Is team chemistry a "figment of the result"?

Over the last year or so, I've posted about the issue of chemistry more than a few times. Now, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whose team had what this story describes as a "meltdown" last season, has his say.

According to Jones, chemistry is a "figment of the result." In other words, winning takes care of chemistry. As the author of this article contends:

Jones is right; winning cures most of the ills. Problems get pushed to the side when you win. But what comes first? The chemistry or the winning?

Veteran Eagles safety Brian Dawkins says chemistry is "when you care more about the person next to you." According to Dawkins, you "don't want to let the guys down."

New Seahawks coach Jim Mora says chemistry develops over time.

"I think it's something that grows. It grows in the off-season work when you're together in the off-season program and through the mini-camps and training camp and then sweating together."

Ken Whisenhunt, who guided his Arizona team to the Super Bowl earlier this month, "had bowling days and movie nights for his players as a way to promote chemistry. Whisenhunt believed part of the reason his team rebounded from a bad end to the regular season was the players' belief in each other."

"We all as coaches work to try to create it," Whisenhunt said. "It's been a very important part of my belief that that's how you're successful in the league. I know I came from an organization [Pittsburgh] where chemistry was a big part of the reason why they were successful."

Rayfield Wright, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle who was a member of the Cowboys teams of the '70s, still remembers the chemistry those teams had.

"We all had a special feeling for one another. The sacrifice and the pain, the suffering – whether it was on the field or off the field – it touched the hearts of all of us. To understand that and be a part of that, it makes your heart pound."

Everything rises and falls on leadership

An article in the Salt Lake paper from May 2007 about Jazz owner Larry Miller, who passed away earlier this week, illustrates the importance of strong team ownership.

The author asks, "How, over more than two decades, have the Jazz produced a consistent winner, albeit one that lacks a championship banner?"

Welcome to the Utah Jazz Construction Co. Bring your hard hat and tool belt. Check your ego at the job site. Do your job whether you're the general contractor or the guy mixing the mud. Punch the clock and collect your pay. And don't quit until the work is done. That's the Jazz way.

The answer, according to Thurl Bailey, who played for Utah for 10 seasons, lies in the people within the team.

"It has to start with where you want your organization to go, how you want to build your organization and what kind of people you want to build it with. We bring our lunch pail. We bring our hard hat and we go to work. Nothing special."

Ultimately, Mr. Miller, who's owned the team since 1986, was the person responsible for the Jazz organization's remarkable culture.

It comes down to leadership, says Pat Williams, a genuinely good man who, among other things, played in the Phillies' farm system and has served as SVP for the Orlando Magic for more than 20 years.

"At the end of the day, everything rises and falls on leadership. It always has and always will. Since arriving in Salt Lake, I give the Jazz an A in the leadership department. Give Larry Miller credit. He hires good people and appears to let them do their jobs."

DEN assistant GM David Fredman, who spent nearly three decades with the Jazz, describes Mr. Miller's management style:

"Larry Miller hasn't panicked. In other words, he's stuck with people and let the basketball people make the decisions. He was passionate from the start, but he hasn't let his emotions take over to the point where basketball decisions are made by nonbasketball people. He's let coach (Jerry) Sloan coach. He's let [GM] Kevin O'Connor do his job.... I think Larry's confidence in his people and his loyalty to his people has ended up paying dividends to him."

Says Jazz center Jarron Collins, now in his eighth season with the team:

"[Mr. Miller's] hands on, he demands the best effort every night you step on the court. He ran the team in a way that fans could truly appreciate, and that defines who he is."

Turning timeouts over to the players

During some timeouts this season, UC-Irvine men's volleyball coach John Speraw, who guided the Anteaters to a national title two years ago and won a gold medal in Beijing this past summer, has "started saying less and asking more questions, instead of telling them what to do."

According to Coach Speraw, his objective is to "teach these guys to be responsible, independent young men, and part of that lesson needs to start on the volleyball court with how they strategize and how they communicate with one another. I wanted [the players] to talk among themselves. I’ve done that periodically and with some good results. I like it."

