Player leadership is crucial to creating a winning team culture. You long to have a few players on the team with the courage to step up and lead on the court or field and in the locker room. But there's another role that is equally important to team cohesion and creating a solid team culture. In the video below, Derek Sivers calls this person the "first follower." Check out the fascinating video about how to start a movement in under 3 minutes, then look over the key points and finally, … [Read more...]
About Stephanie Zonars
What Coach Don Meyer Taught Me
Coach Don Meyer's presence made you want to sit up a little straighter. As a counselor at his Lipscomb basketball camp (the largest basketball camps in the nation at that time), I remember one day in particular. We had just eaten lunch in the cafeteria and he took a few moments to address the whole camp. Exclusive Download! Click Here to get 40 of Coach Don Meyer's most inspirational quotes. With his own unique style of interspersing nuggets of wisdom between recording reminders to … [Read more...]
The Quickest Way to Transform Team Culture
Most leaders talk to their teams about positivity and the importance of bringing positive attitudes and energy each day. But many do it with a scowl on their face. You’re probably aware that communication is only 7% the words you speak while a whopping 55% is body language. That’s why it doesn’t work to scowl and encourage people to be positive at the same time. Your face isn’t communicating positivity. It’s sending the opposite message—that you're angry, frustrated or annoyed! Most … [Read more...]
One Mistake That Could Cost You Your Job
“If she doesn’t get outside help, she won’t last." That was my friend’s closing thought about working with her head coach. She’s in a support role for a division I team and was lamenting the challenges of working with a coach who is unaware how her attitudes and behaviors impact the team and even athletic department. The truth is, we all need help. When I first started my business back in 2009 I hired a business coach to help me. It was one of my smartest moves. I remember one time … [Read more...]
Wisdom for the BusyCoach
The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. —Henri-Frederic Amiel You face hundreds of decisions daily, BusyCoach. Venti or grande? Recruit A or recruit B? Practice more or rest? Though you may long for clarity before you pull the trigger, oftentimes you only have enough light on your path to see a step or two. For the hesitant, this results in “ready-aim-aim-aim-aim” outcome. It’s likely that you’ll never get all the information you want … [Read more...]
Don’t Sink the Ship
You’ve heard about the Titanic, the ship that “not even God could sink.” Maybe God couldn’t sink it, but an iceberg sure did. The ship’s operator had received multiple warnings to “look out for icebergs,” and after the 6th warning he even shot back, “Shut up! I’m busy!” Perhaps he thought they didn’t look big enough to damage his huge ship, yet he forgot one important fact: 90% of an iceberg lies below the surface. What a powerful metaphor for leadership. Dr. Tim Elmore, author of Habitudes, … [Read more...]
You Blew It. Now What?
A momentary lapse of concentration cost Holland’s speed skating king, Sven Kramer, a gold medal in the 10,000m at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But it wasn’t his concentration that failed him. His coach, Gerard Kemkers—momentarily distracted while recording split times—looked up and incorrectly instructed Kramer to cross into the inside lane. Kramer instinctively followed the directions and though he finished first by four seconds, the blunder disqualified him, costing him not only the gold … [Read more...]
Choosing Joy
In separate conversations with four different coaches recently, a common theme surfaced—they wanted to show more joy and enthusiasm during the season. Even when they experience these emotions, they struggle to express them outwardly to others—especially to their teams. While competitiveness and intensity are the hallmarks of great coaches, those strengths turn into liabilities when taken to an extreme. These four coaches strongly desired to live more joyfully—even, and most importantly, … [Read more...]
Lombardi’s Recipe for a Winning Team
I’m a perfectionist in the kitchen. I want to know exactly how much of each ingredient to add so the finished product tastes just like my mom’s! Similarly, coaches want to know the recipe to create a winning team. How much practice, weight training and conditioning will it take? What about perseverance, inspirational quotes or team bonding experiences? The amounts may vary, but according to former Green Bay Packer coach, Vince Lombardi, it takes three main ingredients to make a winning … [Read more...]
Coaching Difficult Players
Unguarded, the ESPN documentary about former NBA player Chris Herren and his struggle with addiction, received tons of positive reviews this week. A powerful story of redemption and hope that with help, we can overcome the addictions that seek to destroy us. I'd imagine that a number of Chris' coaches along his tumultuous journey didn't know what to do with him. Maybe you have players like that on your team. Perhaps they're not addicted to cocaine like Chris was, but act out in ways that … [Read more...]