Hack 2 - Culture

If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just happen naturally on its own. - Tony Hsieh

I am currently reading Hacking Leadership by Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis.  These notes were taken from Hack 2 of their book, Culture.

Coaches must understand their impact on the culture of the team and the impact that culture has on the performance of each individual, the performance of the team and the impact it has on each person's experience.  The leader sets the tone for what happens and how it happens.  What the coach values and emphasizes will eventually permeate the entire team and gym and program.  When the coach values the athlete, their experience and their growth, the focus is exactly where it should be.  

Culture is a reflection of the character of the team and the feelings and perceptions of everybody involved with the team - athletes, parents, school members, potential athletes, etc.  Confident, informed and compassionate leaders can create and foster and build a positive culture with clear and consistent communication.  Effective communication ensures that everybody in the team's community understands the goals of the team, where the team is at, and where the team is planning to go.

Define and reflect on what the culture of the team is currently and what you want your culture to be, and talk about it explicitly with members of your team's community.  Talk to your athletes, talk to your parents, and talk to anybody who is involved with the program or team in any way to do a needs assessment and to see where you all want to go and grow as a culture.  Some questions to ask are:

1 - What is the culture of the team right now?
2 - What makes our team different than any other team?
3 - What feelings and emotions are evoked when you think about our team?
4 - How can we continue to shape our culture in a positive way?

When there is not clear and consistent communication, members of the team - and especially those outside of the immediate team's circle (like parents and administrators) - fill that void with their own stories, thoughts, and assumptions.  Don't let other people tell your story - find ways to communicate what is going on with the team.

Thinking about shaping the culture of a team or program can be overwhelming because it doesn't just involve the players; it involves everybody who is connected to the team.  But just thinking about culture and cultural changes will not effect change - a leader must take action.

When you get a plan for how you want to shape your culture, communicate it with your parents.  Let them know what is going on with the team.  In today's world, parents are so much more involved in their young athlete's growth and development, and they are much more ready today to switch teams when they feel things aren't going in the direction that they would like.  In schools, parents can be quick to go to administration when they aren't happy, and an easy way to create an unhappy parent (aside from playing time and shot selection) is a lack of communication.  Creating high levels of transparency is more important today than it has ever been so that families have access to relevant information.  

Use technology and social media to communicate with parents consistently to keep all team community members informed.  Be ready to communicate 'This is who we are and this is where we are going together,' in all forms of communication.  Be consistent in your message and in your levels of communication.  Take time to pause and reflect on how the message is being received by asking questions to your athletes and other stakeholders.  When the culture and message start to 'stick,' then you will have sustainability.  Once the message starts to stick and you are getting buy-in, consistently come back to asking questions about your culture - don't let it be a one-time thing.

The keys to success are communication, reflection, and collaborative decision making.  

Focus on culture and know that in the long run positive culture will have a positive impact on performance.  We know that when athletes feel valued, confident, and happy, their brains release endorphins, which benefits their learning and performance.

Create a setting of genuine joy throughout your program by intentionally focusing on culture.