As for his players, they say it helps give them ownership:

"I think it empowers us a lot. And because we’re being so vocal with each other, we can understand it and put it into terms better for other guys on the team, especially the younger guys, who don’t have as much experience," senior Taylor Wilson said.

"We talk a lot about being a self-sufficient team. We talk a lot about what’s going on and what the other team is doing and we try to figure out ways to score points on the other team. [Coach Speraw] really promotes that a lot. He likes to have the staff sit down. They say a few things here or there, but he really enjoys when we can try to figure out how to try and stop a team."

One team's brotherhood

There's an old saying:

"To lead people, walk beside them."

That's a good description of how 76-year-old Steelers owner and Hall of Fame member Dan Rooney leads.

After all, as described in this NY Times article, how many owners of a professional team...

-- Walks to his team's home games, including passing under a highway overpass?

-- Flies on the team charter, where he sits on the non-reclining row next to the bathroom?

-- Eats lunch in the team cafeteria with Steelers employees and players?

-- Invites players into his office to nap on the sofa?

-- Lives in a modest house across the street from an abandoned lot and a Wendy's fast-food restaurant?

“Some owners treat you like a rental property,” said defensive end Nick Eason, who has played in Denver and in Cleveland . “They have some maintenance guy to take care of it, they just come by to check on it, they look and they leave. Mr. Rooney comes around, he always sticks his hand out to you. ‘Hey, Nick’— and I’m like, he knows my name?”

Nose tackle Casey Hampton said: “A lot of owners, this is a hobby, but for him, this is his business, what he does. He’s here, shakes your hand, talks to you every day. Every day.”

According to this article, "strong safety Troy Polamalu said he treats all the players as his equal, “from Hines Ward to a free-agent rookie."

The Steelers family encompasses not only the current team but past players as well. “You come back, and you’re still a part of here,” Ward said. “We know the history of the team. Not only do we represent ourselves but all the players who wore the black and gold before us.”

The former linebacker Andy Russell, who played for the Steelers for 13 years, said: “Here I’ve been out of the game over 30 years, and they jump up and come over and shake my hand and tell me how pleased they are to see me. You know, I’m thrilled to see them. It’s a brotherhood.”

Mr. Rooney takes no credit for the "brotherhood," saying that the team's culture has been cultivated over a number of years.

"It started with my father," he said. "He gave me the values. He treated players, coaches, general staff as people. He was concerned about them."

This author contends that the "culture now permeates the entire organization — a sort of ego-free zone in which players and coaches can occasionally seem as if they’re competing for a Nobel prize in humility."

"We don’t care who gets the credit, and all we want to do is win. It’s very important that a team come together, that they develop respect for each other — you can call it love."

There is only one ball and every player does something a little different with it

As promised, here's another excerpt from the book "Unguarded" by Lenny Wilkens, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, with Terry Pluto, one of the nation's best sportswriters:

Before the 1978-79 season opened, I called the team together and said, "We don't have to love each other. It would look stupid if all twelve of us walked down the street holding hands."

That drew a laugh.

"But we do have to respect each other," I said. "We have to play together. We have to learn from each other. I realize that certain guys will hang out together, away from the court, and some other guys will go their own way. That's OK. We can't all be together all the time. But we have to be a family when we're at the gym. It's us against everyone else. When a teammate makes a suggestion to you, take it the right way. He's not trying to insult you, he's saying something to make the team better. And when you go to say something to a teammate, say it the right way. Don't insult the guy. Treat each other with respect."

The guys sat there, taking it in. You know how things get very quiet when a message is hitting home? How it gets so quiet, you can hear yourself breathe? That's how it was when I spoke to the team that day.

"There is only one ball," I said. "Each of us does something a little different with it. Some of us are better shooting it, some at rebounding, some at driving on the fast break and some at defending, taking it away from the other team. The way we win is to get the ball to the guy with the hot hand, the guy who can do the most with it right now. That guy often changes from game to game, even quarter to quarter. We have to be unselfish enough to keep finding that guy."

