INSIGHT INTO BEING A GREAT TEAMMATE

I've just finished read "Teammate" by David Ross and my friend Don Yaeger.  I've spoke to my friends who love baseball and they love this book -- with good reason.  You get a great insight into the career of Ross but more importantly a peak in the dugout and clubhouse of the Chicago Cubs World Series run.

For me, I was fascinated with the title of the book and some of the thoughts regarding being a good teammate.  

This first pass is one that I will be sharing with our Aggie Leadership Council -- the art of being aware.  Having a pulse for your team to help often solve problems before they become problems:

I think good teammates have a high level of self-awareness. If you are self-aware, you have a better chance of focusing on the moment, you have a better chance of processing information. If you know yourself and are able to make adjustments, you will improve as a player, or have the potential to help those around you improve, because you understand the. Self-awareness is tied to authenticity. People who lack self-awareness tend to be more narcissistic because they can’t truly read themselves.

The next point is often lost an players and even coaches.  Just because you not in the lineup doesn't mean you responsibilities of being a good teammate are minimized in any capacity. In fact, that when they grow in importance.  The player who is a great teammate when he's not on the field or the court is the best kind of teammate:

Whether I was scheduled to play on a given day or not, I always tried to bring my personality and my energy to the ballpark. That was a very important part of being a good teammate to me. If I didn’t have my energy that day, it was difficult to invest in the team. If I was dragging or not into that day, I hurt the team And my teammates expected it of me. As a veteran if I was not checked in at all times, it took away from my credibility. It would be hard to criticize a teammate and be respected. I think that’s important from a manager and as a professional baseball player—you’ve got to be the same guy every day. Everyone has good and bad days and mood swings. I did too. But I tried to be the same guy every day that I went to the field.

And again, teammates aren't great because they have an amazing stat line.  As Ross says below, it's not "about numbers."

Being a good teammate and leader, in the long run, wasn’t about numbers. It was about presence and how you were perceived by the rest of the group. That’s what mattered most. Talent is part of the equation, but when you combine talent with accountability and authenticity, it is tough to beat.

A lot more to this book on Ross' thought of being a great teammate and how he actually grew into that role.

4TH AND GOAL EVERY DAY

I've enjoyed reading 4th And Goal Every Day by Phil Savage.  Savage isn't just a writer -- he is a former NFL assistant coach and general manager who has worked with some of the games best coaches.  Add to that his current position as radio color analyst for Alabama football and you have a very unique set of eyes on the Crimson Tide football program and the championship philosophy of Nick Saban.  Savage chose the title 4th And Goal Every Day because he felt it summed up the mindset in the Bama program -- a constant sense of urgency.

For me, I was especially drawn to the sections of the book that dealt with recruiting and player and team development.  Not surprisingly they go hand-in-hand:

Alabama does not care so much "what" a high school player is doing on the field.  It cares more about "how" a player is doing it.  There is a big difference.  What he is doing might look dominant against high school players, but how he is doing it -- athleticism, instinct, explosiveness -- might show his further potential.

Nick Saban would rather take a guy with "tools" in his body that have not yet bloomed over a high school player who is "an effort guy" making twenty-five tackles through willpower.  Saban thinks he can coach the player with tools so that his pure ability will allow him to far surpass the results of the overachiever with limited skills.

As for player development, it should surprise no one that a big key of Bama's success is the structure of their practice:

Recruiting is significant, but what they do best at Alabama is player development.  Talk to any NFL scout and he will tell you that the Alabama practice field resembles a pro camp more than any other college program in the country.  The drills and techniques being taught in Tuscaloosa are the same ones used during the week by NFL players who slip on the pads for the Sunday games.  The Crimson Tide soaks its players in film work, fundamentals, repetition, and patience.

If you love football, this is an outstanding book with Savage going into the details of teaching, coaching, evaluating and giving great stories to support those areas.  But it's also a great book for coaches who want an inside look at one of the best. 

THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE

In a few weeks I'll be speaking at the PGC/Glazier Coaching Clinic in Dallas.  I have two segments and my last one is titled: "Don Meyer - Lessons Learned from a Legacy Left."  I've spent the last few days rereading Buster Olney's great book on Coach Meyer, "How Lucky You Can Be," and came across a passage back in the acknowledgments that I'm going to share with my team today:

"I first met Don Meyer when I was twenty-four years old and a first-year reporter at the Nashville Banner.  Meyer's practices were always open to the public, and so, once or twice a week, I would sit in and watch and listen. When the team met in a classroom before of after practices, I would take a seat in the back.  The underlying message that I heard him present to his players -- that every single day provided you with the opportunity to pursue excellent or not -- resonated with me from a young age."

