Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
The Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo likes to say, “A player-led team is always better than a coach-led team.” The best teams have athletes that step up and take a leadership role. The best teams have athletes that take ownership in the culture and are invested in the process.
This doesn’t happen if the coach is a control freak, micro-manager, or the only voice in a program. The best teams have athletes who are leaders. The best teams have strong leadership.
Southwest Baptist University has hired Bechler Leadership to help find a head coach to begin the men’s and women’s swim programs.
Clark Sheehy is in his second year leading the Bearcat athletic department after a long and storied career as a men’s basketball coach at SBU, John Brown University, and Fresno Pacific University.
Men’s and women’s swimming has been a Great Lakes Valley Conference sport since 2013. SBU will be the 12th men’s team and 11th women’s team in the conference.
As a head coach, you can’t be the entire program. You need assistants and you need captains that can help you lead the program towards success.
Great team captains make your job easier as a coach. Everyone knows this, but having strong team leadership is not as simple as a well-meaning wish and a snap of the fingers. Most coaches know what kind of captain and leadership they want, but oftentimes it doesn’t play out that way.
The leadership expert and author John C. Maxwell says, “We all need someone to help us in our pursuit of intentional growth and the right mentor helps you take massive leaps forward.”
Even coaches need coaches. Maxwell talks about “intentional growth”. This is when you make the conscious decision to make yourself better.
One of the best ways to do this is with a mentor.
The College of Saint Mary athletic director Robbie Shay has announced they are partnering with Bechler Leadership in its’ search for a new women’s basketball coach.
“We believe there’s a lot of potential here,” said Shay. “With our revamped scholarships, first-class facilities, and beautiful location we wanted to maximize the opportunities available to us to get the right coach in place. Bechler Leadership has had great results filling positions at other schools and we’re excited to work with their team.”
A strong culture requires trust and chemistry among all the team members. As coaches, we usually think of this in terms of our athletes. We look at team-building as something they do, as opposed to something we do.
If you’re trying to maximize the potential of your athletes, the coaching staff must be a cohesive unit that’s on the same page. You can’t expect our athletes to trust one another, communicate effectively with one another, or support one another if you’re not doing that as well.
Great teams have great teammates. No disagreements there, but it isn’t easy to find great teammates. Not everybody that makes your team will come in as a great teammate — and that is where your presence and team culture kicks in.
The clearest signal that you have an athlete that is a great teammate is their desire to serve others. When athletes have the mindset of serving other team members, the entire program benefits. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden put it well when he said, “It’s amazing what you can achieve when you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Serving others is at the very core of sports — and it’s paramount to your team’s success.
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Nick Vujicic has lived a remarkable life.
He’s met 25 Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Vice Presidents. He’s traveled to 78 countries and spoken on 3500 stages to crowds as large as 800,000.
He’s an international bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor, producer, and actor.
🔊 Click here to listen to a 2-minute audio version of this email.
You’ve no doubt heard of NFL players like Barry Sanders and Tom Brady. They are all-time greats.
But have you heard of Joe Thomas? He is also an all-time great. In 2023, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In football, the guys who score touchdowns are recognized and rewarded. However, it’s important to remember the guys who make those touchdowns possible. Those big guys up front in the trenches protecting the quarterback and creating holes for the running backs are vital to the success of a team.
Joe Thomas was one of those guys.
Long before Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce excited the fans at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs had another rising star.
In 1981, running back Joe Delaney would earn AFC Rookie of the Year honors rushing for more than 1100 yards despite only starting 10 games.
Unfortunately, he would go on to play only two seasons in the NFL.
But Joe didn’t have a contract dispute. He didn’t get arrested for domestic assault. He didn’t have a sideline blowup with teammates or coaches. He didn’t get lazy and lose his explosiveness.
You may never have heard of the former second-round draft pick out of Northwestern State University in Louisiana since he only played two seasons … but it wasn’t because he was a bust.