There are no shortcuts on the road to success.

This is something I preach and teach to my teams.  It is also something I watch for in tryouts. If a player allows himself to take shortcuts in practice or at tryouts he will look to do the same during games and that is a recipe for mediocrity at best.  There can be no place for this on winning teams.

We are Family! Maybe not so much.

We are Family was the Sister Sledge disco hit the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates adopted as their theme song on the way to a World Series title. Since then referring to a team as a family has been the popular thing to do, I'm sure the ideal is The Walton's, or the Cunningham family from Happy Days. If only all families could be like those TV families.  Stark reality tells us it just isn't so.

For example, I have an older brother who abused and perhaps still abuses drugs. He's mean surly and genuinely not a nice person to be around. I love him, but do I want him on my team?  No way!  He's family but he's not getting anywhere near my team.

When we hear the term "family" most of us will think of the fictional families portrayed on television. The warm fuzzy people who love and are loved unconditionally.  The championship teams, the championship cultures I have been a part of are not unconditional.  In fact, the championship teams I have been a part of have been highly conditional cultures.

Every team practices technique, tactics, physical conditioning and to some degree in one fashion or another psychology.  This last term, psychology seems to be a catch-all phrase for many. A big part of it to me is the culture of the team. Culture must be practiced and adhered to just as technical and tactical principles of the game must be practiced and adhered to.

It is important to build a strong team culture and just as important to protect the team culture. Just as we fight battles between good and evil in every aspect of our life on a daily basis, we must fight for and protect our team culture on a daily basis,

Winning is important. Success even more so. We must measure ourselves individually and collectively by our performance. Did we improve today? Am I a better player as I step off the pitch than when I stepped onto the pitch a couple of hours ago?  Did we improve as a team?

Accountability.

Accountability to the process must be a primary focus.  The great players hold themselves accountable to improving on a daily basis. They continuously hone their skill sets - technical, tactical, physical and psychological.  The members of special teams hold one another accountable.

Blame is unacceptable. Instead the great players and great teams look for the origin of the "problem" and then put their problem solving skills to work to make that problem go away.

There is no complaining. Instead ways to improve the situation are actively sought, researched and implemented.

There is no procrastination. There exists an urgency to get things done and get it done correctly as soon as possible

A spirit of determination exists that enables individuals and the team to give more than they are asked to give to the cause.

In conditional cultures the individuals seek as much responsibility as they can handle.  Eleven Captains on the field each leading in his own way. And yet they are smart enough and confident enough to share the load with teammates.

Continuous Improvement is a way of life. In the conditional culture there is a constant striving to improve both the individual and the team.

Trust is the glue of conditional cultures. It is the most essential ingredient in effective communication. Trust is the foundational principle that holds all relationships together. Relationships are what define culture and bind individuals together therefore honesty is the cornerstone relationships are built on.

In someways, and most regretfully so, a strong team culture can transcend a family culture. The truly great teams have this type of culture.  ... so too does a truly great family.

Never say never.

It is no secret that after having coached the Lima Central Catholic girls team I proclaimed I would never coach girls again,  Time passed has allowed me to gain better perspective and realize that one bad experience with a challenging group of players (and parents) should not be an indicator that all experiences coaching girls would be the same  These last two weeks of camp have been extraordinary and both involved coaching girls teams. 

Last week I worked with the Coldwater girls team whom I found to be sincerely polite, eager to learn and hard working. They were attentive and readily tried and bought into the ideas we presented. The improvement they made over 5 days of camp was noticeable to myself, the coaches and players alike. It is a good thing to see confidence blossom and grow throughout camp and manifest itself in their play during the Elida pre-season tournament this past weekend

This week I have been at Liberty Center. This is my third year in a row working with the Lady Tigers and the improvement has been startling over that time frame, but especially so this week.  The improvement is evident in technical and tactical ability, physical fitness and soccer IQ.  The girls have been a delight to work with and the team chemistry is at its best since I have been associated with the team.  I was granted permission to coach this team in camp as if they were my own team I was preparing for the season.  It has been a blast! I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Good players and better people. Great experience.

