t’s crunch time!! Pre-season is quickly approaching and your schedules are almost complete. But wait.. did you remember to schedule in time for creating and/or reinforcing your desired culture? Set a goal to carve 30 minutes out of each day to intentionally create your team culture. Typically, when we address these topics in our leadership workshops, they range anywhere from 90 minutes – 3 hours long. For now, 30 minutes is a good place to start these conversations with your team.
Below is a an actual pre-season agenda that a DIII Women’s Soccer Coach used for her program, a program that was successful on and off the field. It’s an excellent example of how to incorporate culture building into your pre-season plan.  Just as you plan your warm-ups, group drills, individual work, and strength training/conditioning, you should plan for teaching/discussing culture. It is intentional. It is a commitment. It is worth the investment.
First and foremost, it is important to talk to your team about WHY you are doing this work. Why is culture building and leadership training so important? How is this going to help us as a team? How does it help us win more? Bringing them in on the conversation, as we know, helps to create buy-in. The end goal is that they view this work as a valuable part of being an athlete and a valuable part of their training, not something that takes away from valuable training time.
Day-By-Day Culture Building Pre-season Schedule
What are you waiting for? Â You have the tools. You have the research. Â Go get the results!
Good luck and Keep Strivin!
Pam Herath & The Strive Team
