what an amazing example of being a great teammate. He made it sound like the entire team had won the MVP (which in true teams is the way it happens).

To quote Bill Parcells: “Individuals play the game…teams win championships.”

We also spoke of the UNBUNTU — a phrase that was a rallying cry utilized by Nelson Mandela as a rallying cry for South Africa as they battle apartheid. Doc Rivers made it a team mantra when leading the Boston Celtics to a World Championship.The phrase means simply: “I am because we are.”

It takes maturity for an individual to understand this. “I am because we are.” There are no individual champions. Even in individual sports there are coaches, mentors, parents, supporters, strength coaches, etc.

As John Wooden would say, “it takes 10 hands to make a basket.”

CULTURE

Are you a teammate or just on the team? That’s the question you need to ask. A team full of teammates is special. They play are certain way. As Coach Don Meyer would say: “Even when they lose, they win.”

At this point, we showed the teams the following video on the San Antonio Spurs. We told them you are doing to see some great passing…some excellent shooting…you’ll even so a few great dunks. But pay attention to the intangibles. Watch their body language. Watch how the talk to each other — touch each other — interact with each other. Notice their eye contact with each other.

When the video was completed we asked some questions.

How close knit do you think this team was? Could see how that transferred to the court and how they played?

But then we made sure that they understood this — the Spurs don’t always get along. They are a family. They have arguments and disagreements — just like everybody. But because they care about each other, because they have a culture of being great teammates, they can quickly find solutions, put things behind them and move forward for the betterment of the team.

I then closed by simply reminding them that they all had the power to choose to be a great teammate and if they can become one it becomes contagious and others will follow. Then when you have a team of great teammates, special things can happen.


Another 5 Team Themes to Help Develop Your Culture

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This article was written and contributed by Scott Rosberg

Last week I wrote about 5 team themes that I have used with my teams through the years to help develop our program’s culture. If you missed that post click here to read it. Today, I am going to talk about five more of the themes I have used through the years. Also, if you are interested in more themes & quotes or more information on establishing team themes with your teams, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Bruce Brown’s book 1001 Motivational Messages & Quotes at the Proactive Coaching website.

Perseverance

Perseverance is about staying the course when things get tough.  It is having the mental toughness to fight through difficult circumstances. It is having the ability to recover quickly enough from some mistake to get oneself back on the road to success. As you make your way through life, understand that there will be problems along the way.  Don’t let the problems stop you from moving to where you want to go.  Get back up quickly, dust yourself off, and attack your situation with the same determination that you had before your setback.  Not only will you be showing perseverance, but you will also be another step closer to the goal you are seeking.

“The man who wins may have been counted out several times, but didn’t hear the referee.”

H.E. Jackson

Winning & Losing

Too often young people and people involved in athletics focus way too much on the scoreboard as a determiner of success. While the scoreboard is there for a reason and winning the game is a goal of competition, there is so much more to success than just winning a game. With all the teams I have coached through the years, I tried to instill in them a focus on many more things that determine if we were successful: how hard we played, how smart we played, how well we played together, whether we achieved our potential.

People often compare themselves to others.  I tried to instill in my players the idea that they should compete against a vision of their best selves and that we should compete against a vision of what we could be as the best team we were capable of becoming.  Every day that you wake up and get out of bed, you will be moving one way or the other – toward success or failure.  The choice of which direction you go is one that you make every day.

“Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”  John Wooden

Adaptability

The ability to adapt to the various situations one finds oneself in is important in all aspects of life. In athletics, it is critical to team and individual success because athletic endeavors are fraught with adversity, and the adversity comes in many forms. On any given day, in any given situation, a person may have to deal with a myriad of problems and dilemmas that could affect his or her focus on the task at hand. The ability to adapt to problems is crucial to getting through those problems and growing from them.

Another important part of adaptability is the idea that people need to adapt to each other and to the teams or groups they are part of. When people are selfless and they give up a part of themselves for the good of others, they are showing their adaptability to something bigger than themselves. Everyone, including the leader, needs to have the flexibility to adapt for the good of all. When all members of a team, group, or family understand the importance of maximizing their strengths while giving of themselves selflessly, anything is possible.

“The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.”  K. Okakaura – Japanese Author

Courage

Courage is oftentimes a misunderstood word, and it is especially misunderstood by young people. So often, people believe that courage is something that is dramatic or newsworthy, like running into a burning building to save a baby. While that certainly is a courageous act, courage occurs in many other instances in life that are not anywhere near so dramatic, and yet can be almost as important for the people involved.

