"Every Second Counts"

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. 

"Every day here is the freaking Super Bowl." - The Bear (language)

Her former employer, Abercrombie, gave a young leader a poster showing fifty sweaters and asked her to pick the top two sellers. She picked them. They asked how she knew. "Those were the best ones." Sometimes, we know the best when we see it. 

Prioritize program values. List top to bottom however you like. Get something down. Add more if you want. Some overlap in varying degrees. 

Teamwork

Excellence

Growth (mindset)

Discipline

Purpose

Athleticism

Skill 

Leadership

Effort

Toughness 

Culture

Energy

Intensity

Communication

Accountability

Focus

Competitiveness

Inspiration 

Urgency

Tradition

Legacy

Resilience

Edit your list to five. That doesn't mean the others don't count. Remember the saying, "if you're going to put all your eggs in one basket, watch the basket carefully." 

My five won't always be yours. 

1. Teamwork. Volleyball is a team sport. Individual actions count, but the sport rewards "dig, set, spike" collaboration with points. 

2. Excellence. Remind yourself of the sign in the locker room of the greatest college women's soccer team ever, North Carolina. 

Excellence Is our Only Agenda 

The sign doesn't say "winning" is our only agenda, "becoming All-America" is our only agenda, "Getting NIL money" is our only agenda, or "Envy is our only agenda." Slogans only matter when embraced and lived. 

3. Growth. Target improvement at every opportunity. Ask how can you impact team success and make everyone around you better. 

4. Leadership. Leaders make others better. Leaders make leaders. Leaders see what needs to be done and do what it takes. Player leadership matters.

5. Resilience. Staying power. Have the will to stay in the fight even when the battle is going against you. Work to close out games when ahead. Other qualities like focus, toughness, energy, and competitiveness roll into it. Do not quit. 

You might argue that one word from the list encompasses all these - culture. You are the culture. Protect your culture. 

Lagniappe. Learn to read the ball quicker and more accurately. Faster recognition allows faster reaction.