Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

8 Ways to Choose Team Captains

Having a good team captain can make your job easier. Conversely, if your captains struggle to lead effectively, then your team will most likely underperform during the year. Team captains can often make or break your season.

You’d probably love to have a Derek Jeter, Sue Bird, Tim Tebow, or Mia Hamm-type captain, but those are exceptions, not the rule. No matter who wears the captain’s armband or dons the “C” on their jersey, you want to be training them and helping them develop their skills for this leadership position.

As you think about selecting your team captains, maybe you’ve always done it a certain way. Maybe you’re ready for a change. No matter how you select your captains or how successful this process has been in the past, you should always be evaluating your methods so that you can be as good of a coach and have as strong of a program as possible.

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7 Things I Changed My Mind About as a Coach

Hey Coach, if you’re like me, you’re constantly trying to get better and improve. You probably see things differently now than you did five years ago, one year ago, or even yesterday. In my 20+ years of coaching and athletic administrating, I had my fair share of ups and downs, but I also felt that I got better every year. Leaders are learners and I wanted to always be learning.

I’m a product of those people I’ve been associated with and the environments I was a part of. Oftentimes in coaching, we do things the way others close to us did them. We may coach similar to the way our old coach did back in the day. We might run some of the same plays. Our communication might resemble their methods, as well.

However, through the years I realized that if I’m going to get better and improve as a coach, I must constantly be re-evaluating and honestly assessing some of my actions, words, and philosophies. Especially toward the end of my career in organized athletics, I tried to be as coachable as possible and be willing to adjust, adapt, and pivot when it was necessary.

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Using an Application to Select Team Captains

Selecting team captains is one of the most important things that you’ll do all year for your program. You want to select the right individuals who’ll best lead, influence, and impact their teammates.

Utilizing an application during the captain selection process can be beneficial. This article will outline some of the reasons you might want to use this tool, as well as some things to consider if you decide to take advantage of this resource.

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What REAL Leadership Looks Like

You’re a coach, which means you have a position of leadership. However, keep in mind that just because you have a business card, plaque on your office door, or embroidered shirts saying “coach” doesn’t mean you are a good leader. There are plenty of politicians, CEOs, administrators, and yes, even coaches that aren’t maximizing the leadership potential of their positions.

Your status as a coach provides you a tremendous opportunity and starting point to make a positive impact on people. Leadership isn’t about positions or status, but about influence. Anyone can be a leader because anyone can have influence. However, you have a head start because you have power, status, and authority. You have a built-in platform and opportunity to use your power for good … or for bad.

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Making Your Bed

“If you want to change the world, then start by making your bed.” (Admiral William H. McRaven)

I woke up this morning running late and the last thing I wanted to do was take 30-seconds to make my bed.

Click here to listen to the 2-minute audio version of this article

Maybe you’ve been right there with me struggling between listening to that pesky little bed-making devil on one shoulder and that cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness angel on the other shoulder.

After all, that bed is just going to get messed up again that night, anyway, who will ever see it?

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Developing a Player-Led Team

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. 

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4 Mistakes Coaches Make With Team Captains

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.

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Getting Athletes to Buy Into Backup Roles

    There are no small parts — only small actors!

    This phrase has been uttered countless times when it comes to acting, but it also applies beautifully to your team. You could easily say there are no small roles, only small athletes.

    A car is made up of many parts, from the chassis to the motor to the tires to the lug nuts. Even though some may appear more important than others, each component of a car plays a vital part to its’ operation. An expensive luxury car doesn’t get very far if the $5 spark plug isn’t working properly. 

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    Getting the Most Out of Your Coaching Mentors

    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.

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    Episode 149: Clark Kellogg, College Basketball Analyst

    Clark Kellogg is one of the most respected voices covering college basketball today. The CBS Sports analyst was once a top college basketball player at Ohio State University, where he earned All-Big Ten Conference honors and won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award in 1982.

    After his junior year at Ohio State, he declared for the 1992 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall in the first round by the Indiana Pacers, and named to the NBA All-Rookie first team in 1983 after averaging 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds. But his NBA career was cut short after just four seasons due to knee injuries, and he was forced to retire in 1986 at the age of 25.

    Clark began his broadcasting journey with ESPN in 1990, and in 1993 he moved to CBS Sports, where he has worked since. In March 2010, Kellogg played a game of H.O.R.S.E. against U.S. President Barack Obama. The game, called “P.O.T.U.S.” for the occasion, was won by Obama.

    In today’s episode, we discuss:
    • Playing basketball against President Obama
    • What makes up a great leader
    • Being the parent of athletes
    • Working with Charles Barkley during NCAA Tournament
    • How players can use their platform
    • … and so much more!!!

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