Coaches are leaders, right?

In a perfect world this would always be the case. But in reality, just as a coach develops his players, a coach needs to cultivate and develop leadership within the locker room.

Whether you are a head coach, in charge of your youth league, or an assistant at any level, you have an opportunity to be a positive influence within your community. Great leadership is far bigger than just wins and losses, it is about the kind of people you turn out and the relationships you build. The byproducts of great leadership and hard work are a successful program.

The best leaders realize they need others because they cannot do everything alone. That is why truly great leaders will cultivate leadership throughout their program.

If you examine your players and staff, how many guys in your program are perceived as leaders?

There are many ways you can help those within your program to become better leaders, which is just as important as teaching your quarterback the proper footwork mechanics. Developing a foundation of leadership within the locker room can change the culture of a program. Whether high school or youth, coaches have an opportunity to impart life lessons that transcend the time you spend with these players. This is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

Of course, some people are born with innate leadership qualities, but like any skill, you can develop and hone leadership abilities.

Here are some suggestions to integrate more leadership within your locker room:

Build Relationships

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” His contention still rings true. Players are always more willing to push harder when they feel valued and part of something great. They will not want to let you or the team down, which creates a tighter cohesion and sense of family throughout your team.

Earn Respect

Work hard to put yourself, and your program, in a position to do great things. This begins by creating an environment that people want to be part of, which demands a level of respect for the coach. In order to earn this respect, coaches must be intimately familiar with the content they convey to players, inside and out. If you are fully prepared and know your material, then players will feel more comfortable and trust that you are preparing them in the correct manner.

Whatever side of the ball you are on, make sure you become an expert in that area. Don’t dismiss your responsibility as a coach. In other words, you should never think, “I am just a fifth-grade coach." The level you are coaching doesn’t matter because you have the opportunity to influence children on their journey to becoming young men. Thus, if you are going to coach, then coach. Don’t cheat your players or yourself out of the opportunity to change a child's life for the better. Watch film, do research, and go to clinics. Do anything to give yourself the edge that will endear you to your players. 

Empower Your Staff

Even Bill Belichick, who may be considered the best coach in the modern era, doesn’t coach by himself. Accordingly, it is important that you distribute responsibility among your staff, which fosters collective leadership within the locker room. As you cultivate more leaders, you will in turn reach more people with your message.

As an example, our football program takes pride in the fact that we have a unified voice that conveys an identical message to our flag program in 2nd grade all the way up to our varsity tackle program.

We created this unified messaging to develop leaders at all levels of our program.

Define Roles

It is imperative that you clearly define your staff’s roles and what is expected of them, both individually and collectively. The defined roles will allow staff members to accomplish what is expected of them, because they know exactly what is expected of them. That may sound simple, but staff roles are often not clearly defined. As a result, many coaches and their staff end up spinning their wheels.

Ultimately, every staff needs a leader that provides the group with a specific set of goals and direction. For example, provide a first-time coach at the fourth-grade level with the job of coaching running backs and linebackers. This coach now knows that he can focus on these two specific positions and acquire the knowledge necessary to gain the trust of players. By clearly defining this coach’s role on your staff, you have also employed the first three steps to building more locker room leadership.

Assessment

At the beginning and the end of each season, do an in-depth assessment of your staff’s individual performances, including your own. Identify each individual’s strengths and weaknesses so you can capitalize on individual strengths by putting people in a position to succeed. Individual weaknesses are crucial to identify so you can assist your staff members to improve in these areas.

The effort you put in will directly correlate to the respect earned. As your assistants evolve into great coaches and leaders, you will earn even more respect from those within the program.

It is almost the holiday season and there is no greater gift that you can give your program, than the gift of leadership. 

 

Terry Donovan is a Master Trainer for USA Football’s Heads Up Football program. He is the offensive line coach for Kasson-Mantorville High School in Kasson MN. He is also a Youth coach and Director of Youth Development in the Kasson-Mantorville Youth Football Association.