TIM ELMORE'S iY GENERATION

During one of the stops along the way during the July recruiting period, Joni Taylor told me of Tim Elmore and his work in communicating and leading millennials also know as the Y Generation.  She told me of his book series titled "Habitudes."  She had so much passion in her voice I went back to the hotel that night and researched it.  Joni is someone I greatly admire and respect so when she says "you gotta check it out," I did.

I went to Elmore's website and purchased a series a books titled the "Coaching Millennial Athletes Bundle" which included the book "Generation iY."  Elmore refers the Y Generation as "iY Generation" because of their nature of their information gathering and communication through things such as their iPhones and iPads.

The book was amazing and is an absolute must read for those looking to maximize their ability to communicate and teach today's student athletes.  I took 30 pages of notes from the book. 

Elmore goes in great detail to explain how this generation has evolved and then explains the positive and negative ramifications.  Better yet, he gives some concrete guidelines to assist us as coaches. 

For example, how important are our words and messages that we deliver to our team?  As Elmore explains:

"We need to remember that every time we stand in front of our own kids or a group of students, they are silently asking: Why should I listen to you? What do you have to offer me that’s different than the other options in my life?"

Understanding this requires thought and preparation when communication.

The most profound statement from Elmore and one that so many of us have a difficult time swallowing is:

"To connect and influence Generation iY, we’ll likely have to adjust to them."

Another concept that Elmore delves into is the one of the helicopter parent:

"Too many parents invest too much energy in protecting their children, and forget that their number-one job is to prepare their children for life without them. Parenting is ultimate leadership. A parent is the ultimate mentor in the life of their child."

And while this is true, we also see instances of the same philosophy and culture within athletic teams.  Sometimes we as coaches are swift to judge parents without looking that we are guilty of the same sins.

What we must understand is regardless of the facts, that we have inherited a different and unique generation to coach, the responsibility still relies on us to help steer them in the right direction.  I often speak at clinics and one of the things that I talk about is "don't be that coach that talks about how difficult it is to coach this generation."  In all honesty, all coaches could make this statement -- including the ones that coached us.  Be the answer.  Or as Elmore states:

"If we’re serious about transforming the world, we have to be serious about investing in this next generation.  What we do today as adults will no doubt determine who they will become as adults."

As I said, I took 30 pages of notes from this book.  I fully believe I am going to be a better coach for having read it and that's a powerful thing to say about a book.  In closing, here are a few more thoughts from Elmore on teaching:

•Teaching must supply not only information, but inspiration for students.

•Teaching must do more than measure a kid’s memory; it must motivate a kid’s imagination.

•Teaching must cover not just the facts of history but the feelings that history produced.

•Teaching should not just be about increasing intelligence, but also about increasing innovation.

•Teaching cannot only be about what to think, but how to think.

PRACTICE CONCEPTS FROM JOHN WOODEN

There are so many outstanding books written on Coach John Wooden but one of my favorites is by one of his former players, Swen Nater titled "You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned."

Early in his career, he had the opportunity to observe a football practice at the University of Notre Dame when the legendary Frank Leahy was head coach. “I thought my basketball practices were well-organized and efficient. After observing Coach Leahy’s practice, I realized more work was needed. There was not one minute wasted. Even the transitions from drill to drill were done with no wasted second. Players seemed to enjoy the work and everyone worked hard for the entire two hours. I was impressed and after meeting with Frank Leahy for answers to questions I had, I immediately applied what I had learned to my own situation.”

Fundamentals Before Creativity

Webster defines “fundamental” as “being an essential part of, a foundation or basis.” The fundamentals of basketball are the essential skills that make up the game.

Coach wooden believes the teaching of fundamentals, until they are all executed quickly, properly, and without conscious thought, is prerequisite to playing the game.

“Drill” can have a negative connotation among coaches and classroom teachers. It is sometimes associated with mindless, boring repetition in which there is no opportunity for students to learn concepts or exercise initiative or imagination.

“Drilling created a foundation,” he likes to say, “on which individual initiative and imagination can flourish.”

