Join me for a fun series. My mission, and I have decided to accept it, is to write a post based on each letter of the alphabet. My inner English major is so excited about this project… and my inner nerd is even more excited! Check back as he tackled the intangible aspects of the sport… from A to Z.

I talk a lot about success for a couple of reasons. The first is that I believe that success is more than wins and losses. The second is because there seem to be specific qualities that successful coaches share. Since we all want to be successful… and help our players to be successful, let’s talk about what that would look like.

7 qualities that successful coaches share:

1. Personality. Defined as the qualities that make someone interesting, personality matters when we build our shows. The characteristics that make us who we are will be the seal that separates our team from the rest, that make our alumni proud (or not), that make recruits want to play for us (or not), that earn respect ( or respect) of our programs. No).
2. Accessibility. Defined as easy to talk to or easy to get along with, a coach cannot put a barrier between himself and his team, recruits, students or administration. I don’t think those people should always love what we have to say, but they should feel that they have our ear. It makes them feel special and that we care…those two things will go a long way in building goodwill.
3. Modesty. Defined as having a modest view of one’s own importance, being humble is huge on teams…and it starts with the head coach. Sure we run the program, but without recruits, players, assistant coaches, administrators and front office people helping behind the scenes, not much could be done. It really takes a village to create a successful program.
4. Integrity. Defined as being honest and having high moral standards, integrity is at the center of our coaching circle. It’s great to have a personality that draws people to us, and it’s easy to talk to them… all these things. But if we compromise what we say we believe, it will be hard to trust us. How can we build a solid foundation for success if people think we’re suspicious?
5. Sustainability. Defined as creating conditions in which people can exist in productive harmony… if that’s not high on a coach’s to-do list, it should be! Harmony is huge, and underrated in my opinion.
6. Ability. Defined as talent that has potential for development, that sounds amazing to us and our players! To me that says that just because we’re the coach doesn’t mean we stop learning. If we keep pushing, pushing, and challenging ourselves to improve, we will find success.
7. Sagacity. Defined as using good judgment, showing discernment and farsightedness… this sounds like the veteran coach who has seen a lot and has his stuff together. It’s what we should all strive for, although I think it’s a difficult quality to achieve. I’m certainly not smart yet… but I’m working on it!

This should give us a roadmap for the success of our program. Even if you decide your list will look a little different, I think it’s worth thinking critically about how we’re going to achieve our goals.