Filing Cabinet

Champions Notebook

By Brian Williams on July 31, 2014

The following concepts were taken from Coach Ryan Renquist’s “The Notebook of Champions” that he uses as his Players’ Notebook at Walsh High School. I hope you find at least a few ideas to use in your program.

What Do I Want in a Player?

I want a player who is willing to make a commitment to being as good as he can be each time that he plays.
I want a player who is willing and ready to do what has to be done to make a positive contribution in the most difficult of games.
I want a player who competes in each game as though there is nothing he will ever do that will be more important.
I want a player who more than anything, wants our team to be the very best that it can be.
Is this too much for me to demand of you?
Is this too much for you to demand of yourself?

Next Play:
The Most Important Play is the NEXT Play! Whenever a player makes a mistake, he must immediately forget about it (except for the part that educates you).

Thank the Passer:
The scorer is the one the fans will recognize. We will recognize the passer. We will thank the passer by pointing at him.

Stand Up for a Teammate:
When a teammate comes out of the game, we will all stand up from the bench to congratulate him on his performance.

Don’t Look at the Scoreboard:
When a player knows what the score is, he changes the way he plays. We strive towards dominating each possession. We will let the final score take care of itself. Players need to pay attention to the time, but they don’t need to pay attention to the score.

Sprint To The Bench:
Players will sprint to the bench on every time out and end of the quarter situation. We will sprint to the locker room at the end of the first half and at the end of the game.

Fallen Teammate:
When a teammate hits the floor, we help him up.

Make Eye Contact:
When two people on this team are talking to each other, they will both look at each other in the eyes.

Hand the Basketball to the Referee:
We will make every effort to hand the basketball to the closest referee.

We ACT, We Don’t REACT:
Don’t concern yourself with things you can’t control like how good or bad a team is. We create the outcome of the game by doing what we do to the best of our ability.

Dominate your Opponent:
We want to create a nightmare for our opponents by dominating them for 32 minutes. When our opponents step off the floor, we want them to think, “I NEVER want to play the WALSH EAGLES again.”

The Fist:

Five fingers held together in a tight formation, a fist, is far more effective and powerful than five fingers held outstretched and alone.
In basketball, the five individuals on the court must act as one, as a fist, in order to achieve the success that they could not find acting as five independent players.
Each separate finger that makes up The Fist symbolizes a fundamental quality that renders a team great. We will emphasis five terms: We Play Hard, We Play Smart, We Play Together, We Play Aggressive, We Communicate. Each one of these traits alone are important. But all five together are tough to beat.
Instead of giving high fives or patting one another on the back, we will give fists.
When teammates show each other their fist, we remind one another of the five terms that will bring us together and allow us to be the strongest that we can be.

WE PLAY HARD: We give maximum effort at all times and in everything we do. We take charges, and are eager to dive for a loose ball.
WE PLAY SMART: We know our assignments and make wise decisions.
WE PLAY TOGETHER: Five people working together can achieve much more than five people working independently.
WE PLAY AGGRESSIVELY: The most aggressive team will get the majority of the calls.
WE COMMUNICATE: We make eye contact with each other whenever someone is talking. We talk at all times when we are on the floor.

Leadership

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the end, leaders are much like EAGLES… they don’t flock, you find them one at a time.

“What you do; how you do it; and who you associate with on a daily basis will determine your image and your impact!” Kevin Eastman

“Surprisingly for some, research conducted by the Leadership Research Institute has shown that in times of crisis, people gravitate toward the person of highest character, not necessarily the person who is in charge or even the person they believe to be the most competent. Rather, people will tend to build a relationship with and follow the person they view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most, and who is willing to always do the right thing.” Tony Dungy

“Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players,” Larry Bird

“Instead of asking, how can I lead my company, my team, or my family to a higher level of success? We should be asking ourselves, how do others around me flourish as a result of my leadership?” Tony Dungy

Attitude

Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.

