By Ralph Isernia, Head Football Coach, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

I would like to thank you for inviting me to share an article with the readers. It is extremely humbling after 27 years of coaching and 8 different teams, someone is asking for advice in building a team. This article contains some of the keys that I believe are key components in building ‘Championship Culture and Team Excellence.’

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle

All coaches know about the importance of creating a dynamic culture for their football team. In order to understand what it is we are trying to develop, start at the beginning and define what culture is, how we can develop it and how it can produce team excellence. I define culture in four aspects:

* The ideals that a particular group values as an expression of who they are.

* How the group implements and upholds those ideals.

* How the group works in concert with those ideals to achieve their ultimate goals.

* How those ideals and their importance are passed along to succeeding groups.

Coaches know the importance of team development as it is reflected in discipline, work ethic, competition, accountability, teamwork, trust, togetherness and love. As coaches, it is our responsibility to establish and develop the culture of our teams. We “engineer” that culture – as it refers to designing or building something, such as a machine or a structure. Our team culture is a living, breathing organism. It is a machine that grows and changes as our team’s dynamic changes. The five keys described here help engineer your culture to develop team excellence.

1) Start with You

If you follow the advice of sports psychologists and performance coaches, they would tell you to “start with the end in mind.” Examine yourself from another’s perspective. If your life were to end today, what would others say about you? How would you be rememberd? What impact would you have had on others’ lives? It is a morbid thought, for sure, but

one that deserves attention. If we desire a life that is fulfilling, rewarding, in the service to others, one that is dedicated to the ideals that we hold dear, then we need to live with intentionality and integrity in serving those ideals. So, start with you. Get clear with your vision. Your ultimate vision will forever drive you and your entire program. Once you have uncovered that vision, everything else will begin to fall into place. But first, get real with yourself.

Pursue the best version of yourself that you will ever be. Maslow said, “What a man can be, he must be.” So, you might as well do what you love, love what you do and do it your way. Stick to your vision, for it was forged from your character – who you truly are. Your character is the result of your values being habituated.

Self-discovery and introspection may take some time and deep reflection, but the results will be uniquely yours and deeply meaningful. What is your identity? What is your vision? Who are you and what are you here to do? Develop your Plan for Success – your 3 P’s: Purpose, Passion and Principles.

* Purpose: Who are you and what are you here to do?

* Passion: What are you excited about and why?

* Principles: What do you truly value in your life?

If you want more, you must become more. You must discover and define your Purpose, Passion and Principles in order to live a life of integrity; one that is in harmony with your true principles and values. Only then can you fully actualize your life. Start with “I” statements and just write, don’t over-think. Fire, ready, aim. Just get it down on paper, then refine and revise. Ultimately, you are asking yourself the questions, “What kind of coach do I want to be and what will it take to get there?” The answers will drive your philosophy and shape the culture of your program.

2) Mission Statement

The Mission Statement is the ultimate structure of your organization. It is derived from your vision and personal plan for success. Remember to lead within your style and beliefs because a team will always take on the personality of their coach.

Your mission statement will characterize how your plan for Success drives the fundamental core of your program. Be deliberate and detailed with the characteristics or your program. Do not ask your team to do that which you would not otherwise do yourself. Direct the behaviors that you want your team members to exhibit. It must be MEAN-ingful:

* M: Memorable

* E: Easy to teach & learn

* A: Accountability is demanded

* N: Never let up

I have found that a Mission Statement of 1-3 sentences is most effective. A 5-7 sentence statement can be used as long as there is some rhyme or rhythm to the text. This statement is a fundamental of your program. Just like football fundamental skills, it must be practiced over and over again. Demand commitment until automaticity. Team members and coaches should eventually be able to recite your statement on command. Memorize it, believe in it, and own it. Remember, thoughts become things and constant repetition and deliberate practice will ingrain the fundamentals of your program. Be deliberate with your teachings, direct your team and demand full accountability.

