🏆 Do you have a Team Leader To-Do List?
Player led teams WIN. How do you develop your leaders?
Greg Berge
January 12, 2023
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ONE THOUGHT
Do you have a Team Leader To-Do List?
Player Led Teams WIN!
The longer I have coached, the more I understand the importance of player leadership and its impact on a team. The most successful teams we have ever had have always had great player leadership.
The challenge for many is that, as Kobe Bryant said below, "Leadership is Lonely."
This is why Leadership is hard.
Kobe GOLD 🥇
Leadership is never easy. That is why leadership is often hard to find. However, one must always remember that “PLAYER LED TEAMS WIN.” Choose to Lead. Choose to Win.
“Leadership is Lonely. But that’s all right.”
#LeadershipMatters
#CultureWins— Greg Berge (@gb1121)
Nov 11, 2022
So how can coaches help build their team leaders?
I believe purposeful leadership skill development is as important as basketball skill development for players.
The primary job of a coach is to set the standards for the team and then work to build your culture each and every day. Your team leaders become critical gatekeepers of this culture.
While the culture set by the coach may be the communicated or desired culture, the "actual" culture of the team is what is allowed and emphasized by the team leaders.
Why is that?
Because, as coaches, we are not around all of the time. We are really not around very much when you think about it. We are not in the locker room, we are not in their classes, we are not on their social media accounts, we are not at their homes, and we are not around when they have to make important out-of-school decisions.
So who do we rely on during these times?
Player leaders. Someone to make the right choice or influence the right choice for the TEAM at the right time.
We need to develop our team leaders to be the GATEKEEPERS of our Team Culture.
Coach K GOLD 🥇
Be a standard setter. Be a gatekeeper of these standards. Hold your teammates accountable.
Be a LEADER.
"Standards are the things that you do all the time and the things for which you hold one another accountable.”
- Coach K
#LeadershipMatters
#CultureWins— Greg Berge (@gb1121)
Jan 4, 2023
Team Leaders need to be the Junior Fire Fighters and help put out the small fires that can happen behind the scenes.
We must purposefully work to develop these leaders.
This development can be formal or informal, but it must occur to have a consistent and successful program. It must be purposeful.
One of my current projects is a "Team Leader Playbook." I hope to finish this small book in the spring or early summer. I hope this book can be an excellent resource for Coaches, Athletic Directors, and Athletes to guide some of these discussions on Leadership.
In the meantime, how do you do it? How do you be purposeful in developing your leaders? Here are some simple steps to follow.
- Step 1: Develop relationships with ALL potential leaders EARLY in their athletic careers. Begin molding them into leaders at a young age. Every conversation you have with them is a chance to build your culture and develop them as a leader.
- Step 2: Determine your best team leaders before the season (I use a Pre-Season Self-Perception form with my team to select leaders and much more. Get it here for FREE).
- Step 3: Meet with your team leaders often. Informally or formally. Discuss their leadership role and expectations. Do this often. Go through the Team Captain/Leader TODO List (below).
- Step 4: Discuss leadership scenarios with them. Discuss situations with them as they occur. How would they respond in this situation. Be Proactive.
- Step 5: Have "Culture Talks" with the TEAM. Use my book "Culture WINS" as an excellent guide to have these talks and lay your foundation.
- Step 6: Looking for something more systemic in your school or team? Have a Leadership Summit or Culture Wins Workshop at your school (I run these in MN, reply to this email for more details). These lay the foundation for a large group to bring leadership development to a school or athletic program systematically.
These are just a few ways to develop your leaders and your team.
Another resource I am sharing below is my Team Leader TODO List. This list has nine key aspects that you can use as talking points to talk through with your team leaders. It is a great way to start conversations about leadership and the essential role they play on your team!
Team Leader TODO List! Nine things ALL good Team Leaders can and should do.
1: Be a ➕ Example
The first step to being a good team leader is to be a ➕ example for your team. You MUST lead by example. At practice, In the locker room, in school, during games, and outside of school.
2: Put out the Fires 🧯
Team leaders are junior firefighters. They put out the small fires that occur behind the scenes. If your leaders do not put these out, they turn into infernos. Infernos will destroy a team culture. Put out the Small Fires!
3: Take Ownership 🫵🏻
As a leader, you have to take ownership. You accept responsibility for mistakes. You take responsibility for your choices. You model ownership for your teammates. You do not let anyone on the team start to point fingers or make excuses.
4: Be a Thermostat 🙌
Leaders SET the temperature; they don’t measure the temperature. Don’t wait for things to happen. Be a Tone Setter. Be a Thermostat.
5: Connect your Teammates 🔗
Teams are about human connection. Everyone. The team leader's job is to make sure no one is alienated. Make sure all are included in team activities. And work to connect people together. This is how you build a championship team.
6: Be an Energy Giver ⚡️
Leaders have to be energy givers. They have to bring positive energy to all that they do. Their energy becomes contagious and rubs off on others. When you have a team full of positive energy givers, you will have a championship-level team.
7: Give Reminders and Feedback 🎗
Leaders understand Culture. Leaders understand Winning. They give frequent reminders to teammates. These reminders help define the culture or help the team win.
8: Be an Encourager 📣
Leaders are encouragers. They lead the team in touches, high-fives, fist pumps, and positive encouragement. They understand this impact on a team, especially during difficult times.
9: Build Confidence in your Teammates 💪
Team leaders constantly build confidence in their teammates. Magic Johnson was a master at this. His words were purposeful to help his teammates feel confident. Magic always brought out the best in his teammates. 🏆
Always remember, Player-led teams WIN!
Use these ideas to begin building your team leaders early and often. You will be thankful for this proactive leadership skill development when you need your leaders the most.
Good Luck!
TWO QUOTES
“No matter how much you’ve won, no matter how many games, no matter how many championships, no matter how many Super Bowls, you’re not winning now, so you stink.” - Bill Parcells
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” - Lena Horne
THREE TWEETS
PARENTS: Enjoy every second watching your child play their sport. They grow up too fast.
— Bhrett McCabe, PhD (@DrBhrettMcCabe)
Jun 15, 2022
"You have an obligation to compete - to really really compete. This is an equal opportunity team. When you prove you can do something, you will get an opportunity to do it." -Geno Auriemma
You need to be earning it or focusing on learning it. Every day.
#uconn#effort
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1)
Jul 19, 2022
You become an ACCOUNTABLE ATHLETE when you realize your individual attitudes and actions impact your whole TEAM'S success and reputation.
— Jeff Janssen 🇺🇦 (@janssenleader)
Sep 13, 2017
BOOKS: Culture WINS and Coaching GOLD
Find both eBooks, BUNDLE DEALS, & FREE Resources here: gberge.gumroad.com.
Paperback versions? Culture Wins on Amazon; Coaching Gold on Amazon.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
If you are looking, here are a few other resources and services I provide:
- Sponsorship: Promote yourself or your product to thousands of subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter. Contact me or reply.
- Coach the Coaches: Looking for 1:1 Coaching? Contact me or reply.
- Sports Leadership Summit: Book a Sports Leadership Summit for your Athletes and Coaches.
- Leadership Workshops: Check out my other Leadership and Culture Workshops.
- Resources: Check out my Gumroad Site for some FREE Resources for Coaches
- Email me at [email protected] for any other inquiries. I can personalize Leadership and/or Culture Workshops for both schools and businesses.
Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]