“Good talent with bad attitude equals bad talent,” Bill Walsh

“You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball,” Bob Knight

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind,” William James

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be,” Abraham Lincoln

“Nothing is worth more than this day,” Goethe

“Your life is either a celebration or a chore. The choice is yours,”

“If you’re a positive person, you’re an automatic motivator. You can get people to do things they don’t think they’re capable of.” Cotton Fitzsimmons

“If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.” Mark Houlahan

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude.” President Thomas Jefferson

“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player,” John Wooden

“Life is like a basketball, it just keeps bouncing up and down.”

“I treat every day like it is my last day with a basketball,” LeBron James

“Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise,” Kobe Bryant

“Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“Once you are labeled the best you want to stay up there, and you can’t do it by loafing around. If I don’t keep changing, I’m history,” Larry Bird

“I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end,” Larry Bird

23 Characteristics of Great Players

By Brian Williams on May 7, 2014

This article was a part of Alan Stein’s Coaching Nuggets Collection. The author is Coach Lyndsey Fennelly of lyndseyfennelly.com

23 Characteristics of Great Players

1: Getting Better – the #1 emphasis and purpose behind training. Each athlete’s goal every time you walk into a gym should be to pick up 1-2 new golden nuggets of improvement. Commit to this improvement by starting a basketball journal and writing the concepts you learn each day down on paper for maximum information retention. The way to create big separation in your game is by picking up as many ‘little things’ as you can.

2: Energy – there are 2 things people do when they walk into any room: they either take away energy with frowns, negative body language, and constant complaints or they give energy with genuine smiles, positive body language, and encouraging comments. An energetic gym is more fun to be so, as is living an energetic life. Create the energy in your own gyms, classrooms, and other environments.

3: Focus – most people attribute the success of athletes to the physical game. This is key and important, but you cannot under-estimate the power of a strong and focused mind. Great players focus on what is taking place in every drill, every practice, every game, and every day. The mind is constantly asking oneself : What can I do in this moment to get better?

4: Hustle – great players have an uncommon hustle. You should know that your career window is limited, so make it a habit to maximize every second every time you are in the gym. Set the standard of hustle in your practices, not in games. Great players don’t have an ‘on-off switch’; they simply have it always turned ‘on’!

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5: Attitude – one of the few things in life we can control. You have only one September 19, 2010 your entire life. Why not have a great attitude every single day? What’s special is having a terrific attitude every day under every circumstance. Show off your great attitude during the toughest of times – that’s impressive.

6: Commitment – the act of being pledged, loyal, and true to your dreams and visions. Create a goal for this season. Write it down somewhere that you can look at it daily. Remind yourself of the commitment you’ll need to make both on and off the court this year to have a successful season.

7: Passion – do what you love and love what you do. You cannot fake passion. If you truly love the game of basketball, you should have a passion for your improvement and development. You should have passion every time you step into the gym with a willingness to learn and mentality of, ‘what can I do to get better?’

8: Teamwork – in a team sport like basketball, the we is always more important than the me. The better the team, the more noticed the player. Do all you can to foster great teamwork, knowing that will get you the attention most players desire? A program with great teamwork, constantly putting others before themselves, is easily envied by the weak.

9: Body Language – 93% of what we say is non-verbal. You are constantly communicating even if your mouth isn’t moving. Communicate all the time that you’re paying attention, you’re engaged, you’re tough, and you’re eager to learn more. Great body language will make your coaches coach you more, will make your teachers teach you more, and will make an employer want to hire you one day.

10: Hard Work – “If everyone worked as hard as I did, I would be out of a job” is a quote by Steve Nash that is a great reminder that there is truly no substitute for hard work. Hard work is unquestionably one of the best skills you can master to master a successful life both on and off the court. Allow no one to out work you.

11: Control – control of body, control of eyes, control of thoughts, control of emotions, control of the game, control of the tempo, and most importantly, control the controllable. Rather than blame, make excuses, or point fingers, focus on the things you can control : your effort, your attitude, your mind.

12: Practice Makes Pe…Permanent – practice does not make perfect, it instead makes permanent. Great players don’t go half speed at any time, knowing that the opportunity to become permanently great was just missed. Practice habits that will make your game permanently improve and allow you to compete at the highest level.

