How to Create a Culture With Expectations
"We have expectations, not rules." - Jeremy Sheetinger
Culture is a popular buzzword around coaching and leadership positions. But what exactly is culture? To me culture is the actions of every single person that is part of the team and how they go about every single task on and off the field. When you are part of a team you are a constant beacon of the team you represent. But you cannot have a sustainable and successful culture without everyone understanding the expectations.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is the above quote from Coach Jeremy Sheetinger, Head Baseball Coach at Georgia Gwinnett College. GGC is one of the top baseball teams in the NAIA, and across all of college baseball. The word rules feel overbearing and has a stressful connotation with it. On the other hand, the word expectations does not sound as stressful and creates a meaning of common agreement in comparison to the word rules. Therefore, Coach Sheetinger has expectations with his teams and not rules. Expectations are the driving force of a culture. If the players understand the expectations then they will live and breathe those expectations.
After we understand what we want to call our expectations of the culture we must come up with what we want our expectations to be within the culture we want to create. For myself the expectations I have with any team or group that I coach are the following: Be Respectful, Be On Time, Always Hustle, and Do Your Best. These four expectations are common in many programs, but the difference maker between successful teams and average teams is how they are lived in the program by coaches and players. Don't just pay the expectations given lip service, live them. At first, the coaches need to model each expectation so that the players have a clear visual understanding of what each expectation looks like. Players will absorb these habits and start modeling those habits because they look up to their coaches.
After we have established what our team expectations are, it is important to talk with the team as a whole and individually about these expectations. You want your players to have a clear understanding of what each of the four expectations means. An example of all of this would be during the first team meaning and practice of the season. As a staff go one at a time telling the expectations, but then ask the questions, "What does this expectation mean to you? What is an example of how this looks in our program?" Doing this gives the players instant ownership of the expectations and allows the players to formulate an image of what each expectation looks like. This also creates a feeling of everyone is important for this team to reach our goals.
In summation, expectations are more than just buzzwords that mean nothing. Expectations are the heart and soul of the culture you are creating because they are the foundation of a successful culture. Expectations need to be lived and modeled properly by everyone on the team on and off the field. We all notice the teams that live their culture and don't. Be that team that is recognizable by living the expectations and meeting or exceeding goals. Those are the teams that stand out because they are creating their desired culture.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is the above quote from Coach Jeremy Sheetinger, Head Baseball Coach at Georgia Gwinnett College. GGC is one of the top baseball teams in the NAIA, and across all of college baseball. The word rules feel overbearing and has a stressful connotation with it. On the other hand, the word expectations does not sound as stressful and creates a meaning of common agreement in comparison to the word rules. Therefore, Coach Sheetinger has expectations with his teams and not rules. Expectations are the driving force of a culture. If the players understand the expectations then they will live and breathe those expectations.
After we understand what we want to call our expectations of the culture we must come up with what we want our expectations to be within the culture we want to create. For myself the expectations I have with any team or group that I coach are the following: Be Respectful, Be On Time, Always Hustle, and Do Your Best. These four expectations are common in many programs, but the difference maker between successful teams and average teams is how they are lived in the program by coaches and players. Don't just pay the expectations given lip service, live them. At first, the coaches need to model each expectation so that the players have a clear visual understanding of what each expectation looks like. Players will absorb these habits and start modeling those habits because they look up to their coaches.
After we have established what our team expectations are, it is important to talk with the team as a whole and individually about these expectations. You want your players to have a clear understanding of what each of the four expectations means. An example of all of this would be during the first team meaning and practice of the season. As a staff go one at a time telling the expectations, but then ask the questions, "What does this expectation mean to you? What is an example of how this looks in our program?" Doing this gives the players instant ownership of the expectations and allows the players to formulate an image of what each expectation looks like. This also creates a feeling of everyone is important for this team to reach our goals.
In summation, expectations are more than just buzzwords that mean nothing. Expectations are the heart and soul of the culture you are creating because they are the foundation of a successful culture. Expectations need to be lived and modeled properly by everyone on the team on and off the field. We all notice the teams that live their culture and don't. Be that team that is recognizable by living the expectations and meeting or exceeding goals. Those are the teams that stand out because they are creating their desired culture.
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