So it is that I have once again learned not to deal in absolutes.  The LCC experience, as I have come to refer to it, was not without its rewards or satisfying moments despite the difficulties and stress.  I found it easy to focus on the negatives of that situation allowing these to overshadow all the good that came from the experience.  These last two weeks have "restored my faith" in those that play women's soccer.  Two young and improving programs whose current teams hold the potential for record breaking seasons ... all due to the incredible young women who comprise their rosters. 

Thank you Lady Cavaliers and Lady Tigers!  You have been a blessing to me.  I sincerely hope you have benefitted from our camps and I wish you the very best in your 2015 seasons! 

Team Culture in Soccer

Culture: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.

Philosophy:  a set of ideas about how to do something.

The culture of a particular team will be reflective of it's leadership. A coach's philosophy will go a long ways toward determining the team's culture. Player leadership will also impact a teams culture. Great team culture sees player leadership buy into the coach's philosophy.

Establishing a productive team culture is so important I write about it often.  Most recently I authored the article Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast based on a quote I found on Twitter.  The title says it all. We have all seen teams with great talent lose to "inferior" teams with great culture.

Every team has a culture be it great, good, indifferent or toxic. 

Just think about that for a minute.

A great culture enhances and magnifies a teams technical, tactical, physical and psychological abilities. Perhaps most importantly a great team culture manifests itself as passion to participate with teammates and play the game together as many working towards a common goal.

The foundation of great team culture is Honesty.

A soccer team is a group of people who develop, nurture and grow relationships based around a common interest - soccer. Trust is the foundational principle that holds all relationships together. Trust is dependent on honesty, on truth, to exist. Trust is the glue of life, the most essential ingredient in effective communication. Healthy relationships are all about effective communication.

Belief takes root in the ground prepared by Truth and Trust.  When a team believes, when a team buys in to the coach's philosophy, the potential for success increases exponentially.  The momentum created can be palpable. Confidence can be felt exuding from vibrant athletes who are eager to test themselves against opponents. 

When I scout a team the first thing I try to determine is its culture.

When I observe an opponent warming up, the first thing I try to determine is its culture.

Why?

Whatever problems an opposing player, their team or their teams tactics present can be dealt with and solved to the best of our ability.  The opponents culture?  If it is stronger than ours, we will face a difficult battle because there is virtually nothing we can do to counteract an opposing teams strong culture. We must match or exceed the opponents team culture.  This being the case, it is of utmost importance to establish a strong team culture and intentionally work on strengthening it every day.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

I saw this quote on twitter a couple of days ago and it struck a chord with me. Culture does indeed eat strategy for breakfast provided the team culture is healthy, positive and strong.

Every team has a culture.

It is most unfortunate that many coaches do not recognize the importance or full impact a team's culture has on its performance. The culture of a team defines who the team is and permeates every aspect of the program.  The culture is the standards the team adheres to, its attitude and commitment level. The culture is found in the teams degree of competitiveness and resiliency.  As such the team culture needs to be defined and nurtured on a continuous basis. It is a process.

The process begins by honestly and accurately evaluating where your team culture currently stands. The next step is to set a goal for where you want your culture to be.  Finally, establish a plan that will take you to there. 

Here's a secret, your captains must embody the team culture you seek to establish.  Contrary or negative leadership can destroy team culture before it has a chance to blossom.  It can be better to purge contrary or negative leadership from the roster than attempting to bring such into the fold... unless of course you prefer a corrosive, self destructive culture to be representative of your team.

When I take over a program or a team the first thing I do is stress timeliness and punctuality. The next thing is to make it mandatory to dress appropriately.  All required equipment will be worn. Standards for what is considered appropriate training attire will be established and this always includes having shirts tucked into the waist band of shorts. From here we can begin establishing standards for training and playing the game. It is a daily process that must be nurtured and cared for in order to take root, grow and blossom.  And deviation, any sign of weakness in your steadfast adherence to the goal for the teams culture can set things back to square one.

In short, establishing a winning team culture is built around truth, trust and belief in one another. Winning team cultures see players playing for one another. The team, is greater than any individual. No one is irreplaceable. Resiliency is found in a next man up attitude.  Expectations are for positions on the field and for the individuals in their comportment always.

It's not always the most talented team that wins the match, but it is rarely the team with the best culture that loses a match.

All-In happens when you have people who

buy-in and believe-in.