“Culture.”

It’s almost become a cliché.

It turns out running a program is actually very simple: pic.twitter.com/XV9qKGyRcq

— Jordan Sperber (@hoopvision68) April 22, 2019

While it can make you roll your eyes, there’s a reason it’s talked about incessantly. . . because, if you want to win CONSISTENTLY, you must have a good one! 

But first, what does culture even mean? And, once you know that, how do you build a championship one?

Culture Defined By A 10X Gold Medalist

Don Showalter knows a thing or two about culture. While coaching the USA Junior National Team, he had the blessing of coaching incredible talent. However, there’s a challenge that comes with coaching an entire team of elite players - getting them to buy into the team and their roles.

Given that he won 10 consecutive gold medals, it’s evident that Coach Showalter knew what he was doing when it came to culture.

He defines culture as “how we do things.” While that’s a broad definition, it’s an accurate and empowering one. As the leader of your program, it means you are responsible for creating the culture you want.

Coach Showalter talks about three elements of a great culture:

• Accountability

• Standards-based instead of rules based

• Trust

Of the 3, he believes trust to be the most important. To build trust, you must:

• Be organized

• Be humble

• Be authentic

• Be a great teacher

With culture and its key elements explained, how do you go about creating one?

Where Culture Is Created - & It’s Not What You See On Social Media

If you look at social media, you’ll see pictures of teams doing various team-building activities:

• Ropes courses

• Escape rooms

• Volunteering

These are often cited as things that build culture. And while they're all great things, that’s not where you make or break your culture.

Your culture is created on the court. Why? Because that’s where you spend most of your time together. And that’s where your goals are ultimately reached or left unfulfilled.

It’s not wrong to participate in some of those team-building activities. In fact, they are a great way to connect with your team differently and break up the monotony of a long season.

However, don’t fool yourself into thinking those events create your culture.

Want More Buy-In and Energy? Start with These 7 Culture Moves

1. Practice Energy Captains

   Kevin Furtado designates players as practice CEO’s - chief energy officers. Their job is to make sure practice is upbeat and intense.

   If that standard isn’t being met, Coach Furtado goes to them before addressing the whole team. This is a great way to develop leaders and create that accountability Coach Showalter talks about.

2. Player Led Timeouts

   Matt Lewis encourages his players to call “timeout” during practice. If things are not going well, they are allowed to stop practice and address it as a group.

   This encourages players to identify performance and energy drops and address them proactively. Rather than waiting for the coach to fix it, players are empowered to take action themselves.

3. Pre-Practice Meeting

   Coach Showalter uses pre-practice meetings to set the tone for the day. He gives the players a thought for the day (mind candy) that relates to a cultural trait.

   Holding a brief 2-3 minute meeting allows you to tell players what you expect and help get them focused after a long day of classes.

4. Communication Circle

   The end of practice is also important. Coach Nick LoGalbo uses the communication circle to end practice positively and with a level of vulnerability.

   Players are asked a question. Some are humorous, others go deeper. They then share their responses with teammates near them. This is a quick and effective way to learn more about each other and develop trust.

5. Recognition & Awards

   Everyone likes to be recognized. Kevin Furtado recognizes and awards players at the end of his practices. However, the key is that the recognition is not based on statistics, but rather on effort and culture.

   Those players who embody great culture are shouted out by him and other teammates. This is a fantastic way to ensure your culture is always front and center within your program.

6. Enlist 2 Critical Players

   Coach Ryan Schultz enlists those he believes are the two most important players on his team - his point guard and his best player. As he shared, those two go a long way in determining the quality of your team’s culture.

   When you make them your partners, they are motivated to lead. When your best player and point guard lead, your other players will follow.

7. Post Competition Analysis

   Most coaches finish one drill and move immediately to the next. Not Kevin Furtado. After drills, he allows time for “post competition analysis.” Players get together and discuss what just happened.

   If it were a competitive drill, they would discuss their team’s performance. What enabled their success or caused their struggles?

   This can be done in:30-:60. It is a way to develop problem-solving players who aren’t constantly looking to you for answers.

Your Culture = Your Program. Build It With Care

Is building culture easy? No. Is it worth it? Yes.

Without a strong culture, you won’t sustain winning. You might have a good year every once in a while, but it won’t last.

Furthermore, you won’t enjoy coaching as much. With a strong culture, you’ll find yourself constantly putting out fires. With one, you are freed up to do more of what you love - coaching and positively impacting your players.

So make the investment now and watch it compound over and over again!

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