November/December 2022 - 12

COACHING FOR SIGNIFICANCE
SEVEN ESSENTIALS
OF GREAT TEAMS
I
By Bruce Brown & Rob Miller, Founders of Proactive Coaching
f you have ever experienced the miracle of a great
team as either a player or a coach, it is something
that you will always remember. Making a team a
great team involves choices that are in the control of
the participants. Building that team involves believing,
becoming, and belonging. It is bringing together a group
of people with diverse skills, beliefs, and destinies in a
way that they wholeheartedly give themselves to the team
so that both the individual and the group may reach their
full potential. Few experiences can be as powerful in the
growth of a young athlete as being part of a selfless team
working toward a common goal.
Many coaches look at team spirit as an intangible thing
that some teams have and others do not. It's the leaders'
job to teach, promote and build this attitude, and not
leave it to chance. The coach must use every bit of his
creative energy to developing team spirit within his or her
players. He or she must find opportunities to encourage
teamwork and unselfishness every day. Though many lifelong
relationships are fostered through athletics, some
of the greatest memories an individual ever experiences
are those discovered when he or she is a member of a
" special " team. By correctly applying all the essentials
for team building, a coach can enhance the team's worth
many times over the total sum of its parts.
" Regardless of personal accomplishments, the only
true satisfaction a player receives is the satisfaction that
only comes from being part of a successful team. " -
Vince Lombardi
The satisfaction of building teams and changing the
lives of individual players in the process may be the
most gratifying experience coaching can offer. As their
leader, you have demanded commitments and a level of
excellence from them that have allowed them to achieve
things that they may have thought impossible. Getting a
group of people to blend together and achieve greatness
is an experience unique to only a few professions.
Coaching is often the model for other professions as they
try to bring a " team " of people toward a common goal.
Look how many of the terms we use as coaches are now
popular in the business world. This is more commonplace
as businesses attempt to create a productive and cohesive
atmosphere in the workplace.
12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
1. Leadership
2. Guiding principles
3. Pride
4. Communication
5. Motivation
6. Persistence
7. Positive Attitude
The building of a team becomes an exercise of passion
for coaches who love their job. Coaching a great team is
the next best thing to being an athlete in that situation.
The steps involved in building a team are consistent
and predictable. These steps are parallel whether it
is building a team in sport, business, or in life. The
professional histories of most coaches stem from the
teams they have been associated with.
In answering a question, why a person would want to
be a coach, Colonel Red Blaik of West Point said, " Once
in a while you are lucky enough to have the thrill and
satisfaction of working with a group of young men who
are willing to make every sacrifice to reach a goal and
then experienced the achieving of it with them. In this,
believe me, there is a payment that cannot be matched in
any pursuit.
This article is an excerpt from our booklet, " Great
Teams, The Seven Essentials. " n
The booklet, " Great Teams, The Seven Essentials " is
available on our website. For support materials, go to our
website - www.proactivecoaching.info. For additional
application ideas call 360.502.0424 or email bruce@
proactivecoaching.info.
Content provided by the National High School Athletic
Coaches Association. For more information visit:
nhsaca.org
http://www.proactivecoaching.info http://www.nhsaca.org
November/December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2022