13: Sportsmanship – the best players have a respect for the game, its rules, officials, and participants, including coaches, players, and fans. Be gracious in defeat and humble in wins without compromising the unrelenting desire to succeed, improve, and most importantly win.

14: Character – you speak louder in action than you do with words with the decisions you make. Live this simple rule : “do the right thing”. If you don’t whether you know it’s right or wrong, it’s most likely the wrong decision. Treat others as you want to be treated, including your teammates. Be ‘bigger’ than negative people and show off your true self all the time, not just when things are going well.

15: Pride – a true champion has the pride of a lion: self-respect and personal worth. You have satisfaction with your achievements, and you allow your pride to fuel your burning passion to always improve. Those with pride have a feeling of ‘dislike’ when they know they’ve fallen below their own standards.

16: Loyalty – you are honest with your family, your coaches, your teammates, your friends, your teachers, but most importantly, yourself. You are loyal in words and actions with those you surround yourself with. Be loyal to these people in life by never violating their trust, turning your back on them, or speaking about them instead f to them.

17: Appreciation – life is TOO short to not appreciate each and every day you are given on this Earth. Two powerful words that we don’t use enough : “thank you” can be said more often than most do. Be verbally appreciative with sincere words and physically appreciative by never wasting an opportunity on court to improve.

18: Respect – most importantly, respect yourself because it’s impossible to respect others if you can’t respect the most important person in your life, you. Treat others as you want to be treated : coaches, parents, teachers, friends, family, teammates, officials, and opponents. Respect the facilities you play in and the environments you are surrounded by.

19: Accountability – you are the driver of your own life and of your own career. Do not fall prey to allow others to dictate your future. Take accountability and responsibility for your actions, your dedication, your work ethic, and ultimately, your decisions. Hold yourself to a higher standard of excellence than anyone else.

20: Finish – the great Michael Jordan once said, “It’s not how hard you push along the way, it’s having something in you to finish”. The great players and people in life finish what they have started. Make it a habit to complete everything you do with the same energy and effort you start with.

21: Intensity – an effort defined by expression of great zeal, energy, determination, and concentration. You ‘attack’ drills with speed, power, and a rage for improvement. Your end of game intensity is paralleled by your in practice intensity. You show off your intensity not only in effort, but in your consistent body language.

22: Poise – having a calmness under every situation and always being yourself. Pressure situations don’t faze you, but instead bring out your greatness. You are always communicating an “I got this” with your teammates and coaches. People turn to you knowing you have an un-faze-ability.

23: Excellence – “the habit of excellence can become enjoyable addictive” (Dick DeVenzio, author of Stuff Good Players Should Know). We have trained all Fall Skills in creating habits of excellence on the court. Make excellence your habit in everything you do. Be an excellent student. Be an excellent friend. Be an excellent daughter, son, sister, brother. Be an excellent athlete. Be an excellent human being.

Coaching Basketball Winner’s Mentality

By Brian Williams on April 3, 2014

Winner’s Mentality

By Alan Stein of Pure Sweat Basketball A great resource for basketball coaches and to share with your players.

A winner’s mentality is a focused form of confidence. And confidence must be earned through demonstrated performance, discipline, effort, and consistency. A winner’s mentality comes from a daily commitment to excellence. You can’t just wake up and have a winner’s mentality, you have to earn it.

The fascinating part is, confidence is contagious. Unfortunately so is a lack of confidence. You work hard, smart, and consistently… and you win more often than not. The more you win, the higher your confidence. The winner’s mentality feeds itself.

A winner’s mentality also means that you are more focused on what you do than on what your opponent does. Winners focus on what they can control:

• Effort
• Attitude
• Preparation
• Execution

As Coach John Wooden once said, “Don’t worry about them, let them worry about you.” That my friends, is a winner’s mentality!

Being a winner is believing that on any given night, you can beat anyone. But it is also being humble enough to admit that on any given night, anyone can beat you.

Most importantly, teams with a winner’s mentality only care about one thing – winning. No personal agendas. The team always comes first. Every player (and coach) on the team knows their role, accepts their role, takes pride in their role, and fulfills their role to the best of their ability – no exceptions.