True courage is often seen in the everyday elements of life, the decisions that people make on a regular basis. These decisions can be those that are made alone or in groups and teams.  As we explore the concepts of courage, we start to see that courage is all around us, and there are many moments that provide opportunities for us to display courage. Choose to live courageously every day by making the right decisions that affect everyone in the best way possible.

“Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”  Mary Anne Radmacher – Author

Leadership

A leader needs to learn to lead in a variety of ways.  Leadership is not about telling other people what to do. The best leaders realize they are there to serve those they lead.  Leadership is about helping others to realize the potential they have, and then helping them to rise up to that potential and achieve what they are capable of. But leadership does not have to come from one person in an organization. In fact, the best organizations have multiple leaders at multiple levels. In athletics, while the head coach is the ultimate leader, there are assistant coaches who lead as well. Then there are players who have natural leadership tendencies that allow them to lead their teammates. Finally, sometimes, certain players are bestowed the title of captain, giving them a responsibility to lead the members of the team.

However, any and all members of a team can be leaders, no matter the organization and no matter who the individuals are in that organization. It is critical for the ultimate leaders of the organization to recognize the importance of letting the natural leadership of various individuals within the organization come to the forefront.  It is also important for the leader to sometimes recognize that he or she has to cultivate that leadership to come forward.

“Leaders are chosen to serve; there is always trouble when a leader forgets this.”  Unknown

These two posts have been just a small sampling of the kinds of themes you can use with your teams and just a glimpse of some of the ideas you can talk about with your teams when discussing them. Each of the themes in these two posts is in my gift book for graduates, Inspiration for the Graduate. There are also many more quotes in support of each of the ten team themes covered in the book. Also, the first page is set up for you to write your own personal message to the graduate. The cost of the book is $7.95 plus shipping, or you can get a 10-Pack Bundle for just $70.00 plus shipping. To order Inspiration for the Graduate or to download a free PDF of the Introduction and First Chapter of the book, just click here.

About the Author of this Article

Scott Rosberg has been a coach (basketball, soccer, & football) at the high school level for 30 years, an English teacher for 18 years, and an athletic director for 12 years. He has published seven booklets on coaching and youth/school athletics, two books of inspirational messages and quotes for graduates, and a newsletter for athletic directors and coaches. He also speaks to schools, teams, and businesses on a variety of team-building, leadership, and coaching topics. Scott has a blog and a variety of other materials about coaching and athletic topics on his website – www.coachwithcharacter.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected].

Scott is also a member of the Proactive Coaching speaking team. Proactive Coaching is dedicated to helping organizations create character and education-based team cultures, while providing a blueprint for team leadership. They help develop confident, tough-minded, fearless competitors and train coaches and leaders for excellence and significance. Proactive Coaching can be found on the web at www.proactivecoaching.info. Also, you can join the 200,000+ people who have “Liked” Proactive Coaching’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/proactivecoach. Scott can also be reached through Proactive Coaching at [email protected]

 


5 Team Themes to Help Develop Your Culture

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This article was written and contributed by Scott Rosberg

For quite a few years now, I have established and taught team themes with my teams. Whether it be our team’s core covenants, John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success,” or just random life lessons that I believe are important to discuss with our kids, we have had some kind of focus each week throughout the season. This week I am going to talk about five of the themes I have used, and next week I will pick five more to discuss. All ten of these themes make up ten sections of my gift book for graduating seniors called Inspiration for the Graduate. The book covers each theme in more detail, and there are many more quotes to support the themes.

Work Ethic

No matter where you go or what you do in life, you must have a strong work ethic. Whether you are continuing your education, you are going into the military, or you are joining the work force, the ability to work hard is going to be crucial to your success. Athletes are expected to give their best effort every day to help their team have its best chance at success.

Most often when we think of work ethic, we think of some physical labor. But along with the physical part of having a strong work ethic comes focus, initiative, and attention to detail. When you develop strong work habits, you can accomplish so much more in life, both individually and as a team.

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”  Vince Lombardi – Professional Football Coach

Discipline

Discipline is having a focused attention and effort.  It is doing what needs to be done, doing it the proper way to accomplish the task at hand, and doing it that way every time one is working to accomplish that task.  Sometimes, though, there is no task – there is just living your life. When speaking of discipline in this situation, one has to have the discipline to live one’s life as she should in order to be all that she can be.

