Culture. It is the basis of any foundation. It defines the character of your team. It cultivates a sense of belonging among teammates. It unifies and strengthens organizations. It separates the good teams from the great ones. Culture is driven first and foremost by a coaching staff, which is then bought into by parents, and further driven forward by leaders on the team; who then assist the coaching staff to ensure all players buy in. Though the precedence is set by the head coach, if there is even a single person, whether that be player, parent, or other coach not on board, the team may find success temporarily but it will not sustain.
Jon Gordon sums up culture perfectly in this excerpt from his book 'Power of Positive Leadership.' It is so powerful, and the very reason why we believe in culture so strongly here at The Revolution Effect.
Your most important job as a leader is to drive culture; and not just any culture. You must create a positive culture that energizes and encourages people, fosters connected relationships and great teamwork, empowers and enables people to learn and grow, and provides opportunity for people to do their best work. Culture is not just one thing; it's everything. Culture drives expectation and beliefs. Expectation and beliefs drive behaviors. Behaviors drive habits. And habits create the future. It all starts with the culture you create and drive throughout the organization. That's where all success and great results begin.
Let's break this down shall we?
As a leader of your program (or organization/company) it is your responsibility to create an environment for your players to thrive. To love the game so much that they give you everything they have, in the good times AND the hard times. That they are willing to run that extra lap, encourage their teammates, believe in the team no matter what. And it is your job as a coach to make sure your players are always growing and always developing. Building your culture around proper development is key in the success of your program. But you, you are responsible for keeping your culture consistent, and driving it forward every single day.
Culture is not a thing. It is literally everything. Without it your team will never reach it's maximum potential. Without it, your team will waiver when things aren't going well. When the losses start to pile up, people start to question everything. You need positive, fundamental culture to reaffirm that even when things aren't going well that the team is still moving forward. That your athletes are improving not just as players, but as human beings...leaders, teammates. And when you have your own culture, memories are made. Inside jokes happen. Special bonds are created.
Once you have established culture it causes a ripple effect. An expectation is set. Habits are formed. Good habits. It enables you to develop your players into amazing athletes, while instilling character into them that will develop them into even more amazing human beings. And isn't that what sports is all about? Creating habits like discipline, time management, work ethic, leadership. Isn't that our job as coaches? To instill characteristics like these into our players...shaping them into the next generation of leaders? All of this stems from the culture you set!
When you have established your culture, then and only then will your true success begin. You will find that people will commit to you, to your vision, stronger than ever before. It is the number one thing every program must have. It will give you an unshakable foundation, that even when things go wrong and the foundation feels like it's cracking, it will never crumble.
Building culture is NOT easy. It takes time AND commitment. Every team is different. Every relationship you cultivate will be unique. But if you are patient, if you continue to drive your culture forward, we promise that is when success for you will begin...and you will never look back.