Play Through Adversity

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

The bad news? Every team will experience some form of adversity… every game. It’s inevitable.

The good news? “If handled correctly, adversity can be the prerequisite to great things.”

You must embrace adversity. Don’t expect anything to be easy. Assume the other team will go on runs, that’s part of the game. Expect that your team will go through shooting slumps, that’s part of the game as well. You obviously want to do your best to prevent both, but just know they will happen!

Do you think a boxer goes into the ring thinking he’s not going to get hit? Of course not. He knows he’s going to get punched. Same is true in hoops. Expect the ‘punch.’ And keep fighting!

Now, when the other team goes on a run or your team goes in a slump, follow this simple advice:

“When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you need to do is stop digging.”

Opponents’ runs and your slumps are often caused because you stop doing the little things. Every player needs to immediately focus on being solid:

• Making the right play on both ends of the floor.
• Making the easy pass.
• Boxing out on every shot.
• Setting solid screens.
• Running the floor in both directions.
• Hustling on and off the floor during time-outs.
• Having good body language and eye contact with your coach.
• Contesting all shots.

In many instances, a recommitment to being solid will end the adversity and turn things back around!

Lastly, the key to both the winner’s mentality and to playing through adversity is mental toughness. Many coaches define mental toughness as the ability to tolerate physical discomfort or screaming expletives. But I disagree.

Mental toughness is simply the ability to Play Present. To focus on what you have 100% control over – your effort and
your attitude. To focus on the next play. To focus on the process of winning, not the outcome. When you Play Present, you maximize your potential.

Coaching Basketball Player Attributes

By Brian Williams on April 2, 2014

Both of these resources came from old Xavier Men’s Basketball Newsletters.

Here is a link to their archives: Xavier Men’s Basketball Newsletter.

I like to file these kinds of list for players notebooks.

This first list is what one NBA team “On the Court Player Attributes” they look for when evaluating players. There are some points that can be modified and adapted for the college and high school levels:

1. Does he “Fight Back” or have resiliency as a competitor?
2. Does he come from a winning background or culture?
3. Can he defend multiple positions?
4. Does he cut hard?
5. How does he take a screen? How does he set a screen?
6. Basketball IQ: Feel and understanding of the game?
7. How does he attack a close-out off the dribble?
8. Is he consistent and reliable night-in and night-out?

9. How does he bounce back from a poor performance?
10. Is he “comfortable being uncomfortable?” A pressure player?
11. Is he a quality teammate?
12. How does he impact and affect winning?
13. Can he remember plays and take instruction?
14. Is he around the ball? Does he try to rebound defensively?
15. Does he shy away from contact?
16. Is he a whiner and complainer?
17. Can he “Pull and Kick?”
18. Does he have an edge? Have something to prove?
19. Does he approach the game as a professional?
20. Can he play his game at a top speed?

Pat Riley on The Disease of Me

The Disease of Me = The Defeat of Us

6 Danger Signals of the Disease of ME:

1. Chronic feelings of underappeciation–focus on oneself.
2. Paranoia over being cheated out of one’s rightful share.
3. Leadership vacuum resulting from formation of cliques and rivalries.
4. Feelings of frustration even when the team performs successfully
5. Personal effort mustered solely to outshine one’s teammate.
6. Resentment of the competence of another.

“The most DIFFICULT thing for individuals to do when they become part of a team is to sacrifice, it is much EASIER to be selfish.” Pat Riley

I have included links to similar articles below.

Coaching Basketball Season Ending Disappointment

By Brian Williams on March 11, 2014

This article was sent to me by Mano Watsa, PGC Basketball President along with his description of how it came about.

Below is a correspondence between PGC owner Dena Evans and a long-time PGC grad. I was so moved by Dena’s response to this player, which the player’s father shared with me, I decided to ask Dena, and this athlete, for permission to share this correspondence publicly. If you know the heart-ache and disappointment of not reaching your team or individual goals, this is a must-read.