Use Variety

One of the many enjoyable things I remember about UCLA practice sessions was the variety. Although the general skeleton of practice lessons were the same (fundamentals, break-down drills, and then whole-team activities), there were lots of surprises that kept things interesting and fun.

“I must know as the season progressed how they (drills) were going to change,”  he said, “and then devise new ones to prevent monotony, although there would be some drills we must do every single day of the year.”

Teaching New Material

When creating the daily lesson plan, Coach Wooden was careful to install new material in the first half of practice, not the second. There were two reasons for this: our minds were fresh and not yet worn down by two hours of high-intensity activities, and he could devise activities, during the second half of practice, for the application of the new material.

Quick Transitions

During Coach Wooden’s practice sessions, one witnessed lightning-quick transitions from activity to activity. Players sprinted to the next area and took pride in being the first to being the next activity.

Increasing Complexity

For Coach Wooden, there was nothing more important than the fundamentals of the game. For example, initially shooting and dribbling forms were isolated. Then, Coach taught another type of dribbling technique and combined it so that a shot was taken after the dribble.

Coach Wooden’s philosophy is for players and students to improve a little every day and make perfection a goal. His method for improving conditioning included one painful demand-each player, when reaching the point of exhaustion, was to push himself beyond. When this is done every day, top condition will be attained over time.

End on a Positive Note

I remember many enjoyable endings to the UCLA practice sessions. Coach Wooden always has something interesting, challenging or fun planned for the last five minutes. I didn’t realize it at the time, but levity always helped bring me back the next day, filled with anticipation.

Avoid Altering a Plan During the Lesson

Once the practice, or lesson, started, Coach Wooden never changed it, even though he may have noticed an existing drill that needed more time or thought of a new one he should have included. The proper place for new ideas and improvements was on the back of a 3x5 index card, which he made notations on (and expected the assistants to do the same).

GREAT TEAMS: 16 THINGS HIGH-PERFOMING ORGANIZATIONS DO DIFFERENTLY

I got to know Don Yaeger while working for Dale Brown at LSU.  Don spent an entire year around our program and the best thing I can say about him is that he gets it.  He has a great understanding of the human element as it equates to athletics and he understands what goes into successful programs.  It's why I am always anticipating his next book.  This summer he may have topped himself with "Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently."

I'm going to share a few highlights from the book but if you are involved with any group that you are trying to force as a team, to help an organization achieve it's maximum potential, you're going to want to get a copy of this book!

Chapter 1
Great Teams Understand Their "Why"
"You can try to tell people why what they do matters.  You can try to show them.  But people get what it means when they can feel it."
-Mike Krzyzewski.

"Culture must be reminded everyday. The history gives us a starting point to learn from the past, produce in the present and prepare for the future."
-Kevin Eastman

Chapter 2
Great Teams Have And Develop Great Leaders
"Part of being a leader is getting to know your players."
-Anson Doorance

Chapter 3
Great Teams Allow Culture To Shape Recruiting
"Leadership gets what it emphasizes.  When the recruits arrive to campus, there's so much hype in the facilities and the winning.  But we tell them that all of the hype will not be their happiness.  Instead, their happiness will be in the coaches we surround them with and how we treat them in the locker room.  Culture will determine their happiness."
-Chris Peterson

Chapter 4
Great Teams Create And Maintain Depth
"If you don't have someone on your team that's a capable replacement, then you're going to have a hole in the picture of your puzzle."
-Jerry West

Chapter 5
Great Teams Have A Road Map
As a former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain explained during an ESPN radio interview, Saban "has a vision.  He has a plan.  And yet, I think the thing that keeps him consistent and ahead of the curve, not just football-wise, but everything within the organization -- there's a follow-up, as far as 'What can we do better? What is new out there?  What can we do, you know, to move things forward whether it is offensive, defense, special teams, recruiting, academics, training room," it doesn't matter...What he does is set the vision and then gets great people around him and lets them be creative.

Chapter 6
Great Teams Promote Camaraderie And A Sense Of Collective Direction
St. Louis Cardinals' chairman Bill DeWitt and his management team send a sixty-eight-page book to all new recruits.  The book is packed with historical relevancies, general expectations for a Cardinal player, and specific instructions tailored to that particular player's position.  The information is helpful, but it is the book itself that carries the meaning of "now you're one of us."