Players working together is more than coach-speak, and the coach can't do everything. This is part of what a coach means by chemistry. It's the players looking out for each other. It's veteran players spotting a young player who's spending too much time on the town, taking the kid aside, and explaining, "Hey, man, you gotta get your rest or you'll never last in this league."

Young players want the respect of the veterans, and they're more likely to listen to a veteran player than they are to some coaches. That's just a fact. It comes down to peer pressure, and when it's used the right way, it's the best thing for any team. For a couple years in Seattle, we had that.

It's about having to do the hard thing and do it often

Great quote here from Colts owner Jim Irsay about new IND coach Jim Caldwell and their owner-coach relationship:

"[Coach Caldwell's] not really here to do anything but what all outstanding head coaches do in our league and that’s blending a little bit of everyone they’ve been around, all of the influences they have been around.

My thing with him as an owner is supporting him. I’ve always said that it’s through the toughest times. When things are going the worst, when things are going the wrong way – and they do, because it’s all about overcoming adversity – that’s when I’m there for him. That’s what I always make sure I give our head coach.”

Leadership is the critical component, being a leader of men. If that is missing, no matter how much knowledge you have in terms of Xs and Os and all those sorts of things, you’re going to come up short. If things aren’t going well, you can’t close your office door and stare at film all day. The head coach has to be ready to confront tough issues. You have to have that sort of mentality and I know Jim has it.

It’s about having to do the hard thing and do it often."

As a leader, if you don't like tough decisions, it won't be long until you're very average

If you missed Mike Shanahan's press conference yesterday after he was fired, you can read the full transcript here. It's worth taking 5-10 minutes reading through it.

Coach Shanahan thanked members of the Denver front office and a number of his former players and assistants. He also thanked various members of the Denver media and the fans.

Here are a few highlights from Coach Shanahan's comments:

The one thing that was really exciting to me is the football team we have and the character of this team. I think the things we were able to do this year, when you leave a football team and you leave a team that has the utmost character then you feel good about it.

I feel good about the job I have done. The thing is, you have to make some tough decisions when you run an organization. You have to do things that are in the best interest of the organization, and I felt that that was right and I understand the direction he went. I have no problem with it because he is the best owner in sports.

I have been here for 14 years, I had 14 great years and it has been fun. It has been a great ride. Twenty-one years all-in-all, when you go back to those experiences I don’t give anything up.

Do you deserve it? We didn’t win for the last three years. We were 8-8, heck we were a .500 team. You get judged by performance, and I didn’t get the job done, that is the bottom line. Your job is to win and to win championships and we have not won a championship in awhile. The next place I go to, that will be the one thing that I am thinking about—What gives me the best chance to win a championship?

I think what you do is reflect through your relationships and what you are able to accomplish. I think we have done a lot. This is the best organization in sports. Pat Bowlen does unbelievable job of giving the best chance to be successful. When you look at everything, you say, ‘Hey, it has been fun.’ We will always be friends; we will always be best friends and appreciate people having to make tough decisions. It is not easy, but you have to do what you think is in the best interest of the organization.

When [I was fired] the first time with the Raiders, it was very tough, the first time you are fired. All of a sudden you start getting used to getting fired and it is not quite as bad because you understand sometimes people have to make some tough decisions.

On the serious side, it is always tough when you put your heart and soul into something and you are let go. That is all you care about is winning, and that is the bottom line. When you are not able to do that, it is hard especially when you think that you are not too far off.

The bottom line is you understand people have to make decisions that they feel gives this organization the best chance to win. Those decisions for me over the years have been very tough. I have loved a lot of these guys that you have to let go, but you do things that you think are going to give you the best chance to win.

Those are tough decisions, the toughest there are. That is what leaders do. You have to look at something and say, ‘Hey I made a mistake or I think it is the best interest of this organization to go in a different direction’.

Sometimes you have to do that with coaches and you have to do it with support staff. But you better be on the cutting edge because if not, it is going to pass you by. The executives will tell you if you don’t like those tough decisions, it won’t be long until you are very average.

