Pillar 5:Trust

 The 5th of the 5 Pillars of Process is Trust.  Trust is a 2 way street.  The players on the team have to trust the coach and the coach needs to trust the players.  There is no compromise in this relationship between players and coaches.  If a player does not trust the coach the pillars and the team crumbles and vice versa.  This entry is about this trust and how to build, and nurture it.

To start with, players need to trust the coach.  Players begin to trust the coach when they hear his voice and respect and are willing to do what he wants them to do.  Every practice drill the players do, they do with effort and skill because they want to please the coach and do everything they can to stand out.  When the coach is in the room and ready to speak they are ready to listen and adsorb everything that he has to say.  How does a coach gain such respect from his team?  Below are a few criteria:

  1. Set expectations and rules from the very first practice.
  2. Refrain from screaming - No matter how frustrated you may be you need to refrain from yelling.  Yelling should be done only as a last ditch effort to get attention or make a point.  When you do yell make sure it never gets personal and it is warranted.  Instead of yelling consider running the kids or punishing them in a much more productive manner.  You can always remind them that you control playing time.  That always seems to work.
  3. Don't miss a practice.
  4. Don't be late for practice.
  5. Be upbeat and positive.
  6. Encourage and push to get better.  Pushing kids to get better is not the same as yelling.  Demand greatness from your players.
  7. Be fair when rewarding.  There should be no favorites.
  8. Be fair when punishing.  Yes even the best players need to pay the price if they break the rules.
  9. Don't flex your muscles be open to feedback from players.  Make them feel like they are a part of the team.
  10. Always be available for your players.

In addition to the players trusting the coach, the coach needs to trust the players.  How can players gain the coaches trust.  Below are a few criteria:

  1. Practice hard.
  2. Play hard.
  3. Be early to practice.
  4. Stay late after practice.
  5. Ask great questions.
  6. Play tough defense.
  7. Be willing to do the dirty work.
  8. Show coaches that you know your offense and defense.
  9. Minimize turnovers without playing cautious.
  10. Make shots.
  11. Grab rebounds.
  12. Being a great teammate.

Trust is the 5th pillar of process but it definitely is not the last one.  Without trust none of the other pillars can stand or grow stronger.

  • Without trust do players play with energy?
  • Without trust will there be execution?
  • Can a coach properly evaluate without trust?
  • Can a team play as a team without a trust in the coach and in each other?

That is the beauty of the 5 pillars.  They coexist with each other and have a synergy which if nurtured can be so powerful that the sum of the parts become greater than the individuals making up the team.  Trust is like the shoelace which keeps every other pillar locked in.  As a coach it is important to monitor the amount of trust the team has in him and in each other along with how much trust the coach has in his team.  For the latter, you will very rarely trust everyone on the team at the same level.  Ability does come into play when you are out there trying to win a game.  However when all things are equal a coach will always pick on a team player over a selfish one because of trust.

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