3) Buy-in

The “Buy-in” stage is the most important component of building your culture. It involves more moving parts than the previous ones. The members of your organization (players and coaches) must completely commit to the direction of the program. You will encounter three groups of people when implementing your plan:

* “One Guys”: They are with you from day one, they are your elite leaders, they yearn for change, committed to the cause, they want the discipline, structure and commitment. They believe in your vision and are aligned with your values.

* “Some Guys”: They will side with the view that is most popular or can give them the greatest reward, they are swaying with the breeze, they dare not go against the breeze for fear that they may break, so they bend to the side that has the least resistance. This may be the largest group, so the coaches and Bunker guys must get them to buy-in because it is right.

* “Un Guys”: Un-interested, un-reliable and un-caring. Use ultimatums, commit or quit. There may be some skilled players in this group or guys that could really help your team. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. You cannot compromise everything you believe in for short-term success. Committed members will see right through your intentions and view you and your ideals as a fraud. Remember, character counts.

Once your team is formed and full commitment is established, you must train every day. Ask the question, “What type of player do you want to be and what will it take to get there?” You have provided a blueprint for their success. All you need is their commitment to the team. Everyone must be speaking the same language in order for you to accomplish your goals. Members will feel that they are making sacrifices for the team. Get them to understand that they are making choice instead of sacrifices.

The result of their collective “buy-in” will be a force greater than any one individual alone. Synergy, where 1 + 1 = 3. The sum is greater than its parts. Where one board is strong by itself, two boards together are exponentially stronger. In engineering terms,

they are not only sharing the load, they are supporting each other at the same time. Synergy is hard to calculate or quantify, but you know it when you see it in your team.

4) Relationships

Your team will never care what you know until they know that you care. So, sail the right ships – relationships. Never overlook the opportunity for a “teaching moment.” This could be anywhere, on the field, in the office or in the hallway. Sometimes the most-meaningful interactions are the ones that are unexpected, unintentional and unscripted. Embrace positive coaching that emphasizes discipline, character, grit and togetherness. Coach and teach within your personality and your genuine care and love for your individual team members will shine through.

* What do you value in a player?

* How do you recognize it?

* How do you drill it?

* How do you reward it?

* Reward the behavior you want.

Every member of your organization has value and a voice. No one person is bigger than your program. Provide constant communication, evaluation and feedback. Be honest and compassionate. Give them a plan where they can see themselves having success. You must trust them and they must trust you. Trust is a must. Help them plan out their goals and ways they can strategically take small steps to achieve them. Help them cultivate willpower and determination knowing that their achievements will take time. Small, smart choices done consistently over time will produce amazing results. In order to become a vehicle of excellence, they must become a machine of routine.

5) Evolution

Every day, you are either growing or dying. You must evolve as a coach, teacher and mentor. Adopt a growth mindset, constantly learning new systems, paradigms, and dynamics that will enhance your program. If you grow, your team and players will grow with you. Understand that where your focus goes, your performance and energy go. As you keep moving forward, remember you can only control what you can control:

Your…

* Attitude: Solutions-based not problem-based. Proactive not reactive.

* Actions: Be true to yourself.

* Preparation: Have a plan, work the plan. The Process.

* Performance: Demand your best.

* Energy: “Bring it” every day. People will feed off your energy.

* Effort: If you are not working on culture every day, then you do not have one.

* Determination: “Unwavering commitment to finish the job, stay the course and never, ever quit.” – Mark Devine

We attend clinics, visit coaches, learn new schemes and examine football systems to win on the football field. We read books from Lombardi, Wooden, Bryant, Summit, Auriema, Sabah, Carroll, Meyer, Belicheck, Walsh, Dungy and Parcells. These people are icons in the coaching profession and we can glean a wealth of knowledge from their experiences. To help us grow in our relationships, build our teams and understand how to help others, we should study the works of Maslow, Erickson, Cuddy, Duckworth, Galloway, Dweck, Canfield, Locke, Hardy, Covey, Kight and Cain, among others. The lessons learned from these experts can help us grow as individuals and fully engineer our success.

