Overlapping values between players and coaches creates synergy.Kirby Smart shares the two things he looks for in everyone who joins Georgia.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 12, 2026
"The threat for us is complacency. The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it's a threat. If you acknowledge it - that's the first step towards stomping it out."
Then he revealed what… pic.twitter.com/zipuFLPEh3
A Venn diagram is a visual tool that uses overlapping circles to show relationships between different groups or ideas. The overlapping areas represent similarities or shared characteristics, while the separate sections show differences. It helps simplify comparison, classification, and problem-solving by making connections easy to see.
Diagram created with ChatGPT Plus
Areas of convergence matter more than differences as long as none of the differences are "deal breakers."
Ricky Williams was a talented running back who found marijuana use helpful for both physical recovery and anxiety. The NFL didn't see it that way. Williams said that if he had pain, he was told "take Percocet" and he wasn't interested in hard drugs. His career was short.
Coaches uniformly will have concerns about:
- Work ethic
- Accountability
- Attention to detail
- Teamwork
- Being "part of the program"
Almost every player is concerned with:
- Individual success
- Minutes
- Role
- Recognition
- How the team functions
When the player understands what the coach wants, she has a far better chance to prepare, perform, and persist if she can adapt her wants to the coach's.
If a player's vision of "competitive character" doesn't align with the coaching staff, then problems are going to arise. That's where openness and communication matter.
Conflict can be destructive or productive and most people have one of four conflict styles: Amanda Ripley is a vital share from her MasterClass...realizing that overlap is normal.
We develop these styles young.
Avoiders often agree or walk away. Ignoring toxicity doesn't fix anything. "Sometimes exposure is the only good treatment." Most people, bottom line, want to be heard and understood.
Mediators look for common ground. They sense problems and seek to defuse it. But we can cede our feelings to others to our detriment.
Fighters want to battle. "Let's go." That's seldom a solution and power imbalances exist. "Social justice warriors" don't alway win even if their positions are just. Fighting and bullying can overlap. They're often fact-based but not necessarily persuasive.
Conflict entrepreneurs are dangerous, needy, often manipulators who live for it. They often have allies and are addicted to revenge. They don't see themselves as toxic. Compliance is a loss. Becoming them, "fighting fire with fire" doesn't work...getting into the mud. Ripley recommends 1) distancing, 2) trying to understand real wants, and 3) redirecting some of their energy when possible. They tend to be litigious.
Navigating our role on a team either as a head coach, assistant, or player matters. Touching the wrong nerves can hurt our cause. Try to figure out who we are and who we're working with/against.
I say that it's easier to have "Batman and Robin" than "Batman and Batman." Harmful conflict in families, workplaces, or teams never results in good outcomes. Think divorce, or Donald Sterling and the Clippers...
The most reliable predictors for high conflict are either contempt or disgust. Anger is not the characteristic issue.
Within dysfunctional conflict, destroyer number one is humiliating the 'opponent'.
Be able to ask, "Help me understand how everyone is feeling so that we can work on it." We have to understand that our behavior impacts others even if we think we're "in the right."
Healthy conflict can be stressful but creates knowledge of other perspectives and potential for solutions. Anyone who has been around sports for decades has their examples of "over the top" conflict which can't be shared.
Summary:
1) Recognize that both coaching staff and players have different values and desires. Learn them through communication.
2) Conflict is inevitable
3) Work to have healthy not dysfunctional conflict
4) Learn the "trigger points" that can set people off
5) Prioritize solutions over "winning" conflicts
Lagniappe. The middle blockers are vital. Study and learn the role and excel.
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