The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.
-Merriam-Webster
To develop team culture you must first identify the attitudes, values, goals and practices that ring true to you as a leader. It may help to first ask yourself some powerful coaching questions, here is a post that may help.
Let’s start with attitudes, what are the attitude characteristics that you want your team to exhibit? Here is a list* to give you an ideas of options….
-Unselfish
-Honest
-Respectful
-Appreciative
-Humble
-Patient
-Loyal
-Trustworthy
-Encouraging
-Caring
-Empathetic
Now choose 3, yes, only 3, that are the MOST important to you on a team.
To continue to develop Team Culture you now want to look at your values and choose the top 3 that you want your team to exemplify. Here is a list* to get you thinking, but feel free to choose your own…..
-Hardworking
-Competitive
-Positive
-Focused
-Accountable
-Courageous
-Resilient
-Confident
-Enthusiastic
-Disciplined
-Motivated
-Creative
Goals can be measurable or general, but most importantly they should be agreed upon by the whole team and posted where they are visible on a regular basis. When teams face adversity, coming back to the team goals can get everyone back on track. Below are some examples of team goals:
-Keep turnovers to below 10 per game.
-Maintain open communication with teammates and coaches.
-Stay focused during adversity.
-Win conference.
-Be the best defensive team in the conference.
-Hold teams to ___ points per game.
-Have the most steals/interceptions/stolen bases in conference.
-Have no regrets at the end of the season.
Your team practices are what you will do day in and day out to reach your team goals. This is the “How” to the formula. Quite honestly, I find the “How” to be the most important part. Without the reinforcement everyday the focus gets lost and when the focus gets lost the team culture crumbles. Your practices should reinforce your goals. So for example if your goal is less than 10 turnovers a game in basketball then in practice you emphasize taking care of the ball by putting out 10 basketballs and as turnovers happen you take away a basketball and once they are gone there is a consequence for turnovers (this is not a practice I would recommend for youth basketball, better for high school or above).
Here are examples of other team practices that should support your goals:
-No walking on the court/field
-When a player falls down everyone runs over to make sure they are ok and pick them up if they are.
-Consequences if players are late to practice/bus/meetings without notice.
-Dive on every loose ball.
-When someone scores they point and thank the passer.
-Use a mistake recovery recovery ritual to not show any negative body language after mistakes.
-When a teammate comes out of the game teammates stand and shake their hand.
-Everyone is actively engaged in the game on the sideline/bench
-End practice with a toughness drill.
-Circle communication to discuss any issues that are affecting team chemistry.
-Team dinners the night before and/or day of the game.
-Regular team outings for bonding.
-Gratitude letters/texts to 3 people per day.
-Weight training partners/stretching partners between upper and lower classmen/women to encourage mentoring.
In conclusion, hopefully this formula of establishing team attitudes, values, goals and practices will help you in establishing your team culture.
Coming soon is a post on some of the best books for learning more about team culture….
