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In the second of a three-part series, I’ll discuss how to build loyalty among teammates, loyalty to the coach, and loyalty to the program. If you’d like to see the original blog post, check out Leadership Freak’s 15 Techniques That Build Loyal Followers.

As you all know by now, I’m a gigantic fan of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Loyalty is in the foundation of his Pyramid, which means he thought teams would not find success without it…but what is loyalty? And how do we show our teams that we are loyal to them? And how can we create a group of teammates who are loyal to one another? Loyalty is one of those intangibles that is hard to define, so here are…

Five solid things that we can do to show loyalty

1. Answer public challenges publicly. Some of us are from the old school, the-coach-is-always-right-and-don’t-you-dare-question-her, way of thinking. Today’s athletes (and students, in general) have been taught to ask questions—not to be disrespectful—but because they genuinely believe their questions warrant answers. If we’re not willing to answer them, we risk appearing to be withholding information…which isn’t a great platform on which to build loyalty.
2. Give meaning to tasks. Why is warming up important? What about those first drills of practice…the ones that are a bit mundane? Why is focusing on those drills important? Whatever it is, it’s the coach’s job to let the team know why they’re doing what they’re doing. The first reason is to make sure they have an understanding, but the second reason is to equip your upperclassmen and leaders to answer that question when their teammates are complaining about a drill or a practice. We can’t assume that our teams buy into everything we say without question…so let’s give them answers before they even think to ask them.
3. Stand behind people when they screw up. This is huge! I’ve had players who were so upset after a match when they didn’t play their best. I never sugar coat anything and always acknowledge that they didn’t put forth their best effort…but remind them that their performance was an exception to the rule and I believe they’ll rebound in the next competition.
4. Admit when you are wrong. Another biggie, but oh so tough. If your team is losing a lot, it’s not just their fault…then the coach holds some responsibility. If they’re not working hard enough, admit that you haven’t held them accountable in practice, then figuratively kick their butts to show them you mean business. If you make a mistake (call the wrong play, make an incorrect substitution, etc.), then you’ve got to admit it. You don’t have to make a big deal about it, but just saying something will go a long way with building loyalty.
5. Be emotionally steady. This is a big one in our profession…athletics are highly emotional. Every day we have a choice to personally belittle a player or not. To play favorites or not. To yell or not. I know coaches (some of them very accomplished and successful) who do all of those things. I would say they build antagonistic relationships rather than loyal relationships…that when things start going sideways, their players will not have their backs. I believe that we can be successful and have winning programs…all while building loyalty to ourselves and our programs.

Sometimes building loyalty is doing something as small as admitting that you’re fallable…or just being there for someone when they’ve performed poorly. The last post in the series will discuss the final five ways to build loyalty: Clearly describe what you want, model behaviors you expect, share the spotlight, don’t be a buddy, make it easy to get things done.

Part One: How To Become A Leader That People Follow
Part Three: 5 Ways To Earn Loyalty From Your Team