Creating a Championship Culture
by Dr. Greg Shelley, Leadership Academy Director at Fordham, Lafayette, and Colgate
As a coach you wear many hats. You are a teacher, mentor, disciplinarian, administrator, leader, parent, trainer, and coach. Still, at the end of the week, you are expected to win . . . and an important part of winning is developing and maintaining a winning culture. But for some coaches, the ongoing and weekly pursuit of winning may deter them from creating the long-term Championship Culture that is most desired.
Although there are many factors impacting culture (e.g., skill and talent, commitment, confidence, personality, coaching style, character, intensity, toughness, response to adversity, responsibility, support, accountability, and leadership), the team culture you most desire must be taught . . . and if you do not take the time to appropriately manage your team culture, it will likely manage you.
Some teams have a Comfortable Culture, some have a Country Club Culture, and some have a Championship Culture, (i.e., a culture that is value driven and centered on trust, respect, unity, passion, and a relentless commitment to winning). No doubt, a winning culture takes time to develop and refine . . . and your culture will ebb and flow with the changing of personnel and circumstances. Yet, creating a Championship Culture will take a long-term commitment by you, your staff, and your players.
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With that said, there are six considerations adapted from Jeff Janssen's How to Build and Sustain a Championship Culture book when constructing, refining, or changing your desired culture. These include:
1. A Clear Vision – short and long-term goals that guide why you coach,
2. Aligned Coaching Styles – a guide for how you coach and mentor,
3. Core Values – to guide your decision-making, your words, and your actions,
4. Intent – a clearly communicated purpose for everything you do,
5. Expectations – standards for on and off-field behaviors, and
6. Accountability – a means of responsibility and ownership for all behaviors.
Each of the above six considerations must be discussed (with your entire staff) so that the following culture assessment can be completed.
Assess Your Culture
With your staff, discuss the “ideal” culture for your team. How do you want your program defined? How would you most like your athletes to define your program? Overall, what do you want your program to be about? Then, mutually agree (as a staff) to the 5 words or phrases that best define the team culture you most desire for your program. Whatever BEST characterize the program you want, list those words/phrases below.
1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________________
Rate Your Culture
Now take these 5 words/phrases and individually assess each on a scale of 1 (poor - your team has very little of this trait or quality) to 10 (excellent - your team possesses a lot of this trait or quality).
For example, maybe your staff agrees that “toughness” is one of the five most important factors impacting your program’s culture. Define and discuss “toughness” as it relates to your current culture and, as a staff, rate your team (from 1-10). As a result of your discussions, let’s say you and your staff mutually agree that your current team toughness should be rated as a 6 (see below).
Toughness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Once completed, do this for each of the remaining 4 team culture descriptors (as agreed to by your staff). Be sure to define and discuss each and come to a staff agreement for rating the descriptors.
Toughness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Descriptor #2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Descriptor #3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Descriptor #4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Descriptor #5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Then, answer the following 3 questions:
1) What do you like best about your team culture?
2) What concerns you most about your team culture?
3) How do you, your staff, and your entire team improve each descriptor?
For example, how can “toughness” be improved from a 6 to a 7? Be specific in discussing “how” toughness can be improved within your team and with your players. What expectations, standards, rules, behaviors, and actions can be changed (by coaches and athletes) to improve toughness? Now, do the same for the remaining culture descriptors you have listed.
By assessing and rating your culture, you help make this important yet intangible concept much more concrete and manageable for you and your team.
Our Championship Coaches Network members can click here to read Part 2 of this article.
