The following article appears in the Winter 2020 edition of NABC Time-Out Magazine. To view the full Winter 2020 issue, click here.
By Gary Stewart, Stevenson head coach
Having sustained championship success in any team sport requires several different characteristics such as talent, discipline and a sound schematic approach. Establishing a championship culture is of upmost importance in how a team consistently functions and performs.
There are two distinctive ways to developing a team culture. The head coach can allow the culture to emerge on its own. This is often referred to as the “organic” approach. Essentially, the players create the culture. The second approach is called, the “top down” method in which the head coach leads the charge in a collaborative manner. While there are many benefits to both, I believe the “top down” method affords the best opportunity for sustained championship success.
A team organizational culture and character is an expression of what you do, how you do it, and when you do it. Building a championship culture is a direct reflection of the head coach and staff’s ability to foster group engagement and foundational dynamics to a diverse group of student-athletes. It promotes attainable goals while driving group behavior. Simply put, the programs culture creates an atmosphere that permeates and drives every aspect of the team’s experience. The following 8 characteristics are essential to sustained championship success:
Trust – Honest, open, consistent and direct communication is a critical foundational attribute to establishing an environment that supports and nurtures personal growth. Consistently expressing collective values, principles, attitudes, while embedding goals and behaviors, can lead to sustained championship performance. Being positive, proactive and engaging creates a supportive, high performing environment.
Core Values – A pillar of any culture must be its core values. A teams core values guide the decisions and choices of every member in the program. When developing a road map to championship success, your core values dictate what is important and what you will spend your time on. When developing a championship culture, many aspects need to be flexible and adaptive but your core values must be foundational and transparent.
Clarifying the Purpose – When dealing with a diverse group, it is imperative you understand each student-athlete’s why. Clarifying the purpose each year gives the head coach and staff the ability to adapt to the myriad of different or modified governing rules and regulations, policies and procedures while also taking into account the individual student-athletes developmental changes. A compelling purpose is the first layer in building a championship culture.
Vision – The blueprint to championship success! A coach must have a complete understanding of where the program is now and what you need to do to have sustained excellence. A coach must have a solid vision in which they can inspire, mentor, encourage, motivate and teach to. Developing championship habits is vital to individual and team growth.
Principles – Culture can be a direct reflection of the leader. As a leader, our beliefs, values, character, opinions, and even likes and dislikes will become the culture of the program. Because of this, it is important to pay careful attention to what kind of culture that we want to build. To ensure the creation of a championship culture, guidelines must be set in place.
Team Chemistry – A championship culture is one in which team members can collaborate, share knowledge, communicate, and most importantly support one another. When there is cohesion amongst the group, they are able to accomplish great things. Conflicts are inevitable, but it is not about the conflicts, it is how the group handles them. Every conflict will test, and potentially strengthen the team’s fabric. A program’s culture has real implications on how athletes get along, and how they perform individually and collectively.
Team-Oriented Goals – With an established culture, the student-athletes within the program can develop their own goals, but in the beginning, team goals have to be clearly defined. The student-athletes need to believe that the goals are worthwhile and achievable. It is vital to understand the different interests of the individuals on the team; however, it is up to the coaches to align individual goals with those of the team. A team of distinct individuals must come together to achieve something that is beyond themselves. To launch a championship culture, the head coach and staff must create a culture that can bring both collective and individual success.
Performance Standards – Think beyond the statistics, but more towards attitude and work ethic. As coaches, it is important to invest our time and energy to set, and to BE the standard of excellence. An established championship culture enables the program as a whole to embrace the norms of acceptable behavior. These norms can dictate how team members behave, communicate, cooperate and deal with conflict on and off the court. When clear behavioral norms are established and understood, players will feel implicit pressure to uphold that standard. Attitude is as important as capabilities, but with a right attitude, a team member can build capabilities.
