Its Not What You Say | Its What You Do

I think themes, slogans, and mission statements for teams are GREAT.  

Villanova: Attitude

Minnesota Football: Row the Boat

LSU Football: One Team, One Heartbeat

They are inspiring and provide a fresh start to the season. They bring us together, and it can be a quick way to establish expectations and norms.  Without a vision, the people will perish, and teams can benefit from as many things as possible that can bring them all together.

But at the end of the day, you have to play.  You have to work.  You have to work together.  You have to act.  It's not enough to just have a slogan.  It's not enough just to have a goal.  You have to live out the purpose behind the slogan.  You have to use that slogan to make you better and to keep you focused on the same goal throughout the grind of a season and the year.

So often, we will see a team or even individual players create a theme or set goals and all that it does it take space on a locker room wall or on a notecard in an athlete's locker.  That theme or goal or mission statement needs to be a living tool that motivates and inspires all season long.  They need to inspire you to establish habits that will help you reach those goals.

Find ways to allow those words to make you better, and find ways to make those words last.

Every practice or at least once a week, as a player what that theme means to them or how they can use it in school that week.  When your athletes aren't performing or working in a way that matches their goals, bring the goals up in conversation.  Mission statements, goals, themes, etc are great, just don't let them die out throughout the season.