As each season starts, one of the biggest challenges for coaches is trying to develop trust between their coaches and players. Being able to trust coaches and players is one of the most important factors that could have an impact on whether your season can be a successful one. You can have all the talent in the world, but if your players don't trust you, your staff or each other, then they are going to have a very difficult time performing and committing to philosophies, strategies and building relationships. Here is a great article from PositiveSports.net ,written by Steve Horan.
When trust abounds, teams play harder, smarter, quicker, tougher, and more together. That's how they win.
Athletes perform better in a culture of trust. When they trust themselves they are more confident. When they trust their teammates they are more collaborative. When they trust their coach they are more committed. When their coach trusts them they are more courageous.
Trust is not something to be taken for granted. It is a highly valuable asset which must be built up over time, but can be lost in a day. One of the most important jobs of a coach is to create a team culture in which trust can live and grow. Here are ten ways a coach can create a culture of trust on a team.
1. Think trust
Before we take a significant action, we can help ourselves by stopping to ask: 'How will what I am about to do affect trust for the team as a whole and this athlete in particular?' Asking this question keeps us from making rash decisions which can erode team trust.
2. Include everyone
Teams are more trusting when everyone feels included. No good coach wants to exclude any athlete from a feeling of belonging to the team. But we all are susceptible to focusing our energy on the athletes who play the most during the course of the season. We can build trust by making a conscious effort to include every athlete in our circle of attention, from the captains and stars to the last athlete off the bench.
3. Show you care
As the old saying goes, 'they don't care what you know until they know that you care.' If you have ever spent any time counseling athletes, you know that caring matters - a LOT. Showing that you care does not mean being a buddy to your athletes. It simply means getting to know your athletes and making it clear that you believe in them and want them to do well. A simple show of caring can dramatically elevate your trust account with an athlete.
4. Be clear and consistent
A wise sports parent once advised me that, 'If you don't give them a reason, they will make one up - and the one they make up will probably be wrong.' This taught me the importance of being clear and consistent. We need to be clear and consistent about our vision, values, and expectations for each athlete. We need to be equally clear and consistent about the reasons for our significant decisions affecting the team or individual athletes. The more our athletes understand our reasoning, the more they will trust our decisions. Note that explaining does not mean justifying. It is important that our athletes understand our decisions. They do not necessarily have to agree with our decisions.
5. Be firm and fair
A fifth way to create a culture of trust is to be firm and fair with all of our athletes. Our athletes watch closely when we make decisions about roles, positions, playing time, and discipline. When they perceive us behaving inconsistently or delivering preferential treatment, our trust account drops. When they see us being firm and fair, they accept our decisions more readily because they trust our motivations.
6. Define roles
Teams become restless and lose trust whenever there is a group of athletes with no clearly defined role on the team. It is a fact of life that not everyone can start and play the whole game. But this does not mean bench players cannot be given highly valuable roles on the team. When we take the time to define roles for all of our athletes, we send a strong message of respect and caring. The result is an increase in trust.
7. Seek understanding
Every athlete struggles at some point. Sometimes the athlete is simply underperforming. Other times the athlete is grappling with a real problem which is affecting their performance. It is hard to know if we don't talk to them about the situation. If we discipline an athlete or withdraw our confidence from an athlete before fully understanding their perspective, we may lose an opportunity to help that athlete grow as a person and a player. On the other hand, we can build tremendous trust with our athletes by taking time to understand their point of view when they are struggling.
8. Show loyalty
Athletes notice loyalty. In particular, they watch how we treat our veteran athletes (e.g. seniors), hard working role players, and injured players. If our athletes perceive that we are disrespecting or neglecting players in these three categories, they will begin to wonder whether their own investment of hard work will pay off. When this happens, our trust account drops. If our athletes see us supporting and respecting these same players, their trust (and commitment) will escalate.
9. Support leaders
Another way to create a culture of trust is to support team leaders, particularly team captains. Some coaches are quite good at delegating responsibility to their captains and then supporting those athletes as they execute their job. But it is not uncommon for coaches to punish captains for stepping up and asserting some leadership. The unfortunate message to the team is, 'Uh oh, leaders get shot down around here.' Captains need not be given an excess of special treatment. But they should be treated respectfully in front of the team. This will build your athletes' trust in you and the captains.