Chapter 7
Great Teams Manage Dysfunction, Friction, And Strong Personalities
Great teams understand the reason behind conflict and find ways to rise above it; however, conflict resolution is a skill that must be exercises to be effective.

Chapter 8
Great Teams Build A Mentoring Culture
"In the SEAL teams we figured out very, very early on that specific mentorship of connecting a senior officer to a junior officer has a tremendous value.  It's a fundamental thing that SEAL development looks at.  The minute you stop learning and stop seeking out growth opportunities, you'll begin to rot pretty quickly."
-Rorke Denver

Chapter 9
Great Teams Adjust Quickly To Leadership Transitions
"Change is almost uncomfortable and exhausting.  You are asking your organization to do something in a new way -- every day -- until it's a habit.  The 'old' habits may have taken years to form and were likely linked to rewards to it's normal for individuals and teams to reverse to what's comfortable when difficulties or confusions arise."
-Sharon Price John

Chapter 10
Great Teams Adapt And Embrace Change
"It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change."
-Charles Darwin

"The younger players see the world differently.  And it's up to you as the communicator to know who you are addressing.  Adjustment is hard, but is a lot easier if you, as a leader, are a willing learner."
-Mike Krzyzewski

Chapter 11
Great Teams Run Successful Huddles
Bill Walsh analyzed and even recorded meetings to spot potential lulls and weaknesses in their process.  He wanted to make sure his assistant coaches -- who would sometimes change from year to year -- were teaching his team in a consistent fashion.

Chapter 12
Great Teams Improve Through Scouting
"I think you have to study yourself a lot.  It's important as a quarterback to study yourself, your opponent and be sure you're doing the fundamentals and mechanics right."
-Peyton Manning

Chapter 13
Great Teams See Values Others Miss
Great teams never answer the "why" question with, "Because we've always done it this way."  Instead, they regularly evaluate each situation and seek unique opportunities for improvement.

Chapter 14
Great Teams Win In Critical Situations
Many companies mistake movement for momentum.  By paying employees to work harder, organizations also create an incentive bias when trying to motivate a strong finish.  Paying someone to do more gets movement but not always true motivation.  And teams with higher motivation will always beat teams that only get movement.

Chapter 15
Great Teams Speak A Different Language
Steve Kerr on observing Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks:  "There's no yelling and screaming...there's teaching.  It was liberating to see and had a great influence on me."

"As a leader it is so important to be precise with your language."
-Pete Carroll

Chapter 16
Great Teams Avoid The Pitfalls Of Success
The great John Wooden, whom I have mentioned several times in this book, often said, "Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character."

"How you respond to a mistake is more important than the mistake itself."
-Tim Walton

The appendix in Don's book is 33 pages long with outstanding quotes and concepts from the best in the business and this section alone is worth the cost of the books.  It includes Ganon Baker, Colonel Bernie Banks, Bobby Bowden, Bruce Bowen, Aja Brown, Dale Brown, Jim Calhoun, John Calipari, Pete Carroll, Jack Clark, Jerry Colangelo, Barry Collier, Tom Crean, Randy Cross, Commander Rorke Denver, Bill Dewitt, Jr., Billy Donovan, Anson Dorrance, Kevin Eastman, P. J. Fleck, Willie Gault, China Gorman, G. J. Hart, Sylvia Hatchell, Tom Izzo, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Jordan, Greg Kampe, Steve Kerr, Mike Krzyzewski, Jenn Lim, Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Dan Marino, Mike Martin, Misty May-Treanor, Bill McCermott, Derin McMains, Dayton Moore, Jamie Moyer, Tom Osborne, Chack Pagano, Bob Reinheimer, Jerry Rice, Russ Rose, David Ross, Nolan Ryan, Simon Sinek, Jerry Sloan, Tubby Smith, Bill Snyder, Brendan Suhr, Stan Van Gundy, Bill Walton, Jerry West, John Wooden, Steve Young.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT PAT SUMMITT'S CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE

I've got a great way for you to honor Coach Pat Summitt, contribute to her Foundation and get great insight to why she was such a great coach.  Coach Greg Brown has wrote a book about Coach Summitt and Coach Don Meyer, whom he both worked for.  It is simply an outstanding book because Greg goes behind the scenes to speak about what made each special.  All proceeds from the book go to the Pat Summitt Foundation and Don Meyer Foundation.  

The name of Greg Brown's book is "The Best Things I've Seen In Coaching."  It's an outstanding book and you can order a copy HERE.

