DEVELOPING A WINNING CULTURE

A big thanks to Jeff Janssen for tweeting this blog out a few days ago.  It is written by the University of Michigan director of athletics Dave Brandon.  Anyone that knows Jeff knows his passion for teaching and building leaders and he recognized this blog and the culture that is being created at Michigan to do just that.  Here are some excerpts: 

Championship teams find a way to transform themselves into winners. No doubt, there needs to be talent, but there also needs to be a winning culture. Cultures are created outside individual abilities. In sports, the creation of a culture starts by the way the team prepares in practice. It is impacted by the way the team interacts with one another. It is solidified by the way the team conducts itself whether in competition or in the community, as well as the positive attitude every member of the team carries with him at all times -- during moments when things are going well and during those times when it would be easy to complain or blame.

This past week, our men's and women's basketball teams took the court for the first time this season in competition against another team. Some might say they were only exhibition games as both the men and women made their first wins look easy. However, they were more than just exhibition games; they were another step in building a championship culture.

The Michigan men's basketball team is going into the regular season highly rated. The upperclassmen are going to need to show the leadership exhibited by last year's co-captains, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass. Coach John Beilein knows strong on- and off-court leadership is going to be key for this team's success. He and his staff are working hard to ensure that everyone is on board for what is required to achieve championship results in the upcoming season. This team has plenty of young talent, and it needs to mesh with the returnees to create a winning culture that will take them through a long, challenging Big Ten season.

Josh Bartelstein was the perfect choice as the only predetermined captain for the season to continue the chemistry of last year's Big Ten championship team. Not only did Bartelstein room with Novak during his sophomore and junior years, he also achieved one of the highest leadership scores possible in a 360-degree leadership survey our athletic department administered to our student-athletes in all of our varsity sports.

He has been described by his current roommate and teammate Jordan Morgan as a player who "embodies selflessness ... that always put the team first."

Selflessness, intensity and passion are common attributes of all championship teams. Leadership is needed at every turn to ensure these traits remain constant throughout a long season.

Exhibition games are more than just a practice game. They are an important step in the process of learning to work together, play together, and win together!

As Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit." Our opening "exhibition games" were the first of what will be an exciting season for both of our basketball programs -- and will hopefully start that "habit of winning" for our coaches, student-athletes and fans!

Read the entire blog: http://goo.gl/mPn61

LEVELS OF COMMITMENT TO THE TEAM GOAL

The following comes an excellent book, "Championship Team Building" written by Jeff Janssen.

1. Resistant- player has not bought into the team goal, usually because he has his own agenda. The only reason the player may be working hard is for selfish reasons.

2. Reluctant- player is hesitant, disinterested or sometimes afraid to commit to the team goal. These are the players who usually do enough to get by when prodded, but cut corners when they thing they can get away with it.

3. Existent- team goal has little significance and the player is often participating for other reasons. These are the players who are on the team because their friends are or their parents want them to be. (This level occurs often in youth sports.)

4. Compliant- team goal is important and the player will do what is asked to achieve the team goal. This player understands and agrees with the team goal and will abide by the team standards to achieve it. They will do what is asked of them and usually no more or no less.

5. Committed- team goal is of high importance and the player is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve it. These are the players who put in the extra time and energy necessary to help the team succeed.

6. Compelled- team goal is of utmost importance and the player is totally invested in making it a reality. These are the players who feel a true sense of mission and purpose in what they are doing. They seek to and enjoy putting in extra time because they view it as an important investment in achieving the team’s mission.

JEFF JANSSEN ON WHY COMPETITORS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOUR SUCCESS

A great book for coaches on all levels of any sport to read is "How to Develop Relentless Competitors" by Jeff Janssen.  Jeff has did an outstanding job of organizing the thoughts in this book to help improve an area that some coaches might not think about in terms of development or maybe weren't sure how to go about it.  It quite a bit easier when we want to improve ball handling and shooting or man offense and zone defense.  There are so many resources to help us look for methods of improvement. But the best teams in any sport are full of athletes that have a great competitive nature.  That competitive nature starts in the off-season and in practice and is a major reasons that successful teams come the closest to reaching their potential.  You can develop competitive spirit.  Why are competitive athletes important?  You can read below from Jeff's book.  But I would highly recommend it as a purchase.  It also has a companion book full of drills and exercises.

Here are seven important reasons why Competitors are absolutely critical your success:

1. There is only one champion. There are other ways to “win” in athletics that are valuable and should not be neglected. But, at the same time, there is only one winner in each contest, and ultimately, only one champion each season. “Nobody remembers who finished second but the guy who finished second.” -Bobby Unser

2. Competitiveness gives you a fighting chance no matter who you match up against. Your team’s intensity and “never-say-die” attitude can unnerve even the most talented individuals and teams. Archie Griffin reminds us, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the right in the dog.” Competitors take immense pride and confidence in their competitiveness.

