Planning Part II

I've had a few people contact me in regards to my "Have a Plan" posting last week. There has been some confusion as to what I was referring to. Just as we have game-plans for our teams, we must also have a life-plan. That life-plan must take into consideration all of the members of our programs. Some simple things to consider:

- Work with the women's team coach to come up with a master calendar of practice times.

- For college coaches, have a master recruiting calendar of games you or your staff would like to see. This is a simple task that can allow the rest of your staff to plan ahead. If you designate a recruiting coordinator, this should be one of his tasks.

- If you choose to proctor study hall sessions for your team, explore times and locations early so that your team and staff are able to plan around them.

- Share a team calendar with your staff, players, support staff, and other important people involved such as professors, academic advisors, tutors, library staff, janitors, etc. This will eliminate the need to improvise. If you employ the player notebook system, players can keep this calendar in their notebooks.

- Post your team calendar in places your team will see it. Outside your office and in the locker room are two very obvious places.

- Conduct individual player meetings to discuss time-management and organization weekly if possible. Include this in the players' calendar.

- Communicate changes in the schedule as early as possible. Have a plan of how to communicate changes and confirm that the message is received.

I think we can all agree that when plans are not made and "last-minute" rules the day, we become extremely frustrated. These are just a few ideas to get the wheels turning. The goal should be to eliminate as much of the "last-minute" through thorough preparation.

Have A Plan

As a coach, we are given the ultimate in leadership responsibility. John Maxwell describes leadership as "influence. Nothing more. nothing less." I tend to agree more with Dr. Donald Christian, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University Texas, when he describes that leadership "is about two words: people and influence. Of course, the other aspect of that is that one needs to influence people toward something, i.e. shared goals." The most important part of leading, or in our cases coaching, is people. We must not forget the people that play for us and work with us on a daily basis.

"Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now."
-Alan Lakein, Author

The personal touch is just the reason that planning becomes even more important. We must remember that our players at the collegiate, high school, and middle school levels have lives outside of athletics. They are in school to get an education first and foremost. That education is in the classroom and time spent hitting the books, studying, reviewing notes, etc..., but it is also in their social development; spending time with friends and family, developing relationships. We have a tremendous opportunity to teach these young people the value of time management in order to fit all of these things into a busy day. This opportunity carries with it the responsibility to be well organized and have a plan that our players are able to schedule around.

"You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan."
-Zig Ziglar

We must also take into consideration those that work with us and our own relationships. Without a clear plan or schedule, our families and the families of the staff will suffer. You may have a plan, but if it is not clearly communicated early, it will seem to those around you like you don't have a plan at all. This goes back to the definition of leadership by Dr. Christian above, it is about people. Coaching carries with it numerous responsibilities to lives other than your own. Early organization and communication of your plan is a critical component to serving the others in your program.

"Planning is a process of choosing among many options. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us."
-Richard I. Winwood

I definitely understand that situations "pop up" and we must be able to be flexible. That is not the point of this. The point is to organize, plan, communicate, and execute a course of action within your control as early as possible. This breeds less contempt and frustration within the program. The members of the team are more likely to learn the value of time and be able to manage it. The byproduct of all of this is respect from those involved in your program from support staff to coaches to players and all of their families.

"At first, we couldn't be establishment, because we didn't have any money. We were guerrilla marketers, and we still are, a little bit. But, as we became number one in out industry, we've had to modify our culture and become a little bit more planned."
-Phil Knight, Nike founder

As you and your program become more successful, it is even more important to plan ahead. Flying by the seat of your pants will end up biting you in that same location. When you're on top, you've got to have a strategy to stay on top. A foundation is good, but what you build upon it must be structurally sound in order for it to stay standing. An absence of a plan can produce a sense of confusion, leading to discontent, which ultimately can tear down what you have built.

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
-Benjamin Franklin

John Beilein on ESPN.com

Great article on ESPN today on John Beilein. The article describes how detailed, thorough, and almost OCD about watching film (or the currently more appropriate: digital video captures). Most coaches, especially at the college level, already use video as a powerful instructional tool. Players have the opportunity to see what it is that we see.

I am jealous of Beilein's table. When I worked for Ray Giacoletti at Eastern Washington, he had a desktop with a court painted on it that his dad made for him. I thought at that time, it would be great to use that as a teaching tool with the team. It has always been in the back of my mind to have a scale version of my court for teaching purposes when I get a head coaching job. Guess my "innovation" is no longer so innovative any more. Doesn't mean I won't still do it! I think it is a fantastic supplement and has the potential to reach a diverse group of learning styles.

Here's a picture of Beilein's "coffee table":

Player Notebooks

With the start of school upon us, I figured I'd share with you some of the items I consider important in player's notebooks. This is definitely not a new idea, but one that I feel is extremely valuable. The use of player notebooks lends itself to multiple purposes such as organizational skills, time management skills, and making sure players have the necessary information to be successful. This obviously benefits the student athlete. Notebooks also can serve as a fantastic tool for us as coaches to monitor academics, inspire and motivate our student athletes, as well as keep them all on the same page within our systems.

My player's notebook will contain the following:
Contacts - This will include key athletic staff members, the coaching staff, players, and managers phone numbers and email addresses.

Time Management - A master calendar is included in this section. Key academic dates such as the last day to drop/add a class, registration dates, holidays, last day to pay bills, and final exams. Other key dates for the team such as practice times, games, and travel days are included as well.

In addition, a week at a glance sheet for a typical week is included. Players then would sit with a coach and block off times for class, practice, workouts, studying, meals, and personal time.

Academics - Grade sheets for every class. The grade sheets would have a table that players, with the aid of a coach, will fill in assignments from their syllabi, due dates, and the grade they receive. All assignments, tests, papers, and the like will be included. This will give coaches an idea of how players are progressing academically.

This section can also include study tips, school policies on plagiarism and academic guidelines, and various items in regards to academia.

Motivational - This includes players' directive affirmations (mentioned in earlier post - very good stuff if you haven't read it). This is also where players add inspirational and motivational quotes I give them.

Basketball - Players will add the team playbook and scouting reports. This is to be written by the players themselves. I will write and diagram plays, notes, scouting reports in the locker room and the players are responsible for writing this information in their notebook.

Misc. - Anything else that does not fit the above descriptions included here.

I am a big proponent of the player notebook system. It is a great way to teach lifelong skills and support abilities that will benefit your student athletes outside of the classroom. I encourage you to consider using some of these ideas.