Serve, Coach, Lead Newsletter #4: What Does Excellence Look Like?

Jack Leggett will go down as one of the best college baseball coaches of all time. He spent a majority of his career as the head coach at Clemson University, from 1994-2015. I recently finished his book, "The ABC's of Excellence" in which he covers many concepts for coaches to become more effective leaders (in alphabetical order). As I read, I wrote down some of the sections that stood out most to me. Today, I will highlight a few of the discussions from the book, as well as add a few of my own thoughts!

One of the first words that Leggett spoke about was attitude.

Attitude is the number one quality of achieving success. Our ability to bring a great attitude and energy every single day will separate us from 99% of our competition. As the mental performance coach Brian Cain says, "If you're juice-full, you're useful, and if you're juiceless, you're useless!"

Our attitude will permeate throughout the people we lead. If we can bring a positive, forward-thinking mindset to any situation, those around us will also work to find solutions to problems that arise. Be a problem solver, not a problem seeker!

Leggett also described the importance of body language, both for athletes and for coaches.

We should remind our players that coaches can tell what an athlete is thinking, and how invested they are by studying their body language. As a coach, this is something that we can and should be quick to attack. As long as we set expectations early that poor body language is unacceptable, we can hold our athletes to a high standard. Body language is like a sign on your forehead. Encourage your athletes to make it say:

"I love to play!"

"My motor is running!"

"I am coachable, challenge me!"

"I want to learn more!"

Body language is also incredibly important to be aware of as leaders. When something goes wrong on the court/field/rink, many eyes go directly to us as coaches. How we react, and the body language that we show, has a large impact on the attitude of our players and fans. I know that it is difficult, but as a coach I try to never cross my arms. I know that it is a comfortable resting position, and it may not always have bad intentions, but in many cases it appears that we are closed off or frustrated. Get in the habit of folding your hands behind you. This keeps your shoulders back, and helps you exude confidence in your team (even if you aren't completely confident at that given moment!) Simply giving the non-verbal message that we believe in our team, and are focused on the next play will increase confidence and energy in our players.

Finally, Leggett talks about being a good friend. While coaches and leaders are responsible for holding those they lead accountable, our athletes also sometimes simply need someone to be there for them. We must make sure that we speak to our players with words of encouragement and care. Understand when the time is right to be realistic and critical, and when those we lead simply need to be uplifted and reassured. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple text or phone call to let them know that you are thinking about them. Leggett also suggests passing on a random compliment, memory, or funny story involving them. This simply comes down to taking the time to show them that we care about them as athletes and as people.

My hope is that we can take these concepts from Leggett into our week. Bring a great attitude, expect and demonstrate impeccable body language, and be a great friend to those in your care.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this week's newsletter. As mentioned before, I would love for this to be an interactive experience for each of us. Please share any comments, questions, or feedback that you may have. You can reply directly, or simply email me at harrison.stevens3@gmail.com. Also, if you know of anyone that would benefit from these emails, please send them this link to sign up.

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Thank you for your support, and I look forward to connecting with you all next week.

God Bless!