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By: Leslee Wright - Director of Communications at Bentonville Schools In my work, I talk a good deal about branding. Years of sound decisions, learning from missteps, and successful bounce backs are the raw material for creating a solid personal brand. A few examples of people with strong personal brands that come to mind are Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, and Tom Brady. Whether you love or loathe them, you know what they stand for: faith in Jesus Christ, social justice reform, and unmatched athletic discipline, respectively. Owning your brand is paramount to your professional and personal success. The same can be said for your school's athletic program. Occasionally, I'm asked to teach a personal branding session in the Bentonville Schools. About midway through the presentation, I pass out index cards and invite attendees to contemplate their top three priorities in this life. These priorities are their core values and together they form a north star for life. I often say you could win the Powerball or file for bankruptcy tomorrow, and these three core convictions would remain unchanged. They stay constant regardless of life's triumphs or tribulations. It's not enough to just have convictions, however. You have to support them with action; you have to live them. If one of your convictions is to be a family man or woman, you live that by being a devoted spouse and an equal partner in parenting. A commitment to faith is another common core conviction. A weekly Bible study and worship often support it. The more your actions, habits, and behaviors reinforce that north star, the further you strengthen your brand. The formula for identifying and sustaining a personal brand also applies to your athletic program. In the case of your athletic program, however, the brand is built on the collective strengths of the individual coaches. It starts with them. And by telling their stories in compelling, authentic ways, you build and strengthen what your program stands for: its culture. Who are your coaches and staff? It starts with knowing your team. Who are they as human beings? Who are they as coaches? What are their leadership principles? How did they become who they are? What success and challenges shaped them? How do they deal with adversity in both their personal and professional lives? These answers are central to your program's story. Who are your coaches? What are they known for? Do they foster a culture based on integrity or cultivate a win-at-all-costs environment? How do others see you and your program? Creating a brand doesn't happen in a vacuum. Most of the time people have an impression of who you are and what your program stands for. In order to effectively tell your story, you have to understand the environment you're telling it in. Seek input from those who have an inherent interest in seeing your program succeed. Start by asking them how they would describe your program's brand? What comes to mind when they think of your program? Your staff and student-athletes should have some skin in the game. And if there are detractors or skeptics you know of, don't hesitate to ask them, too. Showing a willingness to listen to tough feedback can go a long way in starting to change perception. You need not lead by committee but getting clear on who your coaches are and how your community thinks of your program are critical to the work of creating a north star that will not only serve you well now, but that will live well past your tenure, as it should. Make sure others are on board with your overall commitment to what you want your program to represent. Know what you aren't Be clear about who you are and who you aren't. Knowing what you don't want to be is as vital as knowing what you do want to represent. Don't settle. Creating a brand that can withstand time requires sacrifice, commitment, and high ethical standards. When things get complicated, go back to those written convictions. Don't lose sight of who you wish to be and summon the courage to live out those convictions with boldness, even when doing so will require you to make difficult decisions. Create a powerful narrative With the answers to those questions, you're in a position to create a strong narrative for your program; one that captures in words the culture you've created and makes its identity clearly understandable and compelling to others. If the answers to the above questions aren't what you want, you can use the information to reshape the narrative. Look at the areas you'd like to correct, the impressions people have, and then - returning to your North Star statement – define in simple and specific terms how you want your program to be known across the state and country. The powerful personal stories and experiences of your coaches are great resources to use to illustrate your key ideas and bring the concepts of your north star to life with personal stories and examples. This part of the work takes time, commitment, and consistency, but it's worth it. Amplify your story A former mentor from my time at Walmart, Inc. once said, "Tell your story, or someone will tell it for you." Parents, students, and sports reporters are critical stakeholders in your athletic community. Social media has provided an outlet for the good, the bad and the ugly. Be proactive in amplifying your program's narrative. Amplify your story by collaborating with these partners. When negative press comes to your program, separate facts from emotions. Have face-to-face conversations with students, parents, or the media rather than going at it online. Children fight their battles from a keyboard; men and women of integrity do so face-to-face. So, sit and work together to find resolutions. Fight relentlessly to highlight the truth but also own your mistakes. Integrity doesn't demand perfection. It does, however, mandate honesty. In time, those who second-guess your intentions will advocate on your behalf. You're not going to win over all your critics. But if your mission and vision are guided by a strong north star, you will grow a strong community of supporters who will advocate and stand up for your program – independent of your win-loss record. This kind of support is invaluable and can be a game-changer for your culture.
You can be anything you want and so can your program. It starts with identifying a clear north star. It becomes real as you and your team live those values and principles every day, and it gathers strength and inspires others as you create and tell your story. Telling your story may sound lofty, but it is a key component of building the kind of culture you want for your program today and creating the foundation for the future. So, make your story a good one and share it. You owe it to yourself, your colleagues (coaches), your school, your fans and, above all, to the student-athletes you've committed to serve. |
Tell Your Story [NIAAA]
