Leadership Timeout: Creating an Environment By D.J. Allen and retired NCAA and NBA coach Lon Kruger
The following lesson is from Allen and Kruger’s book, The Xs & Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business & Life. Allen will be a presenter at the Partners in Progress conference March 1 & 2 in Las Vegas.
Pre-Game
Too many times we allow the results from our performance to dictate the environment in which we operate. In reality, strong leaders emphasize the importance of the environment in which we operate to dictate the actual results produced. People perform better in situations where they want to be. As coaches, we want to put our players in situations they want to be in to allow them to better maximize their potential. Thus, it all starts with practice. 14 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
Gametime
Our team’s success during a season is a direct result of our performance in workouts from the middle of September through March. While we may play close to 35 games in a season, we may actually practice as a team (including walkthroughs on game days) nearly 150 times during that same season. As coaches, we are responsible for creating an atmosphere at practice that our players enjoy. Our players should look forward to coming to practice. It should be a place they want to be. Creating this type of an environment at practice is crucial for several reasons. Primarily, it ensures an enhanced dedication from members of the team. Players will come early and stay