It does. It does hurt, but tough times don’t last, tough people do. That is life. You regroup and you go find another job. My goal has always been to win a Super Bowl. My next job that I go to will be based on one thing: It gives you the best chance to win because this thing is about winning, all the time you put in.

The thing that people don’t understand very often is that [job] titles really don’t mean anything. What matters is people making decisions. What you want is competent people to run different parts of your organization and that is what I have always wanted.

If I got a general manager that is taking care of personnel, they may give me the final say but how often do I have the final say? What I want is advice. I want the guy that is coaching those quarterbacks or the offensive line to coach it better than me. I know they are putting all their time into it.

I want the GM that is a lot more qualified than I am in the personnel because he is doing it 24 hours a day to tell me who to sign. That is how you develop a strong organization; you want to find people that are stronger that you in certain areas that have a chance to be successful and I have always tried to do that.

Every assistant that I have hired knows that position better than me or else I could coach that position. That is not my specialty. That is what I think they try to do in every organization, try to get the best. If a certain position needs help then it is my job to go and help that certain position whatever it may be. That is why you are the head coach, that is why you are put in those situations.

We are all judged by what you get done and the expectations are very high and they should be. The bottom line is that it came back to me. I didn’t get it done. It doesn’t matter if it is what happened relative to anything. The bottom line is that it comes back to me.

[On what he is looking for in his next job.] Everything… and players. (Whatever) gives you the best chance to win. A person (owner) that wants to compete, a person that wants to win the championship as badly as you do. That would be No. 1. Ownership that wants to win just like you do and is willing to go to extremes to get that done.

It depends on ownership and people willing to compete. Do they want it as badly as you do?

[On telling his assistants that he's been fired.] That’s the toughest thing there is about being fired as a head coach. You let a lot of people down and a lot of families down—people that you believe in, people that you are for—and you are not able to take care of those families. So that’s the toughest part about it, by far.

[On what he'll miss most.] I think relationships with the people that you work with any day. Anytime you work 100-hour weeks and you’re busting your rear end to make things happen, that’s where football is—that’s what the family is about. Just working your tail off and trying to make it happen, trying to win a Super Bowl. And that’s what I’ll miss because I think we had a lot of things in place going in the right direction.

I’m going to be coaching. I can’t give you a time frame. I’m going to look at my options, see what options are out there.

All I can say is in my experiences here, it was just off the charts. You know, how you develop the friendships, how you develop relationships is going through those experiences together—going through the tough times, going through the good times.

And I’ve had a lot of those experiences with the Denver Broncos as an assistant coach and as a head coach. And that’s why I appreciate everybody in this room, because you don’t make it happen—one person doesn’t make it happen. Everybody makes it happen.

You have to have an owner that gives you the ability to go out there and get the best people and keep the best people. You get the best players and you get the best coaches because all I am is one of many. To win a Super Bowl and separate yourself you have to be the best at every area.

Bringing a team closer together

Came across a good story this morning about "pregame fireside" meetings that BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall created midway through the 2005 season, his first at BYU.

According to the article, "the pregame firesides have become a visible -- and popular -- display of the program's priorities under [Coach Mendenhall]."

Prior to Coach Mendenhall's arrival at BYU three years ago, the team would watch movies the night before a game. But he wanted something that would call out the "spiritual" aspect of BYU.

"The players have taken ownership in the fireside program. These days, starting linebacker Matt Bauman is in charge of fielding volunteers for speaking assignments, which are filled well in advance. Doman said they don't have to encourage players to participate because they grasp the motivation for holding the events -- what he calls the 'cause.'"

The players contend that "the program's emphasis on spirituality has served as a unifying force" for the Cougars, who've gone 32-6 under Coach Mendenhall.

Said one player:

"Coach Mendenhall's done a good job of focusing us on what we have in common, and what we have that separates us or distinguishes us. I think because we focus a lot on our faith and service … it brings the team closer together. From what I've noticed, that's the biggest thing. Everybody's getting along. Offensive guys are good friends with defensive guys. It's just a better team atmosphere."

Clearly, BYU is unique in that the school has a strong affiliation with Mormon Church. But the idea of finding ways to bring players together where they can learn about (and from) each other is an interesting one.