This was designed to be used in a football program, but can be modified to use in any sport.

The best use of any post that I make is to put some sustained thought into editing it so that it becomes what you want to use in your program.

You can print it to a pdf or to paper by clicking the print icon from the sharing icons above. They are below the title of the article.

Athlete’s Pledge

Name:_____________________

To be a member of this team, I know it is an honor and a responsibility. I am no longer an individual; I am a part of a family. Within the family is a brotherhood/sisterhood. Being apart of this brotherhood/sisterhood has its costs and responsibilities. I make my commitment to uphold and protect the legacy of my family and my brotherhood/sisterhood.

I pledge the following:

I will give my very best effort towards receiving a quality education.

I will strive to be a complete player.

I will conduct myself in a manner that does not draw unwarranted attention to my family, my school, my team, and my position players.

I will when on campus and in the classroom, cause no problems for myself, my teammates and or my teachers.

I will be the best possible student that I can be and to make sure that my grades will not jeopardize my good academic standing. If grades are in doubt I will make every attempt to make all study hall sessions and get help from my teachers and attend all tutorials.

I will follow all rules and regulations laid out by the (fill in your sport) program.

I will treat others the way I would want to be treated.

I will work towards knowing all my assignments and become a student of the game.

I will play with Character – “Play as hard as I can, for as long as I can”.

I will play with Pride – “Know that I won’t quit when it gets tough”.

I will be mentally Tough – “Accept discomfort and coaching and learn to live with it”.

When I walk out onto the field/court/track I represent:

My School.
My Teammates.
My Family.
Myself.

I know that when I take the field I represent all those that came before me and that have worn the colors of my school and all those that will come after me.

Now it is my time in history. I pledge that before I leave, history will remember me as a champion both on and off the field of play.

I Promise To Follow These Vows:

Players Name: _________________________ Date: ___________

About the Author of this post:

Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.

This was written by Indiana University Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach, Ed Schilling. Ed also has several years of experience coaching at the high school level. I believe that the lessons are applicable to any coaching situation and sport.

Exposing a Thief of Team and Individual Success

by Ed Schilling

One of my favorite things about athletics is the friendship and comradery that develops and strengthens throughout the course of a season. Memories from the really good teams that I have been a part of are not my statistics or minutes played. Those most meaningful memories are the brotherhood, the friendships, the good times in the locker room, and the joy of “going to war” together. Ask a professional athlete after he retires what he misses most, and he will probably tell you that he misses the relationships and putting on that uniform with his teammates and going to battle with those whom he has poured out blood, sweat and tears.

As great and fun as athletics can be, the joy can be stolen and the unique opportunity to form life-long friendships can be easily missed when the vision shifts from the “we” to the “me”. The goal in sharing insights from over three decades of my playing, coaching and parenting is to help max out the enjoyment, the recognition, the improvement and the winning and avoid the “thief” of these of athletic delights.

Enjoyment

“If you want to be miserable, all you have to do is be selfish.” –Joyce Meyer

“Happiness ends where selfishness begins” –John Wooden.

When playing high school basketball in Lebanon, IN, we had a team that had a blast together. We loved playing ball with each other, whether in the park in the summer or in the gym during the season. We trusted in each other and believed that we had each other’s best in mind. As a result of our trust, we became one of the best teams in the state. Although I later played on a Division 1 conference championship and NCAA tourney teams, I probably never had more fun and enjoyment than I did with that high school team. Perhaps the foundation of the positive experience laid in the fact that neither the players nor the parents had selfish agendas. We wanted to win and we cared about each other. I learned a significant lesson from that team—if one wants to really enjoy the experience, then value the others on the team.

