Fred Williams was previously a coach at Auburn University.

By: Denise Corlett - (Retired) Stanford University

Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches

Provided by: Human Kinetics

• Always be loyal to your head coach, staff, and school. At some point you might find you aren't happy working there. Ask the head coach to help you find another position instead of becoming a burden in the program. Remember, the head coach will be the person giving you your next job recommendation. You need to realize which team you are on, and that is always the staff team. The head coach writes a recommendation or makes a call for you, not the athletes on the team or the other assistant coaches. Think of your role as an assistant as an internship observing the head coach.
• Know your sport inside and out. Continue to be student of the game, studying all aspects of it, and take time to learn the areas you don't have responsibilities for currently but may in the future.
• Be able to teach the game to the athletes. Master coaches are master teachers. Study other great coaches and how they teach their athletes.
• Effective communication with coaching staff, athletes, administrators, recruits, parents, and the fans will be key to your success, professionally and personally. Make sure you are listening intently when someone is speaking to you. Maintaining eye contact with the person speaking is a great way to let them know you are engaged in the conversation.
• Demonstrate professionalism at all times. This means the way you dress in the office, in the gym, and while traveling, recruiting, and scouting. Dress appropriately, even when you are on your own time and out in public. Eyes will be on you everywhere, and you should cherish that. When you meet people for the first time, you want to make a good impression. Be aware of your posture, your body language, and your facial expressions. All of those things say everything about you.
• Develop positive relationships with the parents of your athletes and the department support staff that works with your program, as well as officials, other head and assistant coaches, support staff at other schools, and the media. It will serve you well to have strong relationships and a positive reputation with high school and club coaches you meet in recruiting. They should continue to want to work with you, even if you change schools or positions.
• Get involved coaching in USA summer programs--a high-performance program or one with youth and junior national teams. Attend coaching clinics and conventions to continue to grow your knowledge as well as your network and contacts in the field.

Coach Camacho was previously at Judson High School (TX).

Dr. Colleen Hacker is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport, and Performance Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University and has served as a member of the Team USA coaching staff for six Olympic Games as a Mental Skills Coach and Performance Psychology Specialist.

This clip comes from our AD Insider | Thursday 30 episode #112. Click here to view full episode.

By: Jamy Bechler

Originally Published in The Leadership Playbook

The old acronym of T.E.A.M. in which together everyone achieves more is true more often than not. Players need teammates that are willing and able to do the things that they can't or don't want to do.
We all have strengths and weaknesses. Just like the strength of each wolf is the wolfpack and the strength of the wolfpack is each individual wolf, so it is on teams. Each team has players with different strengths and weaknesses.

The best teams have players that understand that they all fit together like a puzzle. Even the most talented softball pitcher can't strike out every batter. They need competent fielders to make plays in the field when the batter hits the ball. A talented outside hitter in volleyball knows that their skills are not maximized if they don't have a good setter.

A team-first mentality and understanding of how crucial every member of a team can be to achieving a common goal is a must in utilizing your leadership potential. The more you respect and praise the various roles on a team, the greater your opportunity for influence will be.

THE TEAM! THE TEAM! THE TEAM!

Regardless of whether you are a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes or the Alabama Crimson Tide, you can appreciate the importance of teamwork and how it is crucial for your favorite team to play in an important bowl game or contend for a championship. Bo Schembechler played football at Miami of Ohio for the legendary Woody Hayes. He would also be an assistant coach for Hayes at Ohio State.

When Schembechler took over as head coach at the University of Michigan, he and Hayes embarked on a fierce rivalry that came to be known as the "Ten-Year War." Overall, Schembechler ended his college career with a 234-65-8 record. He ended his career as an athletic director at Michigan and then president of the Detroit Tigers. Schembechler was a fiery coach known for his motivational speeches. One of his most popular has come to be known as "The Team The Team The Team" and it is a good reminder of how special it is to be a part of a team,

"We want the Big Ten championship and we're gonna win it as a Team. They can throw out all those great backs, and
great quarterbacks, and great defensive players, throughout the country and in this conference, but there's
gonna be one Team that's gonna play solely as a Team.

No man is more important than The Team. No coach is more important than The Team. The Team, The Team, The Team, and if we think that way, all of us, everything that you do, you take into consideration what effect does it have on my Team? Because you can go into professional football, you can go anywhere you want to play after you leave here. You will never play for a Team again. You'll play for a contract. You'll play for this. You'll play for that. You'll play for everything except the team, and think what a great thing it is to be a part of something that is The Team.

We're gonna win it. We're gonna win the championship again because we're gonna play as a team, better than anybody else in this conference, we're gonna play together as a team. We're gonna believe in each other, we're not gonna criticize each other, we're not gonna talk about each other, we're gonna encourage each other. And when we play as a team, when the old season is over, you and I know, it's gonna be Michigan again, Michigan."