CoachingToolbox discusses intent and culture. Intent expresses direction, purpose, and meaning. Without intent, progress becomes haphazard, random, and arbitrary.
Here are a few highlights.
It all starts with the coach because if the coach is intentional about trying to create a great team culture and experience for the kids, the chances are much greater that it will end up that way. Coaches who are intentional about what they want to see happen have more success at seeing their goals come true.
Bruce Brown of Proactive Coaching calls these a team’s “Core Covenants.” The best covenants are focused on behavioral characteristics. When a team sets up covenants for behavior within the program, they are creating the culture that they seek. By focusing on behavioral characteristics, these teams are zeroing in on things they have control over – not results and outcomes that have all kinds of variables that influence them.
If a coach is intentional about establishing covenants, s/he creates a much more favorable chance of having them be lived in her or his program. But it takes work.
What kind of experience do you promote (that applies equally to your family, job, business, hobbies)? I want players to feel valued, energized, positive, to show curiosity, to share, and look forward to practice and the time they are privileged to spend with their teammates. They should reminisce about the program enthusiastically and eagerly look forward to the opportunity to try out for the next season (want to not have to).
When players create a great shared experience, that translates into their daily activities. We can control our intent and demonstrate it through our attitude, choices ("Speaking Greatness", process), and effort (preparation, energy, sacrifice, persistence). We cannot leave culture and process to chance. Players know. Intent breeds trust and trust promotes loyalty.