Discipline is a choice. One who has discipline has chosen to do all that is necessary to succeed, whatever that entails. The disciplined worker shows up at the job site on time, knows what needs to be done and does it without being told or reminded, and sees the job through until its completion.  Discipline carries people and it carries teams to heights unattainable without it.

 “Discipline helps you finish a job, and finishing is what separates excellent work from average work. Discipline yourself, so no one else has to.” Pat Summitt – Women’s College Basketball Coach

Poise

Most of us think of poise as controlling one’s emotions while maintaining a calm demeanor and a self-assured dignity.  The person with poise can maintain a sense of composure when things are not going well or not going as planned.

While this ability is extremely helpful for individuals to be able to achieve their goals, it is crucial for success in any team or group setting. When teammates see others reacting to stressful situations with poise, it gives the rest of the team the confidence it needs to deal with the situation.  Conversely, when teammates see one another displaying anger, temper, or frustration, it ratchets up everyone’s anxiety. Be a person who shows poise in the midst of chaos.  Be the face your team needs to see.

“Losing your head in a crisis is a good way to become the crisis.” C.J. Redwine – Author

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is a critical component of anyone involved in any worthwhile endeavor, and it is critical to success for someone to possess enthusiasm for whatever they are involved in.  From school to sports to work, those with enthusiasm bring more to the experience, both for themselves and for others. Enthusiasm is catching.  When people on a team or in any group see and hear others displaying enthusiasm, it spreads to all involved.

When people choose to be enthusiastic, they up their own output, and they help spread excitement to others in the organization.  Put your heart and soul into all you do and let it show to the world around you.  You, and the people who you touch in your life, will be glad you did.

“The successful man has enthusiasm. Good work is never done in cold blood; heat is needed to forge anything. Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart.” Harry Truman – President of the United States

Confidence

Confidence comes from a few different sources. It takes preparation and success to have confidence become a part of one’s character. The truly confident person is prepared. He realizes that any future success is only going to occur by preparing properly for the chance to create the outcome he seeks. He realizes that, while hope and prayer have their merits, the only sure-fire way to create the best chance at success is to prepare for it. The truly confident person carries himself with a quiet, peaceful inner confidence that says, “I have prepared well for this, so I know that I can perform well.”

The other quality that breeds confidence is success.  Those who have experienced success before generally feel confident that they can achieve it again. Interestingly, these people’s confidence may carry over into other areas of their lives where they have not had success before, but because they understand the importance of preparation for success in one realm, they can see its value in all of the realms of their lives.  But again, it all comes back to preparation.  The prepared person is a confident person.

“Confidence comes from being prepared.” John Wooden – College Basketball Coach

This is just a small sampling of the kinds of themes you can use with your teams and just a glimpse of some of the ideas you can talk about with your teams when discussing these themes. The next post will cover another five themes that you may want to consider discussing with your teams.

Each of these themes is discussed in my gift book for graduates, Inspiration for the Graduate. There are also many more quotes in support of each of the ten team themes covered in the book. Also, the first page is set up for you to write your own personal message to the graduate. The cost of the book is $7.95 plus shipping, or you can get a 10-Pack Bundle for just $70.00 plus shipping. To order Inspiration for the Graduate or to download a free PDF of the Introduction and First Chapter of the book, just click here.

About the Author of this Article

Scott Rosberg has been a coach (basketball, soccer, & football) at the high school level for 30 years, an English teacher for 18 years, and an athletic director for 12 years. He has published seven booklets on coaching and youth/school athletics, two books of inspirational messages and quotes for graduates, and a newsletter for athletic directors and coaches. He also speaks to schools, teams, and businesses on a variety of team-building, leadership, and coaching topics. Scott has a blog and a variety of other materials about coaching and athletic topics on his website – www.coachwithcharacter.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected].

Scott is also a member of the Proactive Coaching speaking team. Proactive Coaching is dedicated to helping organizations create character and education-based team cultures, while providing a blueprint for team leadership. They help develop confident, tough-minded, fearless competitors and train coaches and leaders for excellence and significance. Proactive Coaching can be found on the web at www.proactivecoaching.info. Also, you can join the 200,000+ people who have “Liked” Proactive Coaching’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/proactivecoach. Scott can also be reached through Proactive Coaching at [email protected]