🏆 The Hidden Side of Winning

One of the most common traps for new coaches? They obsess over the front stage instead of the back stage.

Greg Berge
September 25, 2025

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Let’s dive in, but first…

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🎤 Topic: Building Championship Culture with Greg Berge

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💭 ONE THOUGHT
The Hidden Side of Winning

One of the most common traps for new coaches?

They obsess over the front stage.

How does their team look during warmups?
How do they communicate from the bench?
How their social media reflects their “program identity.”
How the crowd, parents, or AD might perceive their coaching.

In short, they spend too much time managing the performance.

But where is real culture built?

That’s backstage.

Sociologist Erving Goffman coined the concept of Front Stage vs. Back Stage:

Front stage: The polished performance. What the world sees.
Back stage: The real environment. What only insiders experience.

And in coaching, the distinction couldn’t be more important.

Game night is the front stage.

But culture is built at the Tuesday practice that no one watches.
The team meetings when you’re 2–5.
The way you handle discipline, roles, and player dynamics, away from the spotlight.

Winning programs close the gap between the front stage and back stage.

What the public sees matches what’s actually happening when the doors are closed.

That’s alignment. That’s trust. That’s culture.

Your leadership challenge:

Don’t let your culture be just a performance.

Build it in the moments that don’t get posted, tweeted, or announced over the loudspeaker.

Because the truth is this:

“Real culture isn’t created under the lights. It’s built when no one’s watching.”

Quick questions to reflect on:

Are your values just slogans—or are they lived out every day?
Do your players act the same at practice as they do during games?
Are your standards upheld even when no one’s watching?
What’s your team like behind the curtain?

Good luck!
Greg

Bonus: Watch this video from Coach K on Culture.

P.S. Ready to Build a Culture That Wins and Lasts?

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📜 GREAT QUOTES

“Coaches who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their players and motivate.”

Vince Lombardi

“He who is not a good servant will not be a good master.”

Plato

🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS

🎥 Video: Coach K’s Most Important Leadership Lessons [LINK]

🆇 ICYMI: John Gruden GOLD [LINK]

📰 Article: What Winning Teams Have in Common

🏆 What Winning Teams All Have in Common

Discover the blueprint of championship culture: Learn how intentional daily choices, emphasis, and leadership create winning teams that excel beyond raw talent.

gregberge.beehiiv.com/p/what-winning-teams-all-have-in-common

𝐗 POSTS FROM OTHERS

I asked a former Secret Service agent her secrets to reading people.
7 lessons from Evy Poumpouras on manipulation, lie detection, and influence:
— Codie Sanchez (@Codie_Sanchez)
10:07 PM • Jun 27, 2025

Being competitive doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk. It’s possible to be both competitive and respectful. As an athlete, strive for greatness while also practicing sportsmanship.
— Sports Psychology (@SportPsychTips)
11:17 PM • Jun 30, 2025

You don't get immediate results. There is no drive thru window to getting better. There is no shortcut or lifehack.
You show up. You commit to the process. You do the work. You get better.
Repeat daily.
🪵🪓
— Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo)
11:07 PM • Jun 26, 2025

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Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]

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