An example of the book's section on Coach Summitt includes:

The Tennessee Way -- The values that created the championship culture of the Lady Vols.

Summitt's Five Ways To Maintain Success -- A great list from someone who maintained the highest level of success over three decades.

Game Notes -- 12 pages of game notes from including pre-game, halftime and post game and team meeting thoughts from some of Tennessee's games including UConn.

John Maxwell Talk -- Coach Summitt brought in her friend John Maxwell to talk to the Lady Vols and Greg's notes on this talk are outstanding!

Definite Dozen Overview -- A detailed look at Coach Summitt's famous list.

Practice Expectations -- A great list one that we have modified to use with our team.

Work Ethic -- A list of characteristics of what Coach Summitt believed necessary for having a great work ethic.

Pat Summitt Core Values -- An interview with Coach Summitt on this area

Make Hard Work Your passion -- Another great list on the importance of hard work

Don't Just Work Hard, Work Smart -- Coach Summitt on the mental side of the game

Discipline Yourself So No One Has To -- Two great pages that also became a team passout for our team.

Learn To Be A Great Communicator -- Two pages on keys to being an effective communicator

Put The Team Before Yourself -- Two pages on thoughts that Coach Summitt shares on teamwork (some of which I share below).

Be A Competitor -- The first word I think of when I think of Coach Summitt is "competitor" -- this section by Greg is worth the price of the book by itself.

Take Full Responsibility -- This section deals with coach and player accountability.

Develop And Demonstrate Loyalty -- Coach Summitt talks about it positive and negative effects on a team

Respect Yourself And Others -- Again, another section that speaks to both players and coaches including the topic of body language.

Make Winning An Attitude -- A wonderful list on all that goes in to having a championship attitude.

Change Is A Must -- Greg gives a great list of why Coach Summitt thought that not only was change inevitable but necessary

These are but just a small sampling of some great notes that Greg took while being in staff meetings or listening to Coach Summitt talk to her team:

"Teamwork is not a matter of persuading yourself and your colleagues to set aside personal ambitions for the greater good. It's a matter of recognizing that your personal ambitions and the ambitions of the team are one and the same.  That's the incentive."

"Teamwork is not created by like-mindedness.  It's an emotional cohesion that develops from mutual respect and reciprocity and from coping with good times and adversity."

"To me, the greatest reward for being a team player, far outweighing any personal gain, is that it means you will never be alone.  Think about that.  Life has enough lonely times in store for all of us.  The wonderful thing about partnership is that it halves your sorrow and compounds your joys.  When you are pressure, your teammates will only multiply it.  The amount of success you are capable of enjoying and the pleasure you are capable of feeling, is equal to the number of people you are willing to share it with."

The name of Greg Brown's book is "The Best Things I've Seen In Coaching."  It's an outstanding book and you can order a copy HERE.

PREPARATION: THE TOM LANDRY WAY

The following are some take aways from a chapter out of the book "The Landry Legacy; 20 Principles of Success." The book was well-written by Michael Thornton and looks into 20 keystones of the culture that Coach Landry utilized to develop one of the most consistently championship programs in professional sports. It's an outstanding book for coaches as well as anyone looking to lead an organization. This particular section dealt with the importance of preparation:

  

Nothing is more important to winning than preparation.

Coach Landry did not use emotion to get a player motivated. He used preparation. Emotion can come and go. Preparation is more concrete. Preparation removes questions, doubts, and indecision from a players mind.

Coach Landry’s philosophy was this: if you get a player thoroughly prepared to play, then he will be confident and excited about going out and performing. The greatest thing you can do for a football player or a person in life is to prepare them for success. Conversely, the worst thing you can do is send an individual out there unprepared.

You have to have determination. You cannot just want to win. You have to be determined to win. You have to have the will to win. You have to be willing to do the things that are necessary to win.

If everyone on the football team is not on the same page in their commitment to preparation, then inevitably it will cause conflict, which can grow into dissension, which can become a major distraction for a football team. If some guys are working hard to get prepared and other guys are not, then it is going to create a problem.

Everyone needed to be getting the most out of every minute of preparation. That’s how you get ready to win.

All of those teams had certain common denominators.

Those teams always had great leadership. Those teams always work hard as a whole. Those teams were always prepared to play week after week. Our teams were always completely committed to doing whatever we could do to accomplish team goals.

