Episode 173: Team Commitment
Dr. Chelsea: This episode is brought to you by the Dance Coach Membership Relevé, a community for dance coaches on the rise. This community is designed to help you create a team of committed, hard-working dancers that are a pleasure to coach every day. I've learned a lot about coaching other coaches over the years, and one thing I know is we need clear action plans that are easy to implement and a support network around us.
So I created a membership to help all the dance coaches out there who want to rise up and make a difference on their team. Head over to www.passionatecoach.com/membership to learn more about how to join us inside this dance coach membership where you will get the support and guidance to find a new level of joy and success in coaching. That's www.passionatecoach.com/membership.
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When an athlete quits in the middle of the season, it usually causes drama, stress, and a lot of extra work. And granted, sometimes it's for the best, but generally speaking, we want to create a culture of team commitment where athletes stay invested all season, year after year. We want to create a culture of long-term team commitment.
So if you're interested in that, hi, I'm Dr. Chelsea! I'm host of Passion for Dance, and I'm on a mission to create happier, more successful dancers through positive mental skills. And for many teams, be it school teams or studios, we are entering a new season. Wouldn't it be great if we could establish strong, positive cultures from the beginning? So, today, I'm going to share three specific strategies you can use to establish a resilient commitment in your dancers this year!
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[Motivational Music]
Hi, I'm Dr. Chelsea, a former professional dancer and mental performance coach. I know what it feels like to be a passionate dance teacher who cares about your dancers, but you want to challenge them and help them be their best, and I also recognize that some traditions and teaching practices in the dance world are harmful. So I'm on a mission to change our dance industry by creating happier, more successful dancers using positive mental skills.
When you understand how to help your dancers with their confidence, how to find their own motivation, work together as a team and more, your dancers will unlock new levels of competitive success and happiness. And it's not just about them; you deserve the same. So we'll talk about how dance teachers can use positive mental skills to be more confident, resilient, and motivated as well.
Be sure to hit “subscribe” wherever you listen to podcasts. There are new episodes every Thursday, and each week you'll hear from me and my guests with advice and actionable tips for building mental toughness, covering topics about mindset, motivation, resilience, and building a community. Passion for Dance is a show designed to help dance educators like you have a positive impact on every dancer you teach.
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For many teachers and coaches, there's a time during those few weeks, or maybe it's only a few days, in between seasons where we evaluate the state of our programs, how many athletes are coming back. Some years you might have 90% of the team return. Other years, over half of them are gone, and you feel like you have to start over. And whether you coach a four-year school program or at a studio where your teams cross all ages, team commitment is vitally important, and I'm here to share these three simple steps to guarantee that long-term team commitment.
Team Commitment Starts with Coach Commitment – 3:19
But before I continue, I want to recognize that team commitment means coach commitment first. In order for athletes to be committed to their team, they have to feel a sense of commitment to the coach. The coach is the face of the team, the one behind that culture. If an athlete feels committed to her coach, she'll be committed to her team. So a strong coach-athlete relationship is at the core of creating team commitment.
Coaches who are able to build and maintain rapport with their athletes are able to establish trust and build credibility. If the coach is trusted, the athlete is much more likely to follow through on their team commitment. So I'm here to say, if you're the teacher listening, it starts with you. Your leadership style will establish the team culture that will either build a legacy of committed athletes for years to come or create a team where you have to start over every year.
And keep in mind, if you have a team where commitment has been a problem in the past or maybe it's the normal culture now, I'm not blaming you and I don't want you to take it that way. Maybe you inherited that culture, or your athletes are at an age where it's more normal, and sometimes it's the norm in the whole school or the community. There's that, like, team shopping going on. Parenting is changing. It's becoming more common for athletes of all ages to shop around for that better “opportunity.” So if dancers are quitting, sometimes it is out of your control. I want you to hear that, if it's happening to you, and know that sometimes it's about them. It's not about you.
However, what I want to encourage you to consider is that there are aspects of your culture that are in your control. That's what we want to focus on, so you