Credit: Nick Krug | kusports.com

Dear Coach Dena,

I’m writing to share with you some feelings I’ve been having since my season came to an end. I am hoping that you will have some insights or thoughts to pass along to me.

First, let me just give you some facts about my season so you get a general overview. We finished 18-6 in the regular season. We won our first game and lost in the semi-finals to the team who won comfortably in the finals. Our game against them was a close game.

What I’m basically feeling is a strong sense of disappointment and sadness.

Last year, I was upset that we had lost (in the first round of the playoffs), but I was able to look back on the season and I was happy about it. But this year it’s a different story. I’ve been left with that feeling of wanting more, thinking about what could have happened, or how it could have been different had we won that game.

Perhaps part of it is knowing that I’ll never get the chance to play competitive basketball with some of my teammates ever again. Perhaps part of it is just missing spending time with the guys in the locker room, or out at team dinner. Either way, it’s been a tough pill to swallow for me. This year it just felt as if the dream and the goal of winning the State Championship had kind of slipped through our hands, and it was really just two games away…and the fact that I think this was our best shot, is maybe irrational, but something that makes it harder.

It’s tough to really get it all out there on the page, but that’s about the best I can do as far as explaining my thoughts for now. Any words would be greatly appreciated.

–Josh

Hey Josh,

First off, congrats on a GREAT season. I say “great” not because of your record or how far you got (or didn’t get) in the playoffs. The ‘congrats’ is because (based on your email and on what I know about who you are) you gave this basketball season, your team, your coaches, your school, and yourself the very best you had to give. I realize that may sound hollow to you in this moment, but one day, when your career is over, I promise you that this will be the one thing you will be most proud of, and it’s what will give you the most peace about your career, no matter how many championships you win or don’t win.

But for now, I can totally understand and relate to everything you have said. I’ve been there. More than once…

My senior year of high school, we lost in the game to go to “State” (a big deal in Texas because only 4 teams go). My goal since 6th grade was to win a state championship. I was devastated.

One of the main reasons I went to the University of Virginia was to win a national championship. My sophomore year of college, after being ranked #1 most of the season, we lost to Tennessee in overtime of the national championship game. Devastated again.

My junior year, again after being ranked #1 all season, we lost in DOUBLE OT of the national semi-finals to Stanford. Once again…devastated.

My senior year, after all the best players on our team had graduated and I had become the unquestioned team leader, we played as the underdog all year. We made it all the way to the Elite 8 and lost to Ohio State in the game to go back to the Final Four when my coach called time out just as I was releasing the game-winning 3-pointer. I hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, but it was waived off because the ref said my coach called the time out with .7 seconds on the clock. That was the way my college career ended. Devastated times a thousand.

Unless you’re the team that wins the last game of the season, I have never been able to figure out how to feel anything *but* sadness and disappointment at the end of a season, at least for a while.

I think you just need to allow yourself time to grieve. The word “grieve” may sound crazy because I know it’s not like anybody died or there was any great “tragedy.” But you *have* suffered a profound loss. Your season (which you cared deeply about) is over; you will never play on this particular team (which you gave so much of yourself to for so many months) again; and you will never be high school teammates with some of those guys again (and those kinds of bonds are rare and special and hard to replicate in the “real world”).

People who have never experienced those kinds of losses can never understand just how much all of that hurts. You gave yourself completely to something, and it didn’t turn out like you wanted. And to make it even worse, now it’s gone. Over. Done. That’s hard and it hurts.

But (and this is the part you probably don’t want to hear, but it’s true so I’ll say it anyway…) that’s how life works. Everything passes. You’ll eventually lose everything—your parents, your friends, your health, your pets, your youth, and, inevitably, your life. It’s all gonna pass away, just like this season, and this team.

Which, to me, is all the more reason to give those things you love and care about everything you’ve got. It all goes by so fast, and the ONLY thing you’re guaranteed is that it WILL, in fact, go by.

This can all be pretty depressing UNLESS you just accept it as reality (because it is), and THEN you can be freed up to focus all your energy and attention on giving every single moment of the rest of your career the very best you’ve got….which brings me back to my very first point in this email.