Some things are out of your control, but what you can control is how hard you work to be prepared to win. That is in your control. Our teams wanted to win and we were prepared to win. An unwillingness to work and to prepare was never a problem for our teams.

Ultimately, you can tell how competitive a person is by how hard they are willing to work in order to put themselves in a position to win. Great preparation puts you in a great position to win. How hard a guy is willing to prepare to win will tell you everything about how bad he wants to win.

Winners hate to lose, and they will do anything and everything in their power not to lose. No player wants to lose or likes to lose, but some players are willing to lose. Rather than having a willingness to win, some players have a willingness to lose. In reality, they choose to lose, because they refuse to do everything they possible can in order to prepare themselves to win. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSION

The following comes from one of my favorite books by John Maxwell (and that's really saying something).  It's titled "Talent Is Never Enough."  It's one book that I think is an absolute must read for all young people -- not just athletes. 

I was thumbing through my outlined portions. I use a red pen to make notations on relevant passages for myself and my team.  I then have those notes typed and organized for use.  My friend Renee' Braud would always joke when a new Maxwell book came out -- "better break out the red pens."

This particular passage resonated with me this morning:

What carries people to the top?  What makes them take risks, go the extra mike and do whatever it takes to achieve their goals?  It isn't talent.  It's passion.  Passion is more important than a plan.  Passion creates fire.  It provides fuel.  I have yet to meet a passionate person who lacked energy.  As long as the passion is there, it doesn't matter if they fail.  It doesn't matter how many times they fall down.  It doesn't matter if others are against them or if people say they cannot succeed.  They keep going and make the most of whatever talent they possess.  They talent-plus people and do not stop until they succeed.

URBAN MEYER ON CULTURE (PART II)

This is the second of three parts about the philosophy of culture as it is taught by Ohio State's Urban Meyer.  The following comes from his book "Above The Line" which I feel strongly needs to be on every coaches library shelf:

Building a culture is a three-part process.

Believe It

First you have  to think deeply about the guiding principles and core values that you want at the heart of your organization.  What behaviors are essential to execute your strategy, and waht beliefs are essential to drive those behaviors?  Identify the behaviors that are necessary to execute your strategy.  Identify the beliefs that are necessary to drive and sustain those behaviors.

Second, examine yourself.  Be honest and courageous.  Do you believe in those core values and does your behavior reflect that belief?

If you don't believe it, no one else will believe it.

Sell It

Once your culture is clearly defined, communicate it to your players and staff with clarity and consistency, explaining why it is essential to the success of the program.  This is not a deviate.  This is you as the leader standing before your team and building the foundation necessary for success.  Your culture message but be exceptionally clear: no confusion, no uncertainty, no excuses.

Demand It

When you determine what the culture is and communicate it with exceptional clarity, it is imperative that you hold people accountable to it.  Let people know that adherence to the culture isn't merely an expectation, it is a requirement.  The culture is the only acceptable standard of performance.  One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is failing to hold people accountable for behavior that is inconsistent with the culture.  Remember this: if you permit, you promote it.

The leadership challenge is to build a culture that generates and sustains winning behavior.

URBAN MEYER ON CULTURE (PART I)

I fully believe that success leaves clues.  One of the best place to look for clues is in reading -- especially books by those that have demonstrated consistent success.  One of the better books I've read in the past couple of years is "Above The Line" by Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.  Coach Meyer opens up his program and shares his philosophy and some of the things he did in building a Championship Program.  The entire book is a great read but Chapter 3: Creating a Culture is worth the price of the book alone.  Here are just a few of my take aways from this section.

Leaders create culture.  Culture drives behavior.  Behavior produces results.

Leadership isn't a difference maker, it is the difference maker.

Performance cannot be declared.  It must be lead.  Great results are initiated and sustained by great leadership.  Not just leaders at the top, but leaders at every level.  Leadership is the triggering factor in the Performance Pathway.

Behavior reinforces the culture that creates it.

Ironically, some coaches are so preocupied with pushing for results that they fail to build a culture that sustains the behavior that produces results.  But winning behavior will not thrive in a culture that does not support it.

As a leader, you are responsible for creating a winning culture that drives behavior and produces winning results.  It's not someone else's job.  It's your job!

Exceptional leaders create a culture that engages hearts and minds, energizes action, and executes with discipline.  When that happens, the numbers and wins follow.

