In order to win, you need to make sure that everyone is accountable for team success. By doing this, you will ensure that your athletes are only taking actions on and off of the field that will help your team win. Here is how you can make this happen.
Develop a culture of togetherness from day one
A sense of accountability doesn’t start on the field. It begins on the first day of training camp. In order to ensure that your players are accountable for each other’s success, make sure that they share everything collectively. For example, if a player drops a pass or doesn’t finish a sprint in time, don’t just penalize him. Penalize the entire team. This will create a lasting mentality that individual mistakes affect the entire team.
Constantly remind your team of what it takes to win
High-powered teams get defeated by less talented opponents all of the time. In most cases, this is due to the fact that the less talented team held themselves more accountable for team success. Make sure that you remind player of this constantly.
Treat all of your players equally
Even if you have one of the best players in the nation, he can end up hurting your team if you make the mistake of giving him unfairly preferential treatment. When you do this, one of two things is likely to happen:
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Your star player will begin to take advantage of the preferential treatment, focusing solely on how he can boost his own stat line, as opposed to supporting the team’s goals.
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Seeing the preferential treatment, other players will become despondent, and possibly only take actions that they think will benefit their own statistics.
Both instances will lead to blown assignments (holes in your defense that create easy runs and long pass opportunities) and major miscommunications on offense (smaller gaps for running backs and interceptions). In order to avoid something like this, be sure to treat everyone on the team equally. This should include giving everyone the same penalty for mistakes made on or off the field. Make sure that you emphasize the fact that a player has hurt the team’s ability to succeed as you hand out a penalty.
Prepare your team for success by keeping them together
When everyone is accountable for the team, your team’s success will be dramatically enhanced. Make sure that your players understand this fact.