You don’t have to win a championship to be a champion. I believe that the daily striving to improve and get the most of their abilities as individuals and as a team is one of the most important life lessons that is taught by competitive athletics. I also believe that setting high expectations (standards) is key to that process.
I would define championship standards as those performance guidelines that you set as a coaching staff, or together as a team for your athletes.
By Alan Stein, Hardwood Hustle Blog (re-posted with permission)
Coach K doesn’t really believe in rules and he isn’t much for setting goals.
Huh? What?
Coach K believes in standards.
Powerful distinction.
Rules confine people and put them in a box. Goals are often out of our direct control.
Standards are an effective way to hold people accountable to the process necessary to achieve success.
I recently received a very thoughtful (and completely unsolicited) email from Matt Schweinberg, Matt shared his program’s Iron Standards.
The four areas that NCHS focuses on are humility, listening, serving and working. These four key areas help foster leadership on the team.
BE HUMBLE
• Realize you still have a lot to learn.
• Recognize you can learn from anyone.
• Be part of something bigger than yourself.
• Team goals should be placed ahead of personal goals.
• Show empathy towards others.
• Put others’ needs ahead of your own.
Everyone leaves a legacy; what will your legacy be?
LISTEN
• Listen to what others expect.
• Listen to what others need.
• Listen to the correct people.
• Listen to develop trust with others.
• Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
• What you say should have value & purpose.
Are you listening to what others have to teach you?
SERVE OTHERS
• Make the right decisions for the right reasons.
• Contribute positively any way you can.
• Make those around you better.
• Take initiative – look for what needs to be done & do it.
• Build up others.
• Help others to reach their goals.
Are others better off because you are here?
WORK HARD
• Work hard to determine level of success.
• Work hard academically.
• Work hard athletically.
• Work hard at your relationships.
• Work hard when no one is looking.
• Recognize the greatest out work everyone.
Do others respect the work you do on & off the court?
What standards do you have in your program?
Article #2 11 Championship Killers
Also by Alan Stein
Legendary Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells once said, ‘In order to win, you have to figure out what makes you lose.’
That is a powerful concept.
So before you can win a championship, you need to figure out what will prevent that from happening.
Here are 11 Championship Killers:
- Entitlement: Players don’t feel they need to earn a championship. They think it will happen automatically based on tradition or last year’s success.
- Arrogance: Similar to entitlement, players don’t think losing is even possible. They lack respect for their opponent and for the game itself.
- Selfishness: Players think ‘me’ and not ‘we.’ They are more concerned with individual stats than with winning.
- Complacency: Players think ‘good enough’ is good enough. It isn’t.
- Lack of Confidence: Too much confidence (see #2) is a major problem. But so is a lack of confidence. You have to believe you can win it all.
- Lack of Effort: This one better be obvious.
- Lack of Trust: Players need to trust coaches. Coaches need to trust players. Lack of trust on either side will create dysfunction and dissention and cause the entire ball of yarn to unwind.
- Lack of Conditioning: It is a long season. If players run out of gas mid-way through, they can’t finish the race!
- Lack of Commitment: Winning a championship requires commitment on and off the court. Staying up late on your computer the night before a game or getting in academic trouble shows a severe lack of commitment.
- Lack of Leadership: Coaches can’t be the only leaders on the team. Period.
- Lack of Role Acceptance: To win a championship, everyone on the team must know, accept and take pride in their role.
Alan Stein
Hardwood Hustle Blog
http://www.About.me/AlanStein
In my opinion, a standard is the line to where you hold yourself. Anything below the line is a failure. I also don’t like how they state the “championship killers”. Saying the negative version of some bing puts that in your mind, and can be a negative effect because people are so concerned with NOT doing certain things. Where as if you say the 11 things that make a championship team, it is easier to relate and has a more positive effect on people’s minds.
Nick,
Thank you for expressing your point of view. Even though you disagree with many points in the post, I hope it has helped you decide what you do and don’t want to do with your program. Thanks! Brian
Absolutely correct great ideas we will try to apply them
Thanks for the feedback coach and best wishes as you work to add them to your culture!
I found this article helpful as we look closer at the expectations in our program. I like the idea of standards rather than rules. Thank you.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for leaving the comment and glad you found the article to be useful. My wife is a DePauw grad!
Loved and appreciated both articles. I have seen both in action this year with our soccer team. Girls varsity emulated the first, playing with honor. Our boys varsity have had back to back league championships and this year they are extremely talented, but lack many of the above mentioned in article two. Like animals, out of control, selfish, embarrassing for our school and themselves.
Thank you for encouraging our coaching efforts!
Thank you for your input!
In response to Nick’s view – I disagree with him. some people don’t understand the negative side or the impact of the negative side. Also, people have become overly “sensitive” to the negative even though it is part of the reality of the world.
Being positive along with defeating the negative goes a lot farther in reaching our goals.