Culture is something that every program has, regardless of whether or not it’s desirable. No matter the makeup of your program, culture is something that must be constantly fostered, stoked, and maintained. In our program, we have prioritized connection, upholding standards, and collaborative competition. Here are some things we’ve adopted and adapted to fit our program:
Developing a Team Mantra
Our team mantra is made up of three words that describe how we, as a team, will be successful. I spend classroom time developing the three words that are most important to us. I start by breaking the players into small groups and ask each group to give one-word answers to the following questions:
- What is one characteristic of successful teams?
- What is one characteristic we need to focus on to be successful?
- What is one positive characteristic you want people to associate with our program?
- What is one positive characteristic you want our opponents to associate with our program?
- What is one characteristic you want our team to be remembered for?
I tabulate the words and we vote on the three that are the most important to us. We also define what those words look like and how we hold each other accountable for maintaining those values.
Player Interviews
Throughout the fall, we end practice with a few player interviews. With the entire team present, I choose a player to interview. They stand with me in front of the team and answer questions like “How many siblings do you have?” “What’s your major?” or “Who is your favorite NFL player of all time?”
After I ask five or six questions, I open it up for other players to ask questions. They love asking questions like, “Who is your celebrity crush?” or “Who on the team would you trust to date your sister?” I even let them interview the coaching staff (eventually). I love the camaraderie and connection this activity builds.
Pass It On
Our program takes pride in fostering servant leaders. This activity displays the selflessness of being a servant leader, along with developing team connection, and utilizes the benefits of showing gratitude.
When our students arrive on campus, we hand out our fall gear, except our hats. At the end of practice or intrasquads, our coaching staff recognizes a player for something they accomplished, on or off the field, and presents them with a fall hat.
The player being recognized then presents that hat to a teammate who has picked them up along the way. This could be someone who helps them, works with them, or inspires them. I like this activity because the player originally recognized doesn’t get a hat right away, but rather “sacrifices” it to their teammates. They also start to realize the impact they can have on each other.
Winter Olympics
We originally started our “Winter Olympics” to create something to keep our players engaged after fall practice period was over. Now it’s something that everyone looks forward to. We break our team into seven or eight groups.
These groups compete in various activities including three-on-three basketball, trivia night, and even bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. Every activity has winners, with teams getting points for their finish in each event.
After the activities are concluded, we host a Christmas Party and I also present our “medals” to the winning team of the Winter Olympics.
When culture is built with purpose, it becomes the heartbeat of a program — something that inspires, unites, and endures. Our goal isn’t just to build better athletes, but better people, and that begins with a culture worth believing in.