Ensuring that every player has a chance to contribute

After the Eagles beat the Browns on Monday night, Philly QB Donovan McNabb, who was benched briefly late last month, demonstrated why he's one of the best leaders in the NFL, saying:

"I think the satisfaction is the fact that you look up and we're winning ballgames. I've never been one to kind of look at the stat sheet and wonder how many yards I passed for, or whatever it may be. I'm all about winning ballgames and spreading the ball around and getting guys involved and giving them opportunities to contribute."

McNabb's desire to get teammates involved so that they can make a contribution is worth examining.

There's a great quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

"When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die."

People -- in any job -- want to feel like they're making a meaningful contribution. Talk to someone who hates his job and what you'll often find is that they don't see how what they're doing is helping the team/organization.

There's a forward at Michigan -- Jevohn Shepherd -- who has helped the Wolverines get off to a 7-2 start (including wins over Duke and UCLA).

Ask him what his role is and he'll reply: "There's not any specific role that excites me, except winning."

To Shepherd, making a contribution "feels good." As he puts it:

"Any way I can help the team, that's what makes me feel good. Whether it's coming off the bench or supporting my teammates, cheering them on, any way possible, winning is most important."

Point to any successful team and you'll likely find guys like McNabb and Shepherd on the roster.

Lamar Odom has taken a similar attitude this season in LA. Just yesterday he made it clear (again) that his focus is on winning, not stats:

"I'll do whatever needs to be done, start or come off the bench, cheerlead, coach, sweep the floor," he said. "Sell pretzels, beer. Box out. Get a rebound. All of the above."

According to CHI coach Vinny Del Negro, players who succeed over time are the ones who proactively look for spots where they can chip in. In his words:

''You find ways to make yourself effective. That's when you become a real pro in the league. You can have off nights but find ways to contribute."

I had a post here this summer about how, back in the mid-1980s, Celtics reserves contributed to the team's success by working to make the team's practices intensely competitive.

For a coach, it's important to find ways so that all of your guys contribute. More importantly, make sure every player understands how their contribution affects the team's success.

The three keys to longevity as a pro coach

NJ Nets coach Lawrence Frank, now in his sixth season with the team, is the longest-tenured coach in the Eastern Conference.

He was asked recently about how he's lasted so long in New Jersey:

"I've had very, very good players. I've been very fortunate. I've had excellent players. When things have gone south on us in terms of losing streaks I've had unbelievable support from Rod Thorn and ownership. That's what you need. This league is crazy. As you've seen, five coaches have been let go between 20 games of the season. You need really good players. You need great assistant coaches and you need support from above."

Taking a long-term perspective

Forbes magazine has named Les Alexander the NBA's best owner. Alexander, who's owned the Rockets for 15 years, "says there's no secret to running the Houston Rockets."

"The key is having good people who do a good job. You try to take a long-term perspective."

The article points out that HOU has had "just two losing seasons during Alexander's 15-year run."

No priority is more important than building confidence

One of my former college roommates forwarded me an excellent article that has real relevance for coaches, especially those who are taking over a team or program.

As I read the article, I kept thinking about coaches at all levels who've been hired and achieved success immediately. Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech (pictured here), for example, comes to mind.

According to the authors, one "essential element that must exist before any process change can show significant results." That element is confidence.

"Leaders who inspire confidence find that [players] become partners, and invest time, energy and effort toward the desired end result."

The following is an excerpt from the article [which is here]:

Ultimately, what determines whether a new leader will be able to meet expectations is the motivation and effort of the [team]. While a great reputation may give the new leader a brief advantage, it’s the ability to inspire the willing contribution of [his players] that enable him or her to deliver results rapidly and sustain these results over time.

When people have confidence, they willingly invest their time, effort, and energy toward the end result. New leaders can get better results, and get them more quickly, by making confidence-building a central focus of their transition plan.

But this doesn’t mean they start out with a pep rally. The kind of confidence people need doesn’t come from impassioned speeches or from patting people on the back and letting them know you have faith in them, but from a carefully crafted plan that guides people toward early successes and inspires them to ever higher levels of performance.

