The Essence Of Team Building
Bob Ladouceur began coaching the De La Salle High Spartans in Concord, California in 1979. He took over a team that had never experienced a winning season since the school's founding in 1965 and turned it into a perennial winner. From 1992 to 2003, he guided the team to 12-consecutive undefeated seasons, setting a national winning streak record for high school football of 151 consecutive wins.
Team building according to Ladouceur consists of the following:
Start with the process. In 1979, Ladouceur sized up his few small, dispirited players, who hadn't had a winning season in the school's history. “My approach was all about process,” he says. “I didn't have any long-term goals. I just said to myself, Let's teach these guys how to win and what it takes to win, and then make it a day-to-day process.”
Create small victories. “I tell each player that all I ask is that by the time each practice ends, for you to be better than you were two or three hours ago. Whether it was in the weight room or on the field, I ask them to walk off a little bit stronger, to understand the game a little more, or at least to have the plays that we were running down more.”
Be a teacher who creates teachers. During practice, Ladouceur teaches techniques, getting down in the stance, talking about first steps. It's also about the complementary thinking that goes into game situations. After a few repetitions, he steps back. “I expect the kids to lead themselves.” Indeed, in the weight room, players supervise one another and think nothing of stopping a teammate's exercise if his form is wrong. “They self-correct,” he says.
Be about something bigger than work. “The kids have to see that you're about more than just football,” he says. “I don't think they respect you otherwise.” This is what elevates the teaching moments above the mundane. "It's not just about getting better physically, it's about how we're getting better as people: in terms of courtesy, respect, how they treat their bodies, how they treat their teammates, and how they respect themselves.”
Build a team with soul. “If a team has no soul, you're just wasting your time,” he says. During the off-season, players go camping or volunteer for community service. During the season, the team regularly attends chapel. Each player fills out a commitment card that lists specific expectations for the next game. What does he talk about before a game? “Love. What is it with us that we find it so hard to say it to each other?”
—Adapted from Don Wallace's book One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game
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