By the way, those parents had a great experience too. They didn’t worry about the coaching, stats, newspaper articles, rankings or awards—they positively supported and encouraged instead of complaining and manipulating for their child’s “benefit”. I have come to the conclusion after many years in athletic, that an athlete cannot truly enjoy the experience if the parents are negative at home. Players listen and absorb what the parents say and carry the emotion of home into the practice and games. If the parents are “killing” the other players or the coach, the player cannot help but to be impacted. The negative impact steals the joy from the game, ultimately hurting the team. When the atmosphere is positive and encouraging those attitudes are reflected in the energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness of the players.

Recognition and Promotion

“As the tide rises all the boats rise.” –John F. Kennedy

A misconception is that individual stats get players opportunities to play at the next level.  The truth of the matter is that every team has a high scorer. Scoring a lot doesn’t make or break a player’s future opportunities.

 If a player can “play”, college coaches recognize it.  Playing well and helping the team win ultimately produces more recognition than getting big statistical numbers.

Yes, “as the tide rises all the boats rise.”

There are examples after examples of players getting attention and promotion because of team success.  On the other hand, if the team doesn’t win, chances are that college recruiters will be skeptical of a player’s ability.  Of course, one cannot promise that when players (and parents) channel their energies into making the TEAM the best it can be, regardless of the player’s role, that everything will work out perfectly.  However, one can just about guarantee that if players (and parents) focus on personal stats and selfish agendas, promotion and recognition will be thwarted.

After decades in the basketball business, I cannot recall a single example of when a player got upset and “concerned” over numbers or minutes played where proved to be helpful to the player or to the team.

Preparation

“If you STAY ready, then you don’t have to GET ready.” –-David Dawson

The players who don’t get to play in the game or don’t get a lot of minutes in the games are still almost always required to be at every practice and are expected to give their best effort at the practices.  This is a challenging part of athletics.   The attitude and effort given by that “bench player” in practice will significantly impact the team’s success.  Further, the attitude and effort will significantly impact the “bench player’s” potential to do well if, and when, he gets an opportunity in the game.

Unfortunately, I have seen the opposite happen so often when “bench players” lose their drive to practice with passion, then when their opportunity does come in the game, they perform poorly.  Further, staying focused and passionate on the bench during games is important. 

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” –Robert Frost

In every player’s career, he will often come face to face with the temptation to turn his focus toward himself and away from the team. What direction the player chooses at that “crossroad” will impact his future success, the team’s success, and also the quality of the player’s experience.

The decision to turn selfish can be prompted by a well-meaning family member, a peer looking to encourage, or even a sports agent trying to help make his client appear more marketable.

Subtle comments like, “you ought to be playing more minutes”, “you were open a lot and didn’t get the ball”, “you need to score more”, “don’t understand why so and so shoots so much”, “you are being played out of position”, “you need to show the scouts your shooting range”, etc., etc., can be the little spark that sets the forest of selfishness ablaze for the unsuspecting athlete.

The “disease of me” can affect the leading scorer or the player at the end of the bench. This can also impact a coaching staff member as well. An assistant coach who thinks his ideas need to be used more readily by the head coach can fall victim to the “sickness of selfishness” which could potentially weaken the team.

Cancer

One of Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions for cancer: “something evil or malignant that spreads destructively”

When a team member (players and/or coaches) comes to the crossroad of moving his thoughts (which eventually will become actions) from what is best for the team to what is best personally, that negativity spreads on the basketball team and is detrimental force. It must be dealt with like cancer. Cancer treatment is often immediate, aggressive and fierce. To rid the body of cancer may require painful surgery or chemotherapy that uses strong chemical agents to kill the cancer cells. Perhaps you have heard of a player being referred to as “a cancer” on the team. A bad attitude acts like cancer to the body of a team. One player with a bad attitude has the potential of soon becoming two. Misery does love company.

The potential to be sucked into unhappiness is available to all who play. The “strong chemical agent” on a team is the head coach and it is often he who must recognize and diagnose the most appropriate treatment to rid the team of the cancer. However, the assistant coaches can be significant in helping cure the selfishness if it is caught in time. In many situations, a fellow teammate can see the “sickness” brewing and can try to save the player before he becomes too contagious.