As the seasons go by, and as you experience the feelings of sadness and disappointment that you’re experiencing now, and as you begin to get a clearer and clearer sense of the finite-ness (not sure if that’s a word) of your career, your sense of urgency will grow exponentially. That’s why seniors often play with such care and passion. It’s why aging superstars are willing to take less money and less playing time to get on a team that has a chance to win a championship. You begin to realize what matters and what doesn’t, and you begin to sense how precious an opportunity it is to get to be an athlete who’s playing for something that matters with people who matter to you.

So my point is…everything you’re feeling right now is appropriate and even good. Don’t resist it. Be sad. Be disappointed…Until you’re not anymore (and it will go away, I promise). And then, you will do what every great athlete and every great hero does…you will pick yourself up, dust yourself off, dream your next dream, and you’ll go at it again…even though you know the risk and how much it will hurt when it’s over. But really, that’s the only way to fly in my opinion. Way more fun, exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling than living a life where you play small and never put your heart on the line for anything that matters to you.

And one last thing…while winning a championship *would* feel really sweet and could be incredibly rewarding, the truth is that even THAT feeling will pass after a few weeks or even days. And then you would STILL have to feel the sadness and disappointment of not playing with some of your teammates again and of not ever having this particular team together again. So don’t fall into the trap of believing that winning a championship will make you not have to feel the pain of the ending of something you love. Granted, it would make it a lot easier and is the preferable way to end a season. But what’s *more* important is always that you gave your best in every moment, regardless of whether or not you were fortunate enough to be on the team that won the last game of the season.

Those are my quick thoughts. I’m really glad you decided to write me. You’re doing big things, even though you may be feeling like you came up short this season. These are important conversations and important life moments, and it’s an honor to get to share them with you.

Stay in touch,

–Dena

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12 Simple Yet Significant To Dos for Leaders

By Brian Williams on December 12, 2013

This article was written by Jeff Janssen, founder and president of the Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Jeff directs cutting-edge Leadership Academies for high school and college coaches and all across the nation including North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Yale, Baylor, Wake Forest, and Winston-Salem State.

His site has several other useful articles for coaches and team leaders. Here is the link: Coaches Championship Network

Student-athletes of all ages often wonder, “What can I do to be a better leader?”

Fortunately leadership opportunities abound and present themselves on a daily basis. While they may be subtle, leaders are usually given at least a dozen opportunities to demonstrate leadership every single day.

These leadership opportunities are rarely available in the form of dramatic, rousing, “win one for the Gipper” type speeches, but most often present themselves in simple, yet significant interactions on a daily basis.

There’s a quote we often use in our Leadership Academies by Helen Keller that drives home the value of these seemingly trivial, yet critical leadership moments. She said, “I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.”

Most emerging leaders erroneously view and define leadership as the mighty shoves reserved only for the heroic captains of the team. In actuality, however, it’s the tiny pushes of leadership that happen more frequently and have the greatest impact over time.

To help your emerging and existing leaders recognize, value, and act on the many tiny opportunities to lead every day, I have created a simple 12-point checklist. I encourage you to go over the checklist with your leaders to show them just how simple leadership can be – yet how profoundly powerful the aggregate of these 12 daily leadership actions can be on your program.

12 SIMPLE YET SIGNIFICANT DAILY TO DO’S FOR LEADERS

1. Be the hardest worker at practice today. Without fail, one of the quickest ways to impact a team is with your own work ethic. Choose to be one of the hardest workers on your team today. Not only does it set the tone for the work ethic of your program, it is also one of the best and quickest ways to enhance your leadership credibility with your teammates and coaches.

2. Be a spark of energy and enthusiasm today. Let your passion for the sport shine through today. Spread a contagious energy and enthusiasm amongst your teammates. Think about how lucky you are to be able to play and compete. Remember back to when you were a young child and reconnect with the joy you played with back then. Make your sport fun again for yourself and your teammates.

3. Model mental toughness today. Because your teammates will look to you under pressure, adversity, and stress, be sure to model mental toughness today. Bounce back quickly after errors to show your teammates how to respond to negative situations. Maintain your poise and optimism despite any mistakes you might make so that your teammates can trust and rely on you to get them through the tough times.

