By Jeff Janssen, M.S., Peak Performance Coach
“Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.”Scottie Pippen
Understanding and accepting roles is one of the biggest areas for developing a successful team. The obvious problem with getting individuals to play roles is that certain roles have more outside appeal than others. Who gets the most praise, pats on the back, and interviews after the games? Too often it is the player who scored the most points, not the one who set the perfect and painful screens to get him open. Coach, parent, and media attention to the “glamour” roles is one of the biggest obstacles for getting individuals to accept and embrace less popular roles. However, these roles are absolutely critical to your team's success.
Championship teams have players who not only accept these roles, but understand their significance and value to the team and they actually take pride in playing them. As Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley says,“The key to teamwork is to learn a role, accept that role, and strive to become excellent playing it.”
Accepting Roles
Your goal as a coach is to have your players accept and embrace the role that they are given. When each player accepts his/her role and takes pride in playing it your team will have its best chance of being successful. How do you get your players to understand and accept their roles?
ACCEPTING ROLES = DEFINING ROLES + APPRECIATING ROLES
Defining Roles
"Molding a team begins with a clear definition
of each player's role."Coach Jack Ramsey
A key aspect of role acceptance is helping to clearly define roles for each of the players. Role definition means that each player knows what is expected of him/her both on the court and off the court. It includes the responsibilities that they are expected to handle and fulfill. Let's take the six-time World Champion Chicago Bulls as an example. Steve Kerr/John Paxson basically had to find the opening and knock down the outside jumper. Dennis Rodman/Horace Grant had two responsibilities, rebound and defend. Ron Harper just had to play defense. It's usually your superstars who have to take on additional roles (Jordan & Pippen). But the majority of the “role” players just need to play their role effectively and everything else takes care of itself. Each player should have one or two primary responsibilities that when executed successfully, propel the team toward its ultimate goal.
Two Ways To Define & Clarify Team Roles
1. Individual Meetings with Each Player
There are a few ways that you can help to define and clarify your individual player’s roles. One is to have an individual meeting with each player discussing their role. It usually is best to begin the meeting by asking the player about the roles or contributions the player is making presently. Find out how satisfied they are with their present role as they see it as well as any future roles that they would like to play. Either the player sees things the way you do or you need to bring in your perspective as a coach. If a player would like to play a greater role, discuss what you think it will take for the player to have a chance to play their desired role. It may range from extra practice to transferring to another team to a reality check. The key is to have honest and open communication between you and each player.
2. Teammates Clarifying Roles for Each Other
An excellent and effective way of clarifying and appreciating roles is to have your team define roles for each other. Our men's team at Arizona has found this exercise to be quite beneficial. Have your players sit in a circle and describe each player's role. Ask the team, “What does Jason bring to this team? What do we need from him in order to reach the team goals we have set for ourselves?” If the person is a starter, the players will probably discuss his strengths and help him see her role more clearly. If he is a sub, players will talk about the need for him to push the starters to get better as well as appreciate the "little" things he does.
Role Appreciation
Perhaps the biggest key leading to your players accepting their role is through role appreciation. What you are trying to do is to create a sense of pride in playing a role. You want each player to understand the contribution that they make to the team and take pride in it, regardless of whether it is valued by the fans or media. Phil Jackson acknowledged the importance of role playing in his book Sacred Hoops. “I knew that the only way to win consistently was to give everybody - from the stars to the number 12 player on the bench - a vital role on the team.”
Nails and Glue Awards
Getting people to accept roles requires that you appreciate them. By appreciating them for playing roles, your players begin to understand that their role is valued and ultimately important to the team reaching its common goal. As Boston Celtics Coach Rick Pitino says, “Recognize the people who get less attention in the group because they're not in the glamorous positions. Thank them publicly for their unselfishness and do it in front of their peers.” While the fans and media may overlook some vital roles, you can appreciate them in a more effective way through team awards.
One such award that I have developed with teams is called the"Nails" award and the "Glue" award. We created the Nails award to acknowledge and appreciate the mental toughness of the player(s) who is“mentally tough as nails.” The award is given on a weekly basis and is voted on by the team. The players are not allowed to vote for themselves. The Glue award focuses on team aspects and is symbolized by the “glue that binds the team together.” The players vote for the teammate who had the best team attitude demonstrated by encouraging his/her teammates and/or making individual sacrifices.
You can create various awards for whatever roles you deem important to your team’s success - like recognizing the player with the most rebounds, assists, charges taken, or screens. Let your players come up with the names for the award. Arizona men's basketball team created the “All Props Team” to acknowledge the player who best exemplified the team’s standards for success. You can either determine your award based on objective stats or have your team vote for the player they felt did the best job. Announce the award at practice, put up a sheet on the player’s locker, and add his/her name to the main award list in the locker room.
Summary
Your team's success relies on your ability to get your players to understand and accept their roles. Use the previous suggestions to help you define and appreciate each player's role and soon your team will be on a roll!
Jeff Janssen helps coaches and athletes develop the team chemistry, mental toughness, and leadership skills necessary to win championships.For more information on Jeff's programs and resources, visit www.jeffjanssen.com or call toll free 1-888-721-TEAM.
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