Tornado Watch Vs. Tornado Warning: “A tornado watch is just to let folks know to be on the lookout for a possible tornado as conditions are favorable for one to occur in the area; whereas, a tornado warning is a notification that a tornado has been seen in the area.”

The key for a team is to understand that conditions are always right for a self-serving tornado to wreak havoc on the team and to be alert. And, if a selfish and bad attitude has been sighted, then urgent measures must be taken to protect the team from potential and pending disaster.

Protect What Matters Most

“Gentlemen, we will be successful this year, if you can focus on three things, and three things only: your family, your religion and the Green Bay Packers.” –Vince Lombardi

Athletes invest a lot of time into their abilities. Players put in at least the required two hours plus per day of practice in season, and additionally work out in the weight room. The time investment into a season is almost impossible to calculate. That time is wasted if a season is corrupted by selfishness and negative attitudes. The good times, the life long relationships, and exhilarating victories that are prevented by a team infected with the horrible “cancer of selfishness” are worse than lost for they never happen when selfishness invades a team.

A Final Warning

The wise coach, athlete and parent will be constantly aware of the dangers of the insidious “disease of selfishness,” the thief who has the potential to steal, kill and destroy the unsuspecting athlete and team. Alertness and protective actions facilitate the highly positive desirable by-products of being part of a team—incredible enjoyment, recognition, life long friendships and victories.

Cracking the Code to Building an Elite Team

By Cory Dobbs, Ed.D., The Academy for Sport Leadership

“A team is not just a collection of individuals.  When everyone clicks into place, a team is truly a community, a tightly knit fellowship.” 

Many coaches are expert tacticians, strategists, and teachers of techniques.   Few are adept at building teams.  I mean high-performing teams.  Think Seal Team Six.  The elite fighting force, the team that captured Osama Bin Laden.  Sure, your team may master an offense or a defense, but it’s a fact that most teams don’t reach an elite level of teamwork.  To do so requires a deliberate and intense effort to building the team.  As a researcher I’ve studied hundreds of teams and can only conclude few teams, won-loss records aside, ever achieve an elite level.  Study after study of elite teams, like Seal Team Six, continue to reveal it’s not the personnel but processes that lead to an elite level team.

Take a moment and re-read the quote above.  I’ve purposefully left off the name of the author.  I did so out of respect for his work, but I do find this quote to be lacking in terms of action-ability.   Most coaches and players unknowingly live by a “click or clash” framework of relationship building.  That is, some people just click together while others clash with one another.  And it’s rarely explicit, but very implicit—teammates prefer to go along to get along.  Not in elite teams.

At its most dynamic level a team is a system, a network of interdependent components that work together to try to accomplish the aim of the system architects.  This differs from the most basic level of a team as a collection of players.  When the process of team building becomes more strategic, the calculus changes.  A laissez-faire approach changes to a more direct and deliberate approach.  Relationship building becomes the central focus.  Relationship is everything.  When you see the process of team building as social system, then the integrity of every interpersonal interaction is essential to developing an intensive teaming capability.

I’ve uncovered, through wide-ranging research and practice, twenty principles and concepts and isolated eight “roles” that are necessary for building elite teams.  Yes, I’ve cracked the code to building high-performance teams.  High-performing teams make deliberate teamwork their focus.

The Teamwork Intelligence approach is a disciplined way of thinking about and building a high-performing team; it involves discussing teamwork as both a system and a set of processes.  This allows us to explore the context in which teamwork occurs, the characteristics of the coaches and players, individual and team values, experience, the timing of events, the history in which teamwork is embedded, and how teamwork intelligence plays a role in individual and collective successes and failures.   Teamwork intelligence delves into team work as a process and as a way to understand the person (both players and coaches) embedded within a system.