As Rosabeth Moss Kanter found in her research for her book, CONFIDENCE, once an organization is on a “winning streak,” it takes relatively little effort to sustain performance. So it makes sense for new leaders to focus their initial efforts on early successes. These successes inspire people in the organization to have confidence in the leader, in each other and in their own ability to win.

So how do new leaders rapidly build confidence?

While every organization is different, and every new leader will face unique circumstances, the good news is that any leader in a new role can rapidly encourage confidence by implementing the five building blocks:

1. Building trust through frequent, candid, and consistent communication.
2. Getting buy-in for one overriding and inspiring objective.
3. Creating a plan with input from the organization.
4. Ensuring that people are in the right roles.
5. Achieving early successes that inspire.

COMMUNICATION: As a new leader, know that everything you do communicates something. The messages people get from your early actions impact the confidence they will have in your leadership.

A great way to build credibility and mark the beginning of your leadership is by solving simple problems that get in people’s way.

The best way to determine which small changes will have the biggest impact is to get out and talk to people. When you decide on the changes to make, make them quickly and publicly.

People need to trust your motivations and feel confident that you’ll keep your word. The more exposure they have to you and the more you show interest in their concerns, the more likely you are to build trust.

INSPIRING VISION: Far too many leaders are great at giving specific directions, but neglect to remind everyone on the team of the greater direction and vision of the company.

But offering a strategy without a meaningful goal is like providing a map, pointing out a direction and telling people to “just get started” and you’ll fill them in later on the destination. The journey quickly becomes meaningless, and if the travelers encounter any roadblocks or detours, they’re likely to just give up, since they don’t know the greater purpose.

People are goal-directed organisms. Providing a meaningful objective taps into people’s natural motivation to succeed. As a new leader, you need to rapidly identify your prime objective for the first part of your tenure and get buy-in from all stakeholders. For any goal to inspire team confidence, it must truly be shared by everyone.

When people are confident of the clear, overriding purpose for their activities, they can respond flexibly, rapidly and confidently to unanticipated obstacles, changing circumstances and new
opportunities.

As a leader, you need to take responsibility for keeping people connected to the direction and vision on a regular basis. This keeps people from getting lost in daily activities and losing momentum.

STRATEGIC PLAN: No coach who wants to inspire the confidence of the team is going to suggest they can win without a clear game plan. In the same way, you can’t expect your players to get out on the field without a strategy.

Can the plan change along the way? Of course. But it’s having a plan – a roadmap for action – that inspires players to get out on the field and get started.

It’s important to engage people in developing the strategy. Not only will you gain valuable information, but you’ll increase people’s feeling of ownership in the plan. When people participate in creating a plan, they feel more invested in bringing it to a successful outcome.

Every milestone, program, and initiative needs to move the organization in the direction you want it to go. And everyone in the organization needs to be aware of how his or her role fits into the larger objective.

CLEARLY-DEFINED ROLES: By ensuring that the right people are in the right roles, you, as a leader, can feel more confident in them. Putting people in roles that fit their competencies also increases their self-confidence and the confidence of others on the team.

In order to do this, you need to:

-- Evaluate: See that the right people are in the right jobs. Support those who are, move those who are not.

-- Coach: Guide, critique, and assist people to improve their performance.

-- Build: Encourage and recognize people regularly. Specific encouragement and reward gives your people the courage to stretch, take risks and achieve new levels of performance.

Don’t wait for scheduled meetings, reviews, or ceremonies to give people feedback and recognition. Every interaction you have with your team is an opportunity to energize people and encourage them to move them in the right direction.

EARLY VICTORIES: It’s important that people feel momentum building during the transition period. The best way to accomplish this is to focus people on achieving early wins. It’s important to avoid initial challenges that carry the risk of failure and instead identify goals that can be achieved within a short time frame.