4. Connect with a teammate today. Leadership is all about relationships. Invest the time to build and strengthen the relationships you have with each of your teammates. Inquire about their day, challenges, and goals. Make a special and ongoing effort to get to know every athlete on your team, not just your friends and classmates. The relationship building you do each day will pay off immeasurably down the road.

5. Compliment a teammate today. Be on the lookout for teammates who are contributing to your team. Call out a teammate for making a hustle play, pushing through a weight workout, recovering quickly from a mistake, getting an A on an exam, etc. Praise the actions and attitudes you want to see repeated. As Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.”

6. Challenge a teammate today. Challenge at least one of your teammates today. Positively push them and yourself to make the most of your workout. Make a friendly wager to see if they can be successful at least 4 out of 5 times in a drill. See if you both can improve your times in conditioning. Offer to stay after to help if there is anything they want to work on. Good leaders consistently invite, inspire, and sometimes implore others to greatness.

7. Support a teammate today. Odds are, at least one of your teammates is struggling with something today – it could be a performance slump, a rocky romantic relationship, a disagreement with a coach, an unglamorous role, struggling with a class, or a sick family member. Good leaders are consistently on the lookout for teammates who might be struggling and are ready to offer an ear to listen, an encouraging word, a pat on the back, or a shoulder to cry on.

8. Constructively confront negativity, pessimism, and laziness today. As a leader, have the courage to constructively confront the negativity, pessimism, and laziness that will crop up on your team from time to time. Instead of fueling the fire by joining in or silently standing by, be sure to refocus your teammates on solutions rather than dwelling on and complaining about the problems. Left unchecked, these problems can quickly grow to distract, divide, and destroy your team.

9. Build and bond your team today. Team chemistry naturally ebbs and flows throughout the course of the season. Take the time to monitor and maintain your team’s chemistry. Let your reserves and support staff know how much you appreciate them. Stay connected and current with each of the natural sub-groups on your team. Douse any brush fires that might be occurring and continually remind team members about your common goal and common bond.

10. Check in with your coach today. Invest the time to check in with your coach today. Ask what you can do to best help the team this week. Find out what your coach wants to accomplish with today’s practice. Also discuss if there is anything your coach is concerned about regarding your team. Discuss your collective insights on your team’s chemistry, focus, and mindset. Work together to effectively co-lead your team.

11. Remind your team how today’s work leads to tomorrow’s dreams. It’s easy to get bogged down during your season with monotonous drills, tiring conditioning, and demanding workouts. Remind your teammates how all the quality work you do today gives you a distinct advantage over your opponents. Help them see and even get excited about how today’s hard work is a long-term investment in your team’s goals, rather than just a short-term hardship or sacrifice.

12. Represent yourself and team with class and pride today. Leaders have the awesome privilege and responsibility of representing their teams. Take advantage of this opportunity by representing your team with class and pride today. Hold a door open for someone, sit in the front rows of class and actively engage in the discussion, say please and thank you, dress in respectful attire, etc. These tiny pushes represent you and your team with class and distinction. And they ultimately set you up for a lifetime of respect and success.

Great leaders willingly invest the time and effort to engage in these 12 leadership actions on a daily basis. In applying these principles, leaders build strong relationships, keep their team on track, and enhance their credibility.

Encourage your emerging leaders to take advantage of at least 7-9 of these actions on daily basis. Your veteran leaders should be looking to capitalize on 10 to all 12 of these opportunities.

And as a coach, I encourage you to go back and look at all 12 again as well. The 12 leadership behaviors are things that you could and should be doing on a daily basis too. Be sure that you too take advantage of these 12 tiny pushes of leadership that will ultimately make a huge impact on your team.

This article was written by Jeff Janssen, founder and president of the Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Jeff directs cutting-edge Leadership Academies for high school and college coaches and all across the nation including North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Yale, Baylor, Wake Forest, and Winston-Salem State.

His site has several other useful articles for coaches and team leaders. Here is the link: Coaches Championship Network