Leadership Strategies

Jeff Hancock is the head coach at Vidalia High School in Louisiana. He recently took part in AFM’s “Leadership Survey”. Included are his responses:

How do you develop responsible and respected team captains?

This question is best answered by talking about my Senior Leadership Council. For our program, the seniors are the leaders and sometimes decision makers for the program. Bringing them in for meetings to discuss policy, setting standards, and letting them know what I am planning so as to get their thoughts.

I do this because they are seniors. It’s their team, not mine, and not the assistants, nor the underclassmen. I put a lot on them, empowering them to make some decisions for the direction of the program. What appropriate punishment for rule breakers should be, which color uniform to wear that week, etc. I develop these seniors by starting “Leadership Lunches” in January of their junior year with a meeting every Friday.

In these meetings we discuss what leadership means to them, what are the characteristics of a good and a bad leader, how to make decisions that are in the best interest of the team and not themselves or a best friend. Early on in the process some decisions need to be “guided” by myself so as to make sure they are making the best decision but usually by the end of summer workouts they are doing an extremely good job of leading. Give them ownership in the program and you will be amazed what seniors can accomplish. In late July we had a senior “Leadership Retreat” to Pensacola for four days.

As the leader of your staff of assistant coaches, how do you help them to be better leaders of the players they coach?

#1, leading by example, letting them see every day what characteristics you expect of them through you. Also by making sure they know what the expectations are of them and their position within the program. Having veteran coaches on staff allows me to further educate and teach my assistants how and why to act as a leader. My assistants are the Head Coach of their position and eyes are always on them. I ask them to be a positive role model that demands the best of them each and every day.
   
What techniques or activities do you use to encourage or ensure team unity?

We are all one family, preaching and helping them understand that are daily priorities. Football is the greatest sport as it mirrors life so closely in so many ways.  The lessons that football teach will help our young men too become better fathers, husbands, bosses, citizens, and team leaders.

Everything we do, we do together, and no one is above and/or better than any other member of the program. I assign the lockers, make players partner up with others they don’t usually hang out with, etc. This helps to ensure that all players know ALL of their teammates. Every “break” we have to end any team activity is with the word “family”!

What methods do you and your staff use to help individual players meet their potential?

It’s no secret that pushing them beyond what they believe are their limits is the primary way to get the most out of them.  But also by using such phrases as, “You’re better than that,” “Don’t cheat yourself,” and “You are happy being good when you could be great aren’t you.” I have found that using positive motivation, letting them know you care about them as people, and demanding the best of them are the underlying themes to reaching full potential. But you must also understand that every player is motivated differently and finding their motivator is the true test of a coach.
How do you establish goals for your team and for individual players?

At the conclusion of spring ball I have all players write down three team and three personal goals and turn them in to me.  After reviewing and meeting with each player to go over their goals (often I will change their personal goals and increase them) I will set a few for the upcoming season.  The one constant goal is “Be better than the team we are playing on the day we are playing them.” Sometimes it’s telling the team that the opponent can be better than us the rest of the year, just not today! This is usually used for a rebuilding program or playing a bigger team.

In the past, how have you and your staff dealt with adversity, either on or off the field?

Last season I took over a program that was “somewhat downtrodden.” We had to build everything back up. That included the booster club, the team, the facilities, the weight program, the psychological issues of overcoming previous problems, etc. Every situation is different but these are the things I would say are a must when rebuilding a program and dealing with adversity:

1.  Do the right thing (don’t take a superstar knucklehead for instant success).

2.  Build it the right way - building character comes before building wins.

3.  Let them know you care.

4.  Stay the course! (it’s going to take longer than you want as a coach, but don’t stray from the plan or course).

What have you done to build a championship culture in your program?

Currently it is ongoing. But taking care of the details, focusing on what we are going to become, staying the course, and conducting ourselves as champions are all critical. Also, by making things as “big-time” as possible helps a rebuilding program know that things are changing and if they take care of the program, the program will take care of them. 

Finally, getting them to think about and say the word “champion” out loud is an important part of the process.  Many kids don’t think of themselves positively, but within the team they can be something greater than themselves and, in turn, develop a more positive outlook of themselves.

Do you have a positive leadership story?

The program I took over was in serious disrepair. I entered my first season with 12 seniors, 8 of whom never played football before. The 4 who did play had played under a coach that had “different leadership qualities” than I. Therefore, there were some serious expectation issues that needed to be overcome.

Once these young men realized that I had their best interests in mind and cared about them by giving them ownership in the program and allowing them to help make decisions that impacted the program, they grew to be tremendous leaders. This was all the while we struggled through the season in terms of wins and losses. I told them before the season started that we may not have a great season record wise but I needed men who were ready to help build a foundation for future teams to rely on. It wasn’t going to be easy. There were going to be tough days ahead but with their help this program can be restored to its previous state.

In this day and age of instant gratification, these 12 young men helped to instill proper work ethic, expectations and how to conduct themselves both on and off the field. They didn’t see any wins from all of their sacrifices on the field but there were countless ‘wins’ off the field and within the program. Their work and leadership from last season will carry on for many, many years to come.