Culture eats strategy for lunch.  Talent, schemes, tactics and plans cannot replace a strong culture.  A great culture can make even a mediocre strategy successful, but weak culture will undermine even the best strategy.  The foundation of culture is core beliefs.  Not platitudes or quotes.  Core beliefs.  The beliefs that are the heart of the team.

HEAD COACHING CHARACTERISTICS

Bill Polion is one of NFL's best General Managers.  He has a proven formula of success and that has transcended from one organization to the next.  Hired as the Buffalo Bills GM following a 2-14 season, he soon had the franchise going to three straight Super Bowls.  From there he became the GM of the Carolina Panthers where he had the team in the NFC Championship Game in only their second year of existence.  From there he took over the Colts organization and one of his first moves was to draft Peyton Manning who would ultimately guide the team to a Super Bowl Championship.

Each spring I'm honored to be a part of Felicia Hall Allen's "A Step Up Assistant Coaching Symposium," which is a unique format to help assistant coaches become better at their craft.  Obviously, one of the topics each year is moving  into the head coaching position.  Felicia brings in a wide variety of people to help paint the picture they need to move up.  One of the obvious speaker choices new head coaches that have just made the jump.  But she also brings in Athletic Directors, Search Firms and Head Hunters to give us a unique look at what the people doing the hiring are looking for.  

I think sometimes as coaches we tend to lean on other coaches maybe too much for information instead of stepping outside our comfort zone and meeting with the true "decision makers."  Have you met with your Athletic Director and discussed what he/she looks for in a candidate?  Do you have the courage to ask that AD what your deficiencies are and what you should look for?

Polion has an outstanding book that I've read a couple of times titled "The Game Plan: The Art of Building a Winning Football Team."  For those interested in becoming a head coach, Chapter 2: Deciding on the Decision Maker is worth the price of the book alone as Polion gives great insight to what he is looking for.  Below, is a brief look in to what he views important.

1. Organization.  That ranges from how he organizes his playbook to his practice plans, from year-round staff assignments to his off-season program.  Each of those areas and many more must be laid out in writing and explained completely, step by step, especially with a candidate who has never been a head coach before.

Today, every coaching candidate shows up for an interview with a “book” detailing all aspects of his program.  But the book is only as good as the person reading it.

2. Leadership.  Does he have the philosophical approach, verbal skills, physical presence, stability, and courage to lead and motivate the coaching staff, the players, and the support staff?

3. Communication.  Does he have good verbal skills?  Does he listen?  Does he respond to questions in a thoughtful way, or does he just tell people what to do?  Is he open to suggestions? Can he interact with ownership, management, and other departments on their terms?

Can he sell his program to all of the team’s stakeholders?  Does he care and communicate that care to others or are they just numbers to him?

Can he teach or is he a lecturer?  A teacher gets everyone involved.  He is able to illustrate his lessons with real-life examples and sometimes funny parables.  He gets his students invested and involved in what he’s teaching.  A lecturer just stands at the podium and spits out notes.

4. Emotional Stability.  Can he function well under pressure from players, staff, ownership, fans and the press?  Does he remain cool on the sidelines?  Does he remain composed, organized, and does he take the lead at halftime?  Doe he use genuine anger as a motivational tool or does he come apart when he’s frustrated?

Is he coherent in his remarks to the players, staff, ownership, and the press after a loss?  Does a loss stay with him too long?  Can he keep everyone in the program, including the general manager focused by his own leadership when the “roof is falling down?”

5. Vision.  This is the most important quality of them all.  Does he have a clear picture of how he wants his team to look and play?  Can he articulate it verbally and in writing?

Can he make long-term decisions in order to implement his vision when pressure is great for him to make a short-term, quick-fix decision?  Has he organized the program in such a way as to implement his long-term plan?

What type of offense does he run?  If, for example, you featured a power running game, as San Francisco, then that would tell you that you had to invest in a certain type of offensive lineman such as Mike Iupati, a 6’ 5”, 331-pound guard the 49ers drafted in the first round from Idaho in 2010.

6. Strategy.  Is he mentally prepared to make decisions on the sideline or does he react?  Does he have direct responsibility for key strategic decisions?  I other words, is he the guy making them or is he going to lean on somebody else?  He’s got to be the one to decide whether to go for it on fourth-and-goal.  He’s got to be the guy to decide whether he’s going to kick a field goal or go for a touchdown.

As Marv Levy always used to say, “If we’re penalized for having 12 men on the field, that’s my responsibility.

