🏆 A Fish Rots From The Head Down

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A Fish Rots From The Head Down

There’s an old Turkish proverb:

"A fish rots from the head down."

Not exactly the most appealing visual. But it contains a powerful leadership lesson.

When things start going wrong on a team, our first instinct is often to look outward.

We blame effort.
We blame attitudes.
We blame parents.
We blame today's athletes.
We blame commitment.

Sometimes those things play a role. But the best leaders I know ask a different question first:

"What am I contributing to this?"

That's not easy to do. It's much easier to point fingers than it is to look in the mirror. But culture almost always follows leadership.

Years ago, I listened to a coach complain about his team's lack of discipline. During the conversation, several players showed up late to practice.

Nothing was said.
No correction.
No consequence.

In that moment, it became clear that the standard wasn't what the coach said it was. The standard was what he allowed.

I've seen that lesson play out over and over again.

Coaches talk about accountability but avoid hard conversations. They talk about discipline but overlook little things. They talk about culture but tolerate behaviors that undermine it.

The truth is, players pay far less attention to what we say than they do to what we consistently emphasize.

That's why I've always defined culture in the following way:

Not what's written on the wall. Not what's printed in the handbook. Not what gets posted on social media.

It is what happens every day in your program, company, or school.

Now, that doesn't mean every problem is the coach's fault. Far from it. But every problem is the coach's responsibility.

There's a difference.

We can't control everything that happens on our teams. We can't control every decision our players make. We can't control what happens when they leave practice.

But we can control what we reinforce. We can control what we tolerate. We can control the example we set.

The best coaches I've been around spend very little time blaming others. They spend most of their time evaluating themselves.

Because they understand that if the team needs to change, leadership usually needs to change first.

And leadership starts with the person in the mirror.

The next time you're frustrated with your team, ask yourself three questions:

Your answers may tell you more about your culture than anything else.

Because there's a reason this old proverb has lasted for centuries:

“A fish rots from the head down.”

Be great!
Greg

📜 GREAT QUOTE

🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS

🎥 Video: Before plays and strategy, every coach needs clarity on what their program stands for. [LINK]

🆇 ICYMI: The Costs of Leadership by Kirby Smart [LINK]

📰 Article: Leadership is a Choice

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Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]