Today is an important day in our Nation’s history. Yes, it’s the inauguration of the 47th president and that event will undoubtedly lead to changes in our culture. Still, I hope that event does not overshadow the celebration of a man who so drastically changed our nation’s fabric that he paid for it with his life.
Every year since 1993, I have told the story of my dear friend Dr. Patricia Hill, my graduate school office mate, and her personal story of racism and the impact of Dr. King’s movement for racial equality. Pat’s family was from the south and each time she visited she felt the sting of being a 2nd class citizen. She was forced to drink from a “colored” drinking fountain and use different facilities than white folks. When she told me this story as we prepared a lesson for our communication classes on Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, I cried. I was SO HURT and ANGRY that a friend of mine was treated as if she was not my equal. Pat Hill is one of the smartest, kindest and most beautiful people I have ever worked with. Her story put a face on a movement that, until that moment, had happened in the distant past in my mind even though Dr. King was killed almost exactly two years before I was born.
As I again reflect on Pat’s story and the injustices of discrimination, I am reminded that women, people of color and other marginalized people are still treated unjustly today, more than 55 years after Dr. King’s death. They may not be forced to drink from a fountain marked “colored”, but inequality exists all around us. And I hope as you lead in your corner of the world you will continue to stand for liberty and justice, not just for amazing people like Pat, but FOR ALL!
In thinking about Dr. King’s movement and the topics we discuss in these Tips, I could not move on from CULTURE. Maybe it’s because I am teaching a class called Positive Team Culture this semester at Akron and I am knee-deep in culture research. Or maybe it’s because, as I built the course, I could not stop thinking about the cultures I built or contributed to throughout my coaching career.
Either way, as I was reading this week about Dr. King, I stopped on this quote: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
I spend a lot of time talking about being outward-focused with my teams and Dr. King’s timeless words underscore the importance of service and connection. And these two principles lie at the heart of effective team culture.
For years, this was my strength as a coach. I had an outward focus, building connection and serving my team and our community. We never lost the ‘serving the community’ part, it was a hallmark of our programs. But the ‘building connection’ thing, there were times I could have done better.
Exhibit A: our first year at Akron. I left an amazing culture at Cleveland State. I assumed it would follow me to UA. That’s not how it happens. When we got to UA, it was time to win. Time to build. Time to return the program to the glory days of the mid-80s when, as DJ Khalid said (sort of) “all they did was win, win, win no matter what!” Or so I thought that was what we needed.
So, we went in, told them what we knew worked technically and tactically. In my heart and mind,
I knew that culture and connection were king. But that’s not what I led with…and if I had to do it all again, I’d do it differently!
They needed to see me for who I was, not what I knew. And more importantly, they needed to know I saw them!
Imagine being a person (or a complete race of people) that no one “sees”. There is no doubt that feeling would affect your behavior…and performance.
Then imagine Dr. King spewing what he needed others to do before he created a picture of what a better world would look like for them.
I wish I had read The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle before my move to UA. In it, Coyle highlights the keys to building culture, one of the most important being building belonging cues. These small, consistent signals that convey “I see you; I value you, and we’re in this together” are critical to creating a high-performing culture.
I wasn’t around in Dr. King’s time, but I am certain by the impact he had on our culture that people felt seen and heard when he spoke and led! He made an entire race of people feel seen and heard enough to fight for their own liberty and justice!
People trusted him and my team needed to trust me before they listened to me. I knew this, but I didn’t act on it.
Trusting our leaders is important for progress, performance and culture, but it doesn’t stop with those at the top. Dr. King didn’t do it alone!
I often hear about trust, or lack thereof, from my athletes. They don’t trust the people around them…to do their jobs, to have their back, to support them when they fail. I bet it’s the same in an office setting.
We aren’t building our cultures in a vacuum and the culture at large, the relentless pursuit of personal excellence leads many to double down on refining individual skills. While this drive for mastery can propel personal performance, it can also inadvertently erode the critical element of trust.
A high school coach once told me about his constant struggle to get athletes to work together, observing that they thought what they did with their individual coaches made them better than those around them. Try to build a team with that running in the background!
When we focus solely on our own development, we risk unintentionally signaling to teammates that we don’t trust or value their contributions. The "I can do it better” or “I have to do more in case you don’t do your job" mindset can foster silos within a team, undermining collaboration and performance.
All this individual focus can also hinder communication. Focusing on our own goals and performance may lead us to neglect opportunities to support, encourage, or seek input from others. This goes against Coyle’s “I see you; I value you, and we’re in this together” belonging cues.
Where does trust start? According to Dr. Brene Brown, it starts with vulnerability! Think for a moment about the vulnerability Dr. King showed in denouncing his own anger toward officials in the Montgomery bus boycotts and at other times during his leadership. Admitting that he acted against his values allows others to evaluate their actions and own it when they aren’t at their best.
Vulnerability is a critical component of psychological safety. And psychological safety, according to Harvard’s Amy Edmondson, is the critical factor in team success. It enables individuals to voice their ideas, admit mistakes, and engage in healthy conflict without fear of negative consequences. The world’s best teams—whether in sports, business or the military—excel because they foster an environment where people feel safe and valued. Vulnerability creates a ripple effect, encouraging others to drop their guard and bring their authentic selves to the team. This openness humanizes leaders (and superstars) and fosters a culture of mutual respect!
Not sure where to start to build a culture that values psychological safety or vulnerability? First, do what I needed to do more often. Own it! Incorporate “Own-It Moments” into your team meetings, where players and coaches share one mistake they’ve made recently and what they’ve learned from it. This practice normalizes imperfection and helps players see mistakes as opportunities for growth.
Another great tool is a “Culture Check-In” before or after each practice. I remember doing this after a tough loss when I felt we were losing a bit of our glue. I looked each kid in the eye and told them why I loved coaching them. I saw posture change and energy rise immediately. Each of them was “seen” in that moment…and changed everything! (See, I knew what to do. I just didn’t always choose to do it).
In your “Culture Check-In,” you can ask each player (or a few each day) to share something they appreciate about a teammate or a specific way someone helped them recently. This not only reinforces the “I see you; I value you” but also reminds us of our role in contributing to the team’s success…and that if we want to stand on the mountaintop, we must ask ourselves, “What are we doing for others?”
A culture isn’t built by chance. It isn’t about telling people how to play or work better. It’s about connecting people to a vision and each other. As I learned the hard way, even though I had it on a plaque on my wall, “They don’t care how much you know until you show them how much you care” and you can’t show caring getting out of the weeks or off of yourself…or without asking “what are you doing for others?
Manage the moments!
Julie
P.S. It’s not too late to start improving your mental game. Let’s build a plan and help your team design their Mental Performance Operating Systems and improve their performance! Contact me to find out how!
Send me a text at 234-206-0946 or an email at juliej@ssbperformance.com and schedule a call to see how we can enhance your program’s mental approach!
Julie Jones
Mental Performance Coach
SSB Performance
juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946