May/June 2019 - 22

7 secrets of
SUCCESSFUL COACHES
By Jeff Janssen, contributing writer
Over the past 25 years, my team and I have had the
amazing opportunity to work with and learn from
hundreds of championship coaches - Anson Dorrance,
Mike Krzyzewski, Pat Summitt, Bill Walsh, Muffet
McGraw and Roy Williams to name a few. While
they each possess different personalities, training
philosophies, and offensive and defensive strategies,
they all share seven similar qualities that are the
hallmarks of their high-level success and immense
credibility with their athletes, staff, administrators and
supporters.
We call these special leadership qualities the " seven
secrets of successful coaches. " These skills and attributes
are exactly why their athletes view these championship
coaches as credible and, as such, respect them, trust them,
and would willingly run through a wall for them. If you
aspire to become a better leader and take your program
to a championship level, examine the seven secrets to
enhancing your leadership credibility and rate yourself
on each one.
1
Character based. Credible coaches continually
seek to do the right thing. They are honorable people
with high ethical standards and great integrity. They tell
the truth to their athletes and never manipulate or play
mind games with them. They conduct themselves in a
professional manner and take pride in representing their
teams and schools with class. Credible coaches look
to surround themselves with people of solid character
because they know that character is just as important as
talent in the long run.
2
Competent. Credible coaches have a thorough
understanding of the strategies and fundamentals
of the game. They know how to make the appropriate
adjustments and are seldom outcoached. Despite their
solid understanding of the Xs and Os, they are highly
inquisitive people who continually look for innovative and
improved ways of doing things. They are lifelong students
of the game. Further, they understand that admitting their
limitations and mistakes is actually a sign of strength, not
weakness. Even though they are highly capable and often
revered people, credible coaches tend to remain humble
and keep their success in perspective.
3
Committed. Credible coaches are highly committed
people. They create successful visions for their teams
and are more than willing to put in the time required to
make them happen. They have a true passion for sport and
coaching, which fuels their intense drive and enthusiasm.
They also have incredible reserves of energy and resiliency,
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enabling them to weather the inevitable storms of adversity.
Credible coaches tend to be highly competitive people who
enjoy competing and winning at the highest levels.
4
5
Caring. Credible coaches care about their athletes
as people. They sincerely want the best for their
athletes in all aspects of their lives and are willing to help
them in any way possible. Credible coaches invest the
time to get to know each of their athletes on a personal
level, showing an interest in their athletes' families,
friends, faith and future goals. This caring does not
end when a player's eligibility or career is over; it often
extends throughout a player's lifetime.
Confidence builder. Credible coaches continually
build their players' confidence. They plant seeds
of success in their athletes' minds and convince them
May/June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2019