“You can’t always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can always be the most competitive. There are bound to be days when you run into someone who is better than you. What can you do about it? You can compete, that’s what. You can put forth so much effort that you cut your opponent down to size and force him to play below his abilities. Competitiveness allows you to influence your opponent.” -Coach Pat Summitt

3. Competitors bring high standards to training. For fierce Competitors, everything is a competition; even practices, workouts, and conditioning. They bring an unmistakable intensity to everything they do and demand it from their teammates as well. If you keep score in a drill, the Competitors will go all out to make sure they win the drill—and make sure their teammates do the same. Competitors also understand that quality preparation is paramount to success. They want to feel as prepared as possible when facing opponents, especially those who might be more talented on paper. A Competitor knows that a team gains confidence when they feel they have out-prepared and outworked the competition. “Compete like you’re number one, train like you’re number two.” -Jeremy Bloom

4. Competitiveness keeps you fighting through the inevitable adversity. Competitors fight their way over, around, and through them. They bring a passion and persistence to the team that keeps them fighting and optimistic, when many others would have thrown in the towel. “I want to be the guy this team leans on in crucial situations. You always hear people saying, ‘I’d want to be in a foxhole with that guy,’ that’s what it’s all about.” -Brett Favre

5. Competitiveness earns you the ultimate respect. No matter who you play against or what the final score may be, you can’t help but respect someone who competes fully on every single play. While most coaches and athletes crave championships, ultimately respect is what everyone wants.

6. Competitors are often leaders. With respect comes influence, which is at the heart of effective leadership. Most Competitors have many of the makings of good leaders: passion, pride, perseverance, commitment, and confidence. USA Volleyball national team setter Lindsey Berg, herself a great leader and Competitor, says, “I don’t know a leader out there who is not competitive.” As part of our Leadership Academics at colleges across the nation, we conduct 360-degree leadership surveys where teammates and coaches rate their team captains and leaders. In almost every case, our best leaders’ highest rated characteristic is almost always competitiveness. Because Competitors want to win so badly, they invest themselves fully in the process of doing what it takes to be successful and gain the respect of their teammates and coaches along the way.

7. Competitiveness is a crucial life skill. While you spend countless hours teaching your athletes sports skills and strategies, ultimately one of the most important skills you want your athletes to learn from you is how to compete. “Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done. I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission.” -Peter Drucker

THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSION TO COMPETING

The following comes from my friend and Tennessee assistant coach Dean Lockwood.  He speaks of the importance of passion as a key contributor to competitors in Jeff Janssen's outstanding book, "How To Develop Relentless Competitors."

Tennessee assistant women's basketball coach Dean Lockwood says, "Having been a part of college basketball national championship teams and those that were not, both with comparable talent, I can tell you first that one of the missing components from the latter was PASSION! Passion drives us to go work, to excel, to become almost obsessive about details and the 'little things' that can help our performance.  Passion for something will allow an athlete to stay in a gym a bit longer working, shooting, honing skills; it will allow an athlete to squeeze out a few extra reps, sprints, or laps when most others have gone home.  Passion can DRIVE us and PROPEL us further than what we know, and it also brings a joy to competition that is almost magical  and can be found in few other ways."

PETE CARROLL: ALWAYS COMPETE

I was talking to Jeff Janssen the other day about "competing." It seems that with each passing class, there seems to be a little bigger gap in individuals and teams competing at their highest level. Jeff is actually working on a tremendous project to help coaches and athletes compete. But until, here are some thoughts from Pete Carroll and his recent book, "Win Forever."

ALWAYS COMPETE

Lots of people talk about competition, especially those who seek to achieve high performance no matter what the profession. In my experience, however, the real essence of competing is often misunderstood. Competition to me is not about beating your opponent. It is about doing your best; it is about striving to reach your potential; and it is about being in relentless pursuit of a competitive edge in everything you do.

As I worked through that process of developing my vision and plan for success, I decided that competition had to be at the heart of everything we would do – absolutely everything. Our stated goal would be to “do things better than they had ever been done before.” When you think about it, that Is a statement about competition in its purest form. However successful you may be, there is always some element you can improve upon, some achievement to exceed.

Once I understood that we were competing with ourselves, it changed my view of future opponents. Many people confuse “opponent” with “enemy,” but in my experience, that is extremely unproductive. My opponents are not my enemies. My opponents are the people who offer me the opportunity to succeed. The tougher my opponents, the more they present me with an opportunity to live up to my full potential and play my best.

From my very first days on the staff, it was obvious to me that Jerry (Rice) felt he had to prove to himself and his teammates that he was great. And this was not just on game day; it was during walk-throughs, training camp, off-season workouts, and even charity events. The beauty of it was that his mentality became a part of the 49er culture, and Ronnie Lott, Steve young, and others followed suit. Still, Jerry was different from anyone else.

