lessons on success from the coach

Last week Hiland High School girls basketball coach Dave Schlabach visited our staff meeting to talk to us about the keys to having a successful team. Coach Schlabach is one of the top H.S. basketball coaches in the state. This year his team will be attempting to win their third straight division IV state championship.

Here are some of the highlights from his talk:

Keys to success:

• Have a strong work ethic. Be enthusiastic. Don't be what he calls an "energy zapper."
• Be very goal oriented. He says that his teams "relentlessly pursue goals." And they set the bar high...a state championship every year.
• Establish and maintain a discliplined approach. He says it's imperative to establish boundaries and consequences. He added that the most important discipline is simply doing your specific role.
• Sacrifice. There must be sacrifice involved in order for special things to happen. Discipline, he says, relates directly to sacrifice. He added this: the more you sacrifice, the less likely you are to surrender (great quote!).
• Understand your role. To do anything but your role is selfish. He gave an example of a player on his team--the shooter--passing up a shot in order to involve more teammates in the game. He said it was a selfish act because the shooter's role is to shoot the ball...because doing your role helps the team accomplish its goal.
• Surround yourself with great people. Don't be afraid to ask for their help. Allow yourself to be constantly challenged by your staff and your peers. Here's another great quote: Great vision without great people is irrelevant.

And ultimately, in order to successful as a team, you must:

• believe in yourself
• believe in your teammates
• believe in your coach