The Make up of a Winning Team
Athletes spend countless hours in the weight room, meetings and on the practice field preparing for game day. Coaches preach TEAM to their players during these hours of preparation and use the success of the group as the driving force behind the individuals on the team. It is widely known that all things being equal the group of individuals that believe and live the TEAM concept will come out victorious in the end. When this make up is present individuals and teams have success. Below are a few essential aspects are in the " make up" of winning teams.
TEAM - Together Everyone Accomplishes More
Goals - a winning team has clear goals that are set by the coaches and players on the team. These goals are the driving force behind everything that they do and are kept visible for the players to work towards on a daily basis. These goals are often in the form of Conference Championships, undefeated seasons or making it to a bowl game. Teams with meaningful goals will work harder, persist longer and endure more to reach their goals.
Talent - it has been said that you can win with bad coaching but you can't win without talent. Just having this talent on board is not enough to have a winning team. Talented players must buy into the team concept and goals that are set for the team. Talent must be developed and shaped into a focused, integrated unit for the team to take advantage of the individual talent and become a high performing team.
Leadership- Everything rises and falls on leadership. Leadership on teams comes in a few different forms. You have the coaches who pass on the vision, goals, and standards and hold the athletes accountable. As well as the athletes that have grown into a leadership role on the team, often these players are older players who have paid their dues and earned the respect of the team. These coaches and players provide clear direction and examples of what it takes to become a winner in their everyday practices. A winning team has players and coaches who model team first leadership and who are able to enroll the rest of the team for their cause.
Commitment - Winning teams pay the price to become the best. These teams believe in their goals and their leadership and will do whatever it takes to achieve the teams' goals. This commitment starts with the leadership and flows down to the rest of the team. Often resulting in a team that takes a "failure is not an option" attitude to its daily routines throughout the year. With out this commitment individuals will not be able to sacrifice their egos and personal agendas to for the good of the team. Commitment to is essential in winning teams
Confidence - Winning teams believe they can. They expect to win. There are two things that build confidence in these teams: success and preparation. Nothing builds confidence in teams like performing well; this performance starts in the athletes preparations for the season. Performing well in the weight room, practices and scrimmages all lead to the team being confident come game day. It takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to get spectacular results. This preparation leads to a team that plays with confidence trust in them selves and trust in each other. Leading to a winning team on the field.
