Establish Team Standards, Rewards, and Consequences

Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners. -Bill Walsh

Over the past few weeks, we’ve outlined the first four of our ten steps to Crafting Your Team Culture. To recap, these steps include:

1. Compose Your Coaching Philosophy
2. Build Your Team Vision
3. Describe the Ideal Athlete
4. Draft Your R4 (Roles + Responsibilities + Routines = Rhythm)

Today, we wrap up the DEFINE stage, during which leaders outline the elements of their ideal team by addressing the need for clear team standards.

In an earlier blog post, we outlined why standards matter. They are the everyday expectations of members of the team. When you fail to establish clear standards, you fail to establish trust; when you hold athletes to different standards, you erode trust; and when you compromise on a standard, you build mistrust. Clearly defined and consistently enforced standards engender shared sacrifice for a greater purpose that builds trust and pride within the team. This is why standards matter.

Equally important to confirming specific standards is outlining associated rewards for attaining them or consequences for failing to uphold them. Remember, the moment you walk by an unenforced standard, you just set a new one.

When establishing standards, take time to answer the following questions for each standard:

1. WHAT. What is the standard, as well as the corresponding reward or associated consequence? Recognize standards may be either character or performance-based. For example, “We attend all classes and tutors unless excused beforehand” is a character standard. Alternatively, “All players will pass a required fitness test before being allowed to practice” is a performance standard. Clear, established consequences are essential for a busy coach. Options include punishment workouts, early morning showtimes, suspensions, or even dismissals. Pre-identified rewards and consequences reduce decision fatigue and allow staff members to execute in the leader’s absence. Clearly, there will be always unusual situations that warrant an unscripted response, but these should be the exception rather than the norm.
2. WHY. Why do we have the standard? Don’t underestimate the power of why. Understanding precedes commitment. If you take the time to explain why we have a standard, you will witness greater buy-in and team accountability.
3. WHO. Who is responsible for tracking, monitoring, and administering associated rewards/consequences? This person will be dependent upon staff dynamics and assigned roles/responsibilities. It could be the Director of Operations, the Strength Coach, or perhaps the position coach. The key is “pinning the rose” on the appropriate person within your program.
4. WHERE. Where is the standard being maintained? It should be visible and easily accessible by all involved persons. Options range from a locker room video board to a weight room magnet board to a spreadsheet on the shared drive. The intent is accurate, up-to-date information.
5. WHEN. When are we regularly reviewing results as a staff and team? Intentional collective review helps identify behavioral trends and player performance gaps, while cultivating shared understanding across the staff. This can be achieved during staff meetings, at the end of a practice, during workouts, or other. Build the review into your regular routines.
6. HOW. How is it being addressed and communicated to team members? This step involves clearly communicating standards violations and the corresponding consequence. Communication could be face-to-face, email, text, or other. For example, we work with one team that sends a nightly “GroupMe” message to the team and staff. At the top of the message is a list of any player(s) who has violated a standard along with the associated consequence. It is a simple system that works…and works well.

Standards must be more than rules on a piece of paper passed out at the first team meeting of the year. Without an underlying system, there is no enforcement. Without enforcement, there is no trust. Without trust, there is no team.

Ultimately, an effective leader instills discipline and builds team morale by training to established standards, consistently using rewards and consequences, building trust among teammates, and ensuring they are equipped to succeed.

Like water, many decent individuals will seek lower ground if left to their own inclinations. Use your standards to keep the bar high, as well as the collective behavior of your teams.