As a great competitor, Jerry understood that by staying in the mind-set of always competing he could develop the awareness to capture the “opportunities within opportunities: that other people might miss. In other words, he was constantly seeking a competitive edge. It helps to always be searching for that tiny edge in whatever you’re doing – even if it’s small, silly stuff – because that’s how you are going to catch things that someone else might not when it really matters. It’s an extremely powerful tool.

Just as important as that competitive intensity was the fact that you could see without a doubt that Jerry was really competing with himself. He never allowed his success or failure to be defined by anyone else. Jerry Rice’s ability to maintain his competitive focus made him into one of the great figures in the history of sports. I think his example is an unusually valuable one.

ROY WILLIAMS FOUR POWERFUL LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Thanks to Jeff Janssen and the Janssen Sports Leadership Center for the following post. I've said before on this blog as well as at clinics I speak at, if you aren't reading Jeff Janssen's books or following his website (including his premium package) then you are missing out on making yourself a better coach and your team a better team. Check out Jeff's resources: http://bit.ly/8rI87S

Here are four powerful Leadership Lessons from Coach Williams book Hard Work that can be used by all coaches to build and maintain an elite program.

1. Character Counts
Coach Williams: When I decide that a kid has the talent I am looking for, then I try to find out about his character. I once had an elementary school principal in Wichita, Kansas tell me, "Coach, I wish you'd say academics is the second priority."

"No ma'am," I said. "because if he's a great player and a 4.0 student but he's going to be a pain in the rear end, I want it to be somebody else's rear end."

Too many coaches (and athletic directors) lower their program's standards and take talented players (and coaches) with questionable or poor character. They knowingly accept talented people who have a history of not doing the right thing. It's a big gamble that sometimes pays off in the short-term, but usually has negative consequences in the long-term.

Just as Coach Williams heavily weighs character in the recruiting process, so too should you consider character when selecting your team. (Or if you are an AD, when hiring your coaching staff.) Having people of character makes it much easier to build and maintain a team that is focused on a common goal, not their own selfish desires. Coach Williams writes, "If you have one guy looking out for himself, you're in big trouble. If you have more than one, you have no chance."

Plus, choosing people of character preserves the kind of positive culture and reputation you want for your program. Your athletes will represent you and your school with pride and class. As Coach Williams reminds us - Let the talented yet turbulent individuals be a pain in somebody else's rear end, not yours.

2. Choose to work hard every day.
Coach Williams: I tell every prospect I recruit that I'm going to try to outwork every other coach... I like to ask prospects, "Who is recruiting you the hardest?" If they don't say me, I'm mad and I'll go back to my staff and tell them we've got to do more.

The more I learn from highly successful coaches and athletes, the more I am convinced that having a compelled work ethic is one of the biggest keys to success. Look at most anyone who is consistently at the top of their profession and you will see an individual and a team that is absolutely committed to being the best. They are highly passionate about what they do, invest themselves fully, and willingly put in the necessary hard work.

The great thing about hard work and commitment is that it is a choice. You get to choose at what level you bring it every day. The tough thing about hard work and commitment is that it is also a choice - you must consistently choose to bring it at a high level each and every day - despite distractions, disappointments, and human nature telling you to give up and give in. Roy Williams has chosen to bring it every single day for the last 50 some years of his life - and is a big reason why he, his team, and the Tar Heel faithful are enjoying the fruits of his labors.

3. Be a Fierce Competitor
Coach Williams: I love playing road games. I love that atmosphere. I encourage my players to treat games away from home as a wonderful challenge. I like to tell my team, "Let's go into their living room and steal their brownies." It's all about having the confidence and attitude that I can beat your butt anytime, anywhere, anyplace, anyhow... The bottom line is that I want my players to understand that at some point in every game, somebody's going to give in, and I don't ever want it to be us. We want to be the last team standing.

Underneath Coach Williams folksy and cordial outward demeanor beats the heart of a fierce competitor. He is driven to be the best and enjoys the continual challenge of taking every opponent's best shot - whether at home or on the road. He relates several stories in the book about how his competitiveness has been an edge throughout his career.

If you want to compete with the big boys and girls, you too are going to need to become a fierce competitor. More importantly, you will need to instill your own competitive will in your team as you develop them into competitors. Highly successful programs look to dictate the tempo of the competition and impose their will on their opponents. They force opponents to react to them rather than the other way around. You too can get to this level. But you must remember that having a competitive team is a big key - and it begins with you modeling it, developing it, demanding it, and rewarding it as coach.

4. Win on and off the court.
Coach Williams: Winning still drives me. But I also enjoy putting a team together. Every year presents a different challenge for me. What I will miss the most is building relationships with players. Those bonds are always going to be there and they are personal. They are not based on wins and losses but on something you gave them, something you tried to do for them, something you tried to establish in those kids that would affect their lives.

Even though Coach Williams is highly committed to winning on the court, he also cares about his players' futures off the court. He is just as demanding of his guys when it comes to their performance in the classroom and in the community. He sees himself as a mentor who is privileged to prepare young men for the game of life - whether they are future NBA Superstars or productive members of society.