To think about teamwork as a system, we need to consider the inputs, such as training for teamwork intelligence, the process, which we can describe as the system and the context in which the players and coaches interact, and the outcomes, which are the levels of motivation, performance, and well-being of players and coaches.   To leverage the process of teamwork intelligence I have designed five building blocks that must be operationalized:  (1) the four dimensions of team building and the associated eight roles of teamwork; (2) the three mindsets of a team player; (3) the three layers of a team player; (4) the five core concerns of every team member, and (5) the five forces of performance-enhancing relationships.  By optimizing these five components—the teamwork intelligence system—we are able to enhance each individual’s vital force and, in turn, the collective force of the team.

SO, WHAT IS TEAMWORK INTELLIGENCE?                   

Teamwork Intelligence is the purposeful and intentional relational process of team members together raising one another to higher levels of motivation, collaboration, compassion, and performance.  It’s deceptively simple: in order to build a high-performing team you have to create the conditions for team members to commit and unify—to coalesce into a single organism.  Such oneness is not inevitable; it is forged methodically and deliberately.
WHY IS TEAMWORK INTELLIGENCE THE SMART THING TO DO?

A significant aspect of teamwork intelligence is knowing the expectations one should have of one’s teammates.  One of the most significant expectations is that of high-level ownership with the purpose of each player investing in the development of a high-performing team.  Through expectations and collective achievements, identification, loyalty, and trust are built.  The goal and expected outcome is the development of the team’s full potential.

Extreme Ownership is a central concept of Teamwork Intelligence.  Teamwork Intelligence is not only about teaching student-athletes how to comply with a set of rules and procedures; it is about recognizing the profound difference between compliance-based behavior and values-based performance.  Extreme Ownership is about creating a culture in which every team member is committed to performance excellence and team member wellness based on personal commitment to the best interests of the team.  Extreme Ownership occurs when student-athletes own their personal learning and performance as well as team learning and performance.

Teamwork Intelligence generates higher levels of autonomy, extra effort, commitment, performance, and satisfaction.  High performance is what the student-athlete wants to do, not because it brings personal glory, but because they feel a sense of extreme ownership of the team.  The extreme owner is all in as a team player and willingly goes all out for the team.

I’ve seen enough to validate the claim that knowing what to do can lead to higher levels of doing.  However, I’ve also observed far too frequently a high degree of learned helplessness.  Student-athletes have, for the most part, grown up in a sport system in which they prefer to wait for the coach to take corrective action, to “instill” motive and values, and basically avoid taking responsibility for the building of the team.  This is why elite teams are emphatic about deliberately building a team and insistent on teamwork intelligence.

Teamwork Intelligence provides a framework for seeing interrelationships of the elements of the team system rather than static “snapshots” that tend to distort the differences between a mediocre team and a high-performing team.   Teamwork Intelligence provides a set of principles and includes a set of specific tools and techniques (such as role clarification provided by The Eight Roles of Teamwork) for building a high-performance team.  Investing in the development of relationships will pay off.

Okay, so are you willing to invest time, energy, and resources into developing an elite team?  If so, get started as soon as possible.   Explore the principles and practices The Academy for Sport Leadership has discovered and developed and teach in our Teamwork Intelligence Workshop.

 

To find out more about and order Sport Leadership Books authored by Dr. Dobbs including Coaching for Leadership, click this link: The Academy for Sport Leadership Books
 

About Cory Dobbs, Ed.D.

Cory Dobbs is the founder of The Academy for Sport Leadership and a nationally recognized thought leader in the areas of leadership and team building.  Cory is an accomplished researcher of human experience. Cory engages in naturalistic inquiry seeking in-depth understanding of social phenomena within their natural setting (visit www.aleaderineverylocker.com).

A former basketball coach, Cory’s coaching background includes experience at the NCAA DII, NJCAA, and high school levels of competition.  After a decade of research and development Cory unleashed the groundbreaking Teamwork Intelligence program for student-athletics. Teamwork Intelligence illuminates the process of designing an elite team by using the 20 principles and concepts along with the 8 roles of a team player he’s uncovered while performing research.

