Everyone wants to play for championships. It is easy to believe that creating a championship culture is the exclusive responsibility of the coach. However, current Penn State and former USC wide receiver Kyron Hudson had this to say. “Good teams are led by coaches, and great teams are led by teammates and players. I think that’s the main thing. When it goes back to culture, when the team leads it, the culture is going to be what it needs to be.”
Hudson was among a group of college athletes who gathered together for a GameChange YouTube show called The Conversation, where the subject of how players can contribute to creating a championship culture was discussed.
Entire Team
USC basketball player Talia von Oelhoffen emphasized the importance of the entire team contributing to the culture. She said, “I feel like the first thing is…. just everyone buying in. I feel like your culture is only as good as every individual is and how they contribute to it.” Hudson agreed with von Oelhoffen. “I think what it comes down to is what you said, everybody buying into what our goals are and why we all are here.” He added, “And I think that when you have players on your team that think they’re too good (they) can be the cancer of the team.”
Accountability and Leadership
So, what does a team do if there are players who aren’t with the program? Von Oelhoffen made a strong point that leadership has to come from the players. She stated, “We made sure our coach wasn’t going to be the one that had to tell us things.” Von Oelhoffen explained that the teams she played on that had great culture were the ones where players held each other accountable. She believes that accountability requires great leadership. She said. “I think every great team, every championship team has one person, or maybe it could be two, that is the rock and the leader and the one that’s holding everyone accountable.” Simone Jackson, a former USC soccer player and currently with the Orlando Pride, pointed out that the best leadership comes from doing, not saying. “You can show up on time, you can be consistent, you can do the work and your actions can then rub off on someone next to you.”
Contribution
Hudson pointed out that one way to eliminate negative vibes is for every player to feel like they are contributing and to understand the value they bring to the team. He said, “Each person has a role and you do your role at the best you can.” Jackson agreed, “That’s so good, especially knowing your role and understanding your role.” She added, “You’ve really got to understand what type of person you are and how you can contribute best to the team.”
Empathy
Long Beach State volleyball player DiAeris McRaven talked about how great culture is created when players on the team care about and support each other. He spoke about a team he was on where many of the players were dealing with personal issues. He explained how this made him want to support his teammates more. “I knew what they were going through and to see them excelling in their sport, it made me happy. And I think with having that closeness with your guys and not having any animosity towards anybody on the team and being able to really nurture those bonds, I think is just so important to creating really strong team culture.”
Consistency
A big takeaway from all of the lessons learned for how a player can participate in creating a great team culture is to be consistent. Von Oelhoffen strongly emphasized this point. “I feel like if you have a great culture, you have a great culture every day. It’s not during postseason, it’s on a random day in September. How are you approaching that day?”
