HAVE A PRE-SEASON MEETING WITH YOURSELF

With the arrival of August, coaches all over the country are starting to gear up for the start of school, and the start of their season.  Before you know it, student-athletes will be back and you will be in the middle of pre-season workouts.  Before you hit the court, one of the pre-requisites is the team meeting that occurs usually on the first day of classes.  Much time and energy is put into exactly what message to convey to set the tone for the entire season.  And while there is no doubt that is important, before you come up with a list of things you want your team accountable for, it is important to sit down and have a meeting with yourself before the craziness of the season takes over.

THINGS TO FOCUS ON IN YOUR "PERSONAL" MEETING

• FIND YOURSELF - Easily the most important, yet probably the most difficult.  Who you are and what your values are play a critical role in understanding your team.  We talked a lot about "Knowing who you are" in my previous post.  When you have a good understanding of that, you have a better ability to convey your message to your team.  As anyone knows, it is so much easier to sell your "vision" or "product" when it is something you passionately believe in yourself.  And players, kids, consumers, everybody can see right through you unless you really believe in what you are saying. 

• DISCOVER YOUR AND YOUR TEAM'S UNIQUE GIFTS AND TALENTS AND DEVELOP THEM - Everyone is good at something, and everyone has something specific to them that I consider exceptional.  So your job as a coach is to find a way to organize and arrange your team, staff and support staff to help accentuate everyone's unique gifts and talents.  Imagine an organization where everyone feels they are important and everyone has something special and unique that enhances the team.  

• GIVE YOUR GIFT AWAY - Seems simple enough, but far too often this step never happens.  And it needs to happen at all levels in your organization.  Your team manager has a gift that needs to be shared with others.  Same as your walk-on, your role player, your starter, your All-Conference player, your All-American, your support staff, your coaching staff, and lastly and most importantly YOU!  It is up to you to facilitate that in your organization.  Somehow you must find a way to incorporate that mentality in every person associated with your organization.  There is no "right way" to do that.  Each will definitely be unique to each program, each situation, each year.   

Challenge yourself to follow these principles this fall as you prepare for your first meeting.  Hopefully you will see dramatic results throughout your whole program, and you will learn something about yourself in the process.

ENJOY YOUR SHOT!!