The Leadership Imperative

Because I coach middle school girls, I have an exceptionally important job, to reinforce positive traits to help them mature into responsible adults and good teammates. Succeeding at basketball can be the byproduct of 'doing the next right thing right'.

Core leadership principles reflect core values.

1. Communicate. "The Legacy Builder" (by Rod Olson) describes speaking greatness.
2. Be positive. Catch people doing things right. 
3. Establish your priorities. 
4. The welfare of the team comes before individual concerns (especially those of the leader(s)) US means 'unity' over 'self'. 
5. A "performance-focused, feedback-rich" environment informs competitive advantage. What is not learned has not been taught. 
6. Authenticity is great unless you're an authentic jerk. 
7. Ask "how do I improve today?" Be a committed learner. 
8. "Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - John Wooden
9. Be detail oriented. "Take care of your business."
10. Make sure players realize that you're on their side. Add value. 
11. Respect other people's time. That means punctuality and productivity. 
12. Create and refine a process that others can identify, grow, and enhance.