7. Flexibility.  Can he adjust to changing trends and rules, personnel, opponent schemes, personality or culture of players?  And then I ask two rhetorical questions.  First, can he change the nuts and bolts of his program to adjust to circumstances without changing his approach to the fundamentals?

Secondly, can he be flexible and take advantage of circumstances or does he buy someone else’s program, lock, stock and barrel?  I other words, does he say, “Oh, gee, Pittsburgh won using a 3-4; let’s switch to a 3-4?”

8. Ability to judge talent. He’s got to be able to see potential rather than just saying, “This is college player A and this is college player B.”  He’s got to be able to see what the potential of college player A is versus college player B.

9. Public relations.  Essentially, it boils down to, can he handle himself well in this media maelstrom that he’s forced to endure these days?

10. Player respect.  Does his knowledge, leadership, teaching ability, approach to squad morale and discipline, and his personal habits and dignity earn player respect? Do they look up to him?

Is his approach to discipline fair?  Do his personal bearing, conduct, and dignity — which encompasses work ethic, temperament, personal habits, etc. — generate respect from the players?  Not liking, but respect.

11. Character.  It boils down to one thing: do you want this man as a standard-bearer for your franchise.

THE FOUR INGREDIENTS OF GRIT

The following is the four ingredients of grit as outlined by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval in their book "Grit to Great." There's a lot of great passages in this book to share with a team or an organization including this one:

Failure is how we learn -- it's how we develop and acquire grit.  From our own experiences, and those of the countless successful people we have worked with across a wide array of industries, from writers and CEOs to lawyers and Broadway performers, we can say it is grit that got them, and us, where we are.  Our research and experience tell us that grit can be broken down into four essential components:

Guts -- Grit begins with the courage to take on a tough challenge, and not falter in the face of adversity.  General George S. Patton famously defined courage as "fear holding on a minute longer."  Guts is what gives you the confidence to take a calculated risk, to be daring (without being reckless).  Guts is about putting yourself out there, declaring your intention to triumph, even if victory appears to be nowhere in sight.

Resilience -- Some of the world's most notable high achievers have flunked or dropped out of school, been fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, or dealt some other major setback that forced them to hit bottom.  But they bounced back.  Jerry Seinfeld got booed off the stage during his first stand-up gig.  It took three attempts before Stephen Spielberg was accepted by a film school.

Initiative -- By definition, initiative -- being a self-starter -- is what makes grit dynamic, what sets it in motion.  Leaders are often judged by their ability to take the initiative.

Tenacity -- Tenacity is the relentless ability to stay focused on a goal.  This is perhaps the most recognizable trait associated with grit...tenacity requires industriousness and determination.

PRE-ORDER DON YAEGER'S NEW BOOK: GREAT TEAMS: 16 THINGS HIGH PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS DO DIFFERENTLY

We want to take this opportunity to share a link with you that will allow you to pre-order Don Yaeger's newest book, "Great Teams: 16 Things High Performing Organizations Do Differently.”  I've been blessed to have read an early manuscript and believe that it will be a must read for coaches or anyone else leading any type of organization.

I’ve always believed that life is a team sport and Don has handed us a blueprint to maximize all our group experiences. Whether on the athletic field, a company, or any organization, this book will navigate us to reaching our team’s fullest potential.

Take a look at the table of contents:

Pillar One: Targeting Purpose

1.  Great Teams Understand Their “Why”

Pillar Two: Effective Management

2. Great Teams Have and Develop Great Leaders

3. Great Teams Allow Culture to Shape Recruiting

4. Great Teams Create and Retain Depth

5. Great Teams Have a Road Map

6. Great Teams Promote Camaraderie and a Sense of Collective Direction

Pillar Three: Activating Efficiency

7. Great Teams Manage Dysfunction, Friction, and Strong Personalities

8. Great Teams Build a Mentoring Culture

9. Great Teams Adjust Quickly to Leadership Transition

10. Great Teams Adapt and Embrace Change

11. Great Teams Run Successful Huddles

Pillar Four: Mutual Direction

12. Great Teams Improve Through Scouting

13. Great Teams See Value Others Miss

14. Great Teams Win in Critical Situations

15. Great Teams Speak a Different Language

16. Great Teams Avoid the Pitfalls of Success

Appendix: Great Takeaway from Business and Sports Leaders

Click here to preorder your copy.