Serve your teammates.
That’s the first commandment. Everything else flows from that.
Play for the girls next to you, not for the stat sheet or the crowd. Be their anchor when things go wrong and their echo when things go right. Serving is the opposite of self-promotion; it’s commitment in action.
Be a Listener, Not a Chatterbox
Everyone talks about “communication,” but few master the quiet half of it.
Listening is an art. Listening is a gift. Attention — full, undivided, no-phone, no-excuse attention — is how you show teammates they matter.
You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the gym. You need to be the clearest listener. Make eye contact. Read body language. Hear the tone behind the words.
Listening Is a Skill
Skills can be taught, trained, and refined. Listening isn’t passive — it’s active. When a teammate speaks, hear what they mean, not just what they say. On the court, it means eye contact in serve-receive, quick cues in transition, or silent trust in a teammate’s coverage.
During the game, listening alone isn’t enough. You must act on what you hear. Listening is subservient to action — if someone calls “short” or “mine,” you move. If your setter’s rhythm changes, you adjust. If a teammate’s energy dips, you help them rise.
Take Care of Business Everywhere
Good teammates don’t just show up in games. They handle things — at home, in school, in the locker room. A missed assignment or late arrival might seem small, but reliability is contagious. So is inconsistency. Take care of your responsibilities; your habits off the court show up on the scoreboard.
Listening Can’t Be a Sometime Thing
It’s easy to listen when you feel good. It’s harder when you’re tired, frustrated, or on the bench. But that’s when your teammates need you most.
Be there for them even when you don’t feel like it. Championship teams are built on the unseen acts of presence — the nod across the huddle, the quiet “you got this,” the small lift that makes a big difference.
Closing Thought
The first commandment of being a great teammate isn’t about noise, stats, or spotlight. It’s simple and sacred:
Serve your teammates.
Serve them by listening, by showing up, by doing your job, and by caring when no one’s watching. Because when you serve the people beside you, everybody rises.
Lagniappe. There is no 'give up' in MVB.
— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) October 4, 2025
Word for the day: sardonic (Scornfully or cynically mocking) - I usually think of it with a synonym, "sneering." The origin is ostensibly from a Greek plant, sardonius, alleged to cause facial convulsions and death. The word for the day usually isn't a mainstay of daily conversation, but worth knowing.
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