Nate Sanderson is the girls varsity basketball head coach at Springville High School (Springville, Iowa) and has become a respected voice on the topic of leadership and culture. At Springville, he has created a great team culture and believes parents play a huge role in it.

Sanderson, a recent guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, broke down how he sets expectations with his team’s parents at the start of the season.

Before every season, Sander holds a parent meeting and asks them write down responses to these three questions.

What is one one measurable goal you have for your child and the team?

Sanderson requests this from parents to determine if they have unrealistic goals for their child. If the goals don’t seem to align, Sanderson is able to talk to the parent before the season starts.

What if your son/daughter doesn’t accomplish those goals?

Sanderson believes this is one of the most important questions to ask when creating a team culture. This allows parents to reflect on ways to look past winning and losing and find the real life lessons from sports.

What do you want your experience to be like as a sports parent?

This helps develop a sense of community for the parents. They will be spending time together at games, practices, etc., so it’s helpful for parents to know what to expect from each other.

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After the meeting, the parents hand in their responses. Sanderson then reviews the answers and sends an overview of the answers to the parents via email.

This process lays the foundation for a healthy team culture rooted in communication and transparency.

“These meetings begin to build trust with the parents. We are open to feedback and criticism and that builds credibility,” Sanderson said.

Listen to Sanderson’s full interview on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast here.