Cory has worked with professional athletes, collegiate athletic programs, and high schools teaching leadership and team building as a part of the sports experience and education process.  As a consultant and trainer Dr. Dobbs has worked with Fortune 500 organizations such as American Express, Honeywell, and Avnet, as well as medium and small businesses.

Dr. Dobbs has taught leadership and organizational change at Northern Arizona University, Ohio University, and Grand Canyon University.

 

This article was provided by Coaches Network

By Dr. David Hoch, CMAA, CIC

When someone mentions communicating with classroom teachers, the first thing that probably comes to mind is grades. Are all of your student-athletes achieving as they should? Are they eligible to play?

Supporting your players’ academic work and checking on their progress is important, but did you realize that there are many other good reasons for coaches and teachers to communicate? Together, you and your players’ teachers can be a powerful team, ensuring the best for kids. Below are some scenarios where connecting with your classroom counterpart can benefit you, the teacher, and most importantly, your student-athletes.

An athlete is acting out. When a student-athlete is causing a disruption in class, his or her teacher may turn to you for help. As a coach, you often have a great deal of influence over your players. Simply taking the athlete aside and making a couple of comments after practice might do the trick. If the problem requires a little more intervention, discuss your expectations with the athlete and also listen to what he or she has to say. Keep the dialogue going and continue to touch base with the teacher.

There is trouble at home. Classroom teachers have about 50 minutes of contact with students each day, but as a coach, you probably have two or three times this amount. Because of this increased interaction, you may be the first to know about a difficult situation at home or a challenge in a player’s personal life that is affecting their behavior in the classroom. When this happens, you can reach out to your student-athletes’ teachers and alert them, allowing all the adults involved to support the student-athlete.

Missed work or tests. When an athlete needs extra help or tutoring, or needs to take a test he or she missed, you and the teacher can put your heads together to come up with a workable plan. While it is important for players to be involved in practices leading up to a game, it is more important that they first take care of their academic responsibilities. This means that you have to be understanding, supportive, and receptive in order to find a suitable solution.

Monitoring grades. And of course, you do want to stay in touch with teachers to monitor the academic progress of your athletes. You should encourage and support your players’ classroom efforts, but be careful. It is never okay to ask a teacher for special treatment of an athlete. This crosses a line from being concerned and involved to being inappropriate.

Making an effort to work more closely with your players’ teachers this year can pay dividends. Keep the following suggestions in mind for the most effective communication.

1. Prioritize academics. The first key to a great relationship with teachers is to understand and respect their role. Academics are the reason schools exist and students attend. Athletics are important, but academics hold the highest priority.

2. Remember your common goal. Both you and your players’ teachers want the same thing—a great outcome for the kids you work with. Make an effort to develop a two-way, open, polite, and sharing relationship, keeping in mind that you have the same end goal. You and the teachers of your players are teammates, and you can best accomplish the goal of helping students and athletes when you work together.

3. Think and plan ahead. As with most aspects of coaching (and teaching), this approach usually yields the best results. Waiting until the night before a player has an exam to explore ideas for extra help will have little value. Identify potential problems early and come up with solutions as soon as possible. And remember that all teachers and coaches are extremely busy, necessitating as much lead time as possible.

4. Student-athletes first. In the heat of a competitive season, it’s easy to start thinking wins and losses are the most important thing. They are not. When needed, remember to step back and ensure that you’re making decisions and plans based upon what is best for the student-athlete.

David Hoch retired in 2010 after a 41-year career as a high school athletic director and coach. In 2009, Dr. Hoch was honored as the Eastern District Athletic Director of the Year by the Nastional Association for Sport and Physical Education. He was also presented with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award, and in 2000 he was named the Maryland State Athletic Director Association’s Athletic Director of the Year. Dr. Hoch has authored over 460 professional articles and made more than 70 presentations around the country.