i was recently asked what i would do to teach the “how to” of creating a “team mentality”
HERE FOLLOWS A SERIES OF PRINCIPLES I WOULD EXPAND UPON
_______________
REVISE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1) honor god
2) respect authority
3) watch your language
4) take time to rest and refresh
5) honor your parents
6) be kind (be considerate) to one another
7) respect one anothers relationships
8) respect one anothers possessions
9) be honest
10) be content with what you have
____________
FOR THERE TO BE PROPER ORDER AND AUTHORITY IN YOUR PROGRAM TO ALLOW FOR GODS POWER TO MOVE IN FULLNESS, THE FOLLOWING ISSUES MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BY ALL
Belief vs Unbelief
Submission vs Unsubmission
Unity vs Disunity
Selflessness vs Selfishness
Humility vs Pride and Rebellion
_______
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
The “We vs I”
The Expectations
The Responsibilities
The Disciplines
The Benefits
______________
THE FIVE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES IN BUILDING A PROGRAM
1) team over individual
2) long term over short term
3) inside person over the outside person (invisible over visible)
4) the weak over the strong (young over the old; protect the weak/young)
5) inter-dependence over independence
___________
THE TRUTHS OF BIBLICAL FOOTBALL
1) LOVE IS THE CORNERSTONE – love god. love each other
2) POWER IS MANIFESTED WHEN INDIVIDUALS DIE TO THEMSELVES FOR TEAMS’S SAKE
* unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit
3) THE TEAM OVER THE INDIVIDUAL – “when you choose to become part of a
team, you cease to exist as an individual” (john wooden)
4) HUMILITY IS THE MARK OF GREATNESS
a) be teachable
b) anyone who thinks he is something when he is nothing is deceived
5) SERVANT LEADERSHIP
a) jesus came to serve, not to be served
b) prioritize developing Servant Warriors
c) Leaders lead the way by going first, and going further (max sacrifice)
6) THE POWER OF THE “PUT-UP” GAME
a) put-ups keep teams positive and hopeful
b) put-ups free us from the negative power of momentum shifts
c) put-ups make teams momentum proof and circumstance proof
7) COMPLETE SUBMISSION TO COACHING AUTHORITY
players obey coaches
a) with immediacy
b) with great effort
c) with smiles on their faces
_______________
FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS
1) breakaway – intimacy built by vulnerability, sharing and caring
2) post-game locker rooms (afterglow) – used to create intimacy. once again, sharing and caring
3) cross polinating at every opportunity (race, age, position, culture, geography, length in school, starter/back-up, scout team etc)
4) create a culture of BLESSING (god blesses us to be a blessing to others – words and actions)
5) communicate at every junction shared vision for future (husbands/fathers/friends/workers and eternity)
6) create as many opportunities in season off the field and out of season as possible (non-football and non sport)
_________
CREATE THIS CLIMATE (I Corinthians 12)
The body is made up of many parts, yet is one body
The weaker parts are indispensable
The less honorable parts deserve special honor
When one part suffers, all suffer
When one part is honored, all are honored
_________
TEAM CHEMISTRY
Power is manifested when individuals die to their goals/dreams for the sake of the team’s goals/dreams
John Wooden “When you choose to become part of a team, you cease to exist as an individual”
The power of “Team” is a long list of individual personalities and characters coming together to give up their individual rights and lay down their lives for a common goal that is bigger than themselves
Chemistry occurs when teams emphasize their similarities and de emphasize their differences
A team very much needs individual personalities (strength is found in diversity). However, the enemy of “Team” is individualism
The quickest way to destroy the “team feeling” and chemistry is with selfishness
THE LAW OF THE APPLE
Apples rot from the inside out, not from the outside in
It is an invisible destruction
Teams im plode before they ex plode
Team chemistry does not just “happen” anymore than great families just happen. Creating a “family is a choice; a decision of the “Will” by all members (no one has a great family “by accident”. It takes work)
More than talent, more than great players, more than anything else, team chemistry is the glue that brings out the best in the team
Create a climate of “family” by cross- pollinating player relationships by age/race/socio economics etc
_________
RELATIONSHIPS
Lou Holtz “Where there is caring and sharing, no problem is insurmountable”
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care
If we don’t cherish, nurture and protect “caring relationships”, our teams will not reach their potential
PLAYER TO PLAYER RELATIONSHIPS
Players must do more than simply “respect” each other. They must care about each other “together” more than they care about themselves individually
_________
How do you build team chemistry among your players?
THIS IS THE HEART OF OUR PROGRAM
WE HAVE “TEAM BUILDING” SESSIONS CONTINUALLY; MEETINGS TO TALK ABOUT OUR PHILOSOPHY AND DIRECTION, LEISURE TIMES TOGETHER HANGING OUT, GAME AND ACTIVITIES OF ANY TYPE WE CAN ENVISION TO BUILD COMMUNITY
EXAMPLES – CRAZY GAMES, FRIDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES TO CHEER ON THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM OR SEE A HIGH SCHOOL GAME, SKIT NIGHTS, CONTESTS (SERIOUS AND PLAYFUL)
WE MAKE A LOT OF THINGS FUN AND CRAZY, BUT THEY ALSO LEARN THAT DEEP CHEMISTRY AND TRUST IS DEVELOPED OVER THE LONG HAUL ON THE FIELD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE
WE ENJOY EACH OTHER AND GET-TOGETHER IN LARGE AND SMALL GROUPS AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO GIVE PLAYERS FREQUENT OPPORTUNITIES TO GATHER TOGETHER VOLUNTARILY AND ALSO EMPOWER THE ASSISTANTS TO HAVE THEIR OWN “TEAM PARTIES” BY POSITIONS ETC
WE GATHER TO PRAY FOR AND WITH EACH OTHER. REGARDLESS OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR FRIENDS PRAYERS FOR YOU ARE A POWERFUL ENCOURAGER.
Scotty Kessler Resource Library 