Philosophy As The Foundation

In his book Win Forever, Pete Carroll talks about the process of creating his own philosophy.  He starts out by talking about the impact that John Wooden and his book, They Call Me Coach, had on him defining his personal philosophy.  Here is an excerpt regarding Coach Wooden and his philosophy:

"He had figured out absolutely everything about his program - his belief system, his philosophy, his delivery, and a million other details that made that first championship possible.  He had figured it out so completely that he could re-create it year after year after year.  Even more important, he had done more than just become aware of all those details inside his own mind.  He had refined them to the point that he could explain them to the people around him.  I think a great part of his genius was that he was able to explain his beliefs and tie them back into a clear vision that brought it all together into a single team effort."

Here is an excerpt of his process of 'nailing down' his own philosophy:

"I forced myself to go through the process of nailing it down, and it was the discipline of working at it that made it happen.  By December, I finally had a clear, organized template of my core value, my philosophy, and - most important - my overarching vision for what I wanted to stand for as a person, a coach, and a competitor."

Here he talks about the foundation of his philosophy:

"If I ever coached again, I promised myself, I was going to build an organization that could win forever.  I would build it on the foundation of a single, basic vision where everything we did was centered on wanting to do things better than they have ever been done before.  I wanted this basic competitive thought to be the foundation for everything, from the most high-profile performances to the details that no one but us would ever know about."

"I knew that in order for any program I developed to achieve this, it would have to come from within me.  It would have to be built on my experience, my core instincts, and my beliefs."

Here he talks about the meaning of 'Win Forever':

"What Win Forever means to me is aspiring to be the best you can be, or as I like to refer to it, "maximizing your potential."  But Winning Forever is not about the final score; it's about competing and striving to be the best.  If you are in this pursuit, then you're already winning."

Doing things better than they have ever been done before:

"Also at this foundational level, my philosophy has this vision: Do things better than they have ever been done before.  This covers the elements of the game, human performance, and organizational structure."

Team Rules:

Rule 1:  Always Protect The Team
Rule 2:  No Whining, No Complaining, No Excuses
Rule 3:  Be Early

I also added behavioral, or style elements.  We would perform with great effort, great enthusiasm, and great toughness, and play smart, all while respecting everything and everyone involved in the process.

The importance of making it your own:

"Other coaches might be successful with an entirely different theme at the center of their program, but I knew I could only be successful if I focused on what was true to me.  My programs would be built on the concept 'Always Compete.'  Every member of my program would have no choice but to perform in a relentless pursuit of a competitive edge."

The importance of practice and preparation:

'Practice is everything.'  We would never accept having a poor practice or taking a day off.

With consistently competitive practices, players would ultimately reach a point where they could perform in the absence of fear, due to the confidence they had gained by practicing so well.  Ideally, they would then learn to trust the process, themselves, and their teammates.

They know they are going to win.  When you know you're going to win, you don't doubt or worry.  You can actually perform with a 'quieted mind,' in the absence of fear.  It is my job to orchestrate this 'knowing' throughout the entire process in every aspect of my next program - a responsibility i would welcome.