Daily Team Building Goals

LEADERSHIP BITES: A COACHING FOR LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
Dr. Cory Dobbs, The Academy for Sport Leadership

DAILY TEAM BUILDING GOALS

What is your primary team building goal?  I know you have an offensive and defensive system, and you work hard each and every day to improve them, but what are your relational team building objectives?  Think about this for a moment…

What would I see if I visited a couple of your practices?  I’m sure I would see drill and skill work, offense and defensive system adjustments, physical conditioning, and boisterous instruction by the coaches.  But what it is that you are doing to create the conditions in which players are learning to build relational performance?  Is the environment you’re creating motivating the student-athletes?  How might you be de-motivating your players?

Quickly, review your practice plan for today.  Where is relationship building displayed in your plan?  Don’t simply assume everything you do is building “right” relationships. Recall the coaching adage: failing to prepare is preparing to fail.  We’ve all experienced a season that went South, and quickly.  Rarely is this because of the technical and tactical things you do, rather it is the quick, or bit-by-bit, dismantling of a team fueled by toxic and destructive relationships.  There is no “one-minute” prescription, no quick fix.  The only way to prevent such a scenario is simply to take relationship building serious and set goals, work toward those goals, and celebrate relationship building along the way.