I believe there are many things you need to do be to successful and I believe there are cornerstones, but you can always add to a list, but these are 6 I believe that you need to be successful.Work ethic. You must be willing to do the work...today, yesterday, tomorrow, tonight or whenever that time calls. Then when you are there, do not go through the motions, work to be successful, do not work just to be there.
Reliability. If you say you will do something then do it. So that brings up two points. Do it, be there, never be late, never miss a day, but also be careful what you say because if you can't back it up, you lose credibility.
Competence. You have to know what you are doing. Anyone you are leading must believe that you know what you are doing and if you don't know what you are doing...do a great acting job. Most people will follow confidence whether it is real or fake. Knowing what you are doing though doesn't mean there aren't other ways at looking at something or doing something which brings me to my next two points.
Willingness to Change. A refusal to look at or do things differently is stubborness. Stubborness is needed at times, but can ultimately hurt you. Remember, it isn't about you being in charge and doing things your way or the highway, it is about the program, it is about the team, and yes, it is about the players at times. Now, I am not saying you have to give up your beliefs, but be willing to "see" and "listen", not just looking and hearing.
Humility It is not about you, it is not about how many games you win, it is not about how many championships you win, it is not about you....at all. Now if these things don't happen you very well could be looking for another job, but I believe that if you do humble yourself and realize that it is about something bigger than you, you will have job longevity and you will be successful.
Mental toughness. To me, mental toughness is everything. To have hard, consistent, reliable work ethic, you must get up every day and fight the good fight. To be reliable you have to be mentally tough because you have to do it when you say you will even if you don't want to. Being competent, having an open mind and being humble are all things covered by mental toughness. We have to do the work...the learning work, have to understand that there are many "right" ways to do something and then being humble isn't exactly something that comes naturally to leaders especially coaches.
I think Character is hugely important also, but I believe that we are constantly building/teaching character into our players. As I have said before, these are 6 good cornerstones, but those cornerstones are an ever evolving entity for me. Probably because I have coached for 20 years, probably because I am ever evolving, and probably for the shear sense of survival as a high school basketball coach in Indiana.
