Top Three Ways to Build a Team First Mentality

Monthly activity:
JAN- CFB Bowl Party
FEB- Bowling Party
MAR- Ultimate Football contest
APR- Mulch businesses or elderly around town
MAY- Run in a 5K together

NOV- Rake leaves for businesses or elderly around town
DEC- Attend a HS basketball game together

I'm just spit balling here...

3D Coach by Jeff Duke. Spotlight time, team circle activities, accountability letter writing, peer to peer mentoring. The relational strategies changed the entire complexity of our team identity. Plus we worked the dog out of them in the weight room year round and in the summer. Nothing builds team better than sweat and sacrifice. If you don’t build brotherhood and respect, they’ll never play as a team. Make them speak and communicate with each other. It is a far more powerful tool than full team trips and other things where they can still hang with who they are comfortable with. Have them speak and look each other in the eye and say positive things abojt each other. You’ll be amazed what kids notice about their teammates once they start speaking. Buy the book, read it, use it.

This is huge.  We struggle with kids from another sport because their coach doesn't require them to be at practice to play in games.  Not kidding.

They go out for football and realize they have to show up....and work hard, so they're out.

And somehow this douche still has a coaching job....

His dad is a coach and by all accounts a great guy. Before we start taking ourselves waaaay too seriously again, let's not forget that the character and type of teammates these kids are has a lot more to do with their background and upbringing than anything we do. Not trying to be a jerk, but let's not forget the other alabama kid who went after the coach on the sideline and was allowed back in the game. Not sure where that is in the Alabama "culture manual"

as to the OP's question....I know of one good way to foster a team mentality, kick off a talented turd. It sends a message to the team that the rules apply across the board, it brings them together. 

I heard a story of a team this past season, two kids were pretty much doing whatever they wanted and showing up when they felt like it...they were eventually given some punishment to do but refused, said they would quit first....so the HC told them they could do less punishment if they didn't quit and situation was resolved

members of the team approached the HC and told him that they would rather he allow the kids to quit......he refused and told them to worry about practicing harder and let him worry about who is on the team. Apparently that locker room was pretty toxic

I don’t have a list for you but our HC does a great job of making sure our kids understand the team mentality. One thing I’ve noticed - he never talks about himself, rather, he consistently talks about how players’ actions effect the team as a whole and not him. For example, “you cheating your reps on the weight room won’t effect me. Im not on the field playing next to you. It’s going to hurt all of these other guys who are doing all the reps they’re supposed to be doing, all of whom are trying to help you. Cheating reps isn’t lazy, its selfish”

I’ve also never heard him say “my” when talking about something other than his family. It’s always “our”.

I wish I could tell you some cool activities for you but I’m shooting blanks. But I do think it starts with the weight room and an emphasis about how this is a group and community program and how nobody under any circumstances is bigger than the program.

Thanks for the responses everyone. Does anyone have anything they specifically do to build team buy in or unity? Yes the way we talk about our programs is important, but does anyone do anything in the summer or spring to bond the team together more?

Something I have been thinking about lately, and it doesnt really apply to us.

But in the NFL for example. How can you build a team first mentality, when the organization or player can leave anytime. 

I mean it looks like the Patriots were thinking about trading Tom Brady. How can anyone have loyalty to the team, when the first sign of any trouble they get rid of you. So why wouldnt a player get theirs, whatever way they can, as soon as they can, however they can???

Just a thought I dont necessarily believe in it. 

A consistent positive message/expectation that is consistently reinforced by the HC down through the ACs/Parents to the seniors, etc. etc.

You set the stage and mental framework for how things are done as a unit and how individuals within that unit can positively contribute within their roles...

Once the groundwork for this team theme/mentality or culture is laid through focused hard work, consistent discipline and team building exercises... The rest is cake...

Have a plan, work the plan and make changes as needed...

Consistent message, consistent delivery, consistent progress... IMO

I have kids reading Jeff Janssen's Team Captains Leadership Manual. They are reading it in small groups of 3. We meet and talk about it. When they are done they will give the book to another teammate of their choice and invite them to talk about it. The coaches and I are also reading Jeff Janssen's Seven Secrets to Successful Coaches, and Building a Championship Culture.

I think coaches character development is very overlooked. We need assistants that will model the behavior we expect from our players. And Janssen's books are a short easy read, and it puts things in perspective. There are a ton of good books out there with big time coaches names on them. I have found Janssen's books to be the most relate-able and they have a ton of ideas to use.

Don't just focus on the kids though, your assistant coaches can have a much greater impact, and you just need to communicate your expectations for them clearly and make sure you also show your appreciation for them.

Do you have any outdoor education programs near your area? These types of groups are all about team building through deliberate initiatives designed to first get comfortable/understand one another and then what to do to communicate when things are going right and when they are going wrong. The critical piece to the event lies in the debriefing of it afterward. You could observe what an organization does on the first days of bringing new groups together.

Every group has the potential for four stages of development. There is Forming (getting together, everyone's on their best behavior because it's "new"), Storming (the rise of conflict and pushback, testing boundaries, etc.), Norming (groups begin to accept the various members of the group, respect the boundaries, etc.) and Performing (ideally, achievement toward stated common goals). Not all teams get to performing and often teams will digress as they progress.

www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckman%27s_stages_of_group_development