10. Reward effort
Coaches are sometimes susceptible to looking the other way when star athletes do not give 100 percent effort. We may be equally susceptible to not noticing when non-stars give 110 percent. Noticing effort, and rewarding that effort with playing time, sends a powerful message to the entire team. That message is, 'Effort really does matter here. If I work hard, I will be rewarded.' As a result, your athletes learn that they can trust you when you say that effort matters.
Trust is not something to be taken for granted. It is a highly valuable asset which must be built up over time, but can be lost in a day. One of the most important jobs of a coach is to create a team culture in which trust can live and grow. Here are ten ways a coach can create a culture of trust on a team.
1. Think trust
Before we take a significant action, we can help ourselves by stopping to ask: 'How will what I am about to do affect trust for the team as a whole and this athlete in particular?' Asking this question keeps us from making rash decisions which can erode team trust.
2. Include everyone
Teams are more trusting when everyone feels included. No good coach wants to exclude any athlete from a feeling of belonging to the team. But we all are susceptible to focusing our energy on the athletes who play the most during the course of the season. We can build trust by making a conscious effort to include every athlete in our circle of attention, from the captains and stars to the last athlete off the bench.
3. Show you care
As the old saying goes, 'they don't care what you know until they know that you care.' If you have ever spent any time counseling athletes, you know that caring matters - a LOT. Showing that you care does not mean being a buddy to your athletes. It simply means getting to know your athletes and making it clear that you believe in them and want them to do well. A simple show of caring can dramatically elevate your trust account with an athlete.
4. Be clear and consistent
A wise sports parent once advised me that, 'If you don't give them a reason, they will make one up - and the one they make up will probably be wrong.' This taught me the importance of being clear and consistent. We need to be clear and consistent about our vision, values, and expectations for each athlete. We need to be equally clear and consistent about the reasons for our significant decisions affecting the team or individual athletes. The more our athletes understand our reasoning, the more they will trust our decisions. Note that explaining does not mean justifying. It is important that our athletes understand our decisions. They do not necessarily have to agree with our decisions.
5. Be firm and fair
A fifth way to create a culture of trust is to be firm and fair with all of our athletes. Our athletes watch closely when we make decisions about roles, positions, playing time, and discipline. When they perceive us behaving inconsistently or delivering preferential treatment, our trust account drops. When they see us being firm and fair, they accept our decisions more readily because they trust our motivations.
6. Define roles
Teams become restless and lose trust whenever there is a group of athletes with no clearly defined role on the team. It is a fact of life that not everyone can start and play the whole game. But this does not mean bench players cannot be given highly valuable roles on the team. When we take the time to define roles for all of our athletes, we send a strong message of respect and caring. The result is an increase in trust.
7. Seek understanding
Every athlete struggles at some point. Sometimes the athlete is simply underperforming. Other times the athlete is grappling with a real problem which is affecting their performance. It is hard to know if we don't talk to them about the situation. If we discipline an athlete or withdraw our confidence from an athlete before fully understanding their perspective, we may lose an opportunity to help that athlete grow as a person and a player. On the other hand, we can build tremendous trust with our athletes by taking time to understand their point of view when they are struggling.
8. Show loyalty
Athletes notice loyalty. In particular, they watch how we treat our veteran athletes (e.g. seniors), hard working role players, and injured players. If our athletes perceive that we are disrespecting or neglecting players in these three categories, they will begin to wonder whether their own investment of hard work will pay off. When this happens, our trust account drops. If our athletes see us supporting and respecting these same players, their trust (and commitment) will escalate.
9. Support leaders
Another way to create a culture of trust is to support team leaders, particularly team captains. Some coaches are quite good at delegating responsibility to their captains and then supporting those athletes as they execute their job. But it is not uncommon for coaches to punish captains for stepping up and asserting some leadership. The unfortunate message to the team is, 'Uh oh, leaders get shot down around here.' Captains need not be given an excess of special treatment. But they should be treated respectfully in front of the team. This will build your athletes' trust in you and the captains.
10. Reward effort
Coaches are sometimes susceptible to looking the other way when star athletes do not give 100 percent effort. We may be equally susceptible to not noticing when non-stars give 110 percent. Noticing effort, and rewarding that effort with playing time, sends a powerful message to the entire team. That message is, 'Effort really does matter here. If I work hard, I will be rewarded.' As a result, your athletes learn that they can trust you when you say that effort matters.
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