Seeing tangible results boosts motivation and encourages further effort. Leaders need to identify milestones that lead the organization in the direction of the overriding objective. Achieving these milestones constitutes early wins and gives the organization and leadership team something to celebrate. Achieving these early victories builds the leader’s credibility, the organization’s motivation, and the team’s confidence in its own ability to win.

Not only do you need to identify milestones and create a path to achieve them, you also need to celebrate victories, even the small ones, from the very beginning. Celebrating not only creates an atmosphere of recognition and positive energy, it bonds your team members together in the spirit of shared accomplishment. This inspires further confidence in their ability to collaborate and to win.

In any transition, getting the beginning right is critical to achieving the end results you want. As you move into a new leadership position, you’ll have many things to do. You’ll find yourself pulled in multiple directions, needing to respond to multiple stakeholders and outside observers, often at the same time.

Keep in mind, however, that confidence is the driving force enabling you to deliver on expectations. No priority is more important than building that confidence. The sooner you master this, the sooner your strategic plans are likely to deliver on their promise.

How to know when a program has turned around

Butch Davis is turning things around at North Carolina, where the Heels are ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation.  

UNC was 4-8 last season, Davis' first year as head coach, and was 3-9 in 2006, the season before he took over.

According to Coach Davis, a former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and University of Miami, he knew his team had turned the corner when he sees two things happen:

"There are two real underlying characteristics that let you know a program is starting to flip in the right direction.  One is when players take ownership of the program. Ultimately, success on the football field is directly related to that.

The second thing is being unselfish. When a team doesn't care who's getting the credit, all they want to do is win. Those are pretty good cornerstones to build a football program on. Nothing happens overnight. It has to be reinforced."

Getting players to take ownership

A story in the Plain Dealer describes how CLE coach Mike Brown "has spent years focusing and honing skills not just in basketball management but also in people management, and his success speaks in his record."

Coach Brown is careful about "passing off credit and absorbing as much criticism as possible," which has "remarkably endeared him to the players."

As Coach Brown, a USD alum, puts it: "From a young age, I had to figure out how to impose my will and get guys to understand without jumping on them or forcing it."

He started in the NBA as a video coordinator for the Nuggets when he was 22. Four years later, he moved to the Bullets as an assistant. Because he was just 26, "he started working on learning as much as he could about his players, not just from film and by reading, but by talking to them not about just about basketball but their lives in general. It was high-level bonding from someone who by job title is supposed to carry authority."

He also made it a point to understand what the players' were feeling. According to Gregg Popovich, for whom Brown coached in San Antonio:

"Michael's always had a great ability to show empathy with a player's situation. One guy may need to be jumped on because he's got a tough spirit, but maybe another guy is more sensitive and you need to handle him one-on-one in the film room. Mike has a great sense of how to handle personalities and knowing what would make that person to allow themselves to be taught."

The following is an excerpt from the article:

A significant facet of Brown's technique is to get players invested in decisions. Often, whether in a practice setting or even in the heat of a timeout in a close game, he will allow the players to make decisions on plays or strategy. To some, this would be considered risky logic and could lead to ruinous anarchy. But Brown sees it as a chance for his players to take ownership in decisions.

In the same vein, Brown almost never passes off blame when speaking publicly or challenges players through the media. When mistakes are made and the press comes looking for a villain, Brown usually steps into the firing line. When praise is in order, he often deflects it.

[Once], when a late-game adjustment solved some issues on offense, Brown said one of the players had suggested the change. When asked later, the player shook his head and said it was Brown who came up with the idea.

"I try to empower my players as much as possible - if you do, it is going to reflect in their effort level," Brown said. "The reality of it is, everybody on this level can play - it is about who plays harder and who plays better together. If you have two people who think they are working together and not a boss telling an employee, it is going to work better."

He is devout when it comes to preparation, which includes vast amounts of film. He has numerous meetings with players, always making sure to keep the lines of communication open in the hope of never surprising anyone with decisions, whether it is good or bad news.

"He sold me as a person even before I knew him as a coach," Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "You cannot fool players for a long time, maybe a few weeks, but not forever. We found out pretty quick that it didn't matter that he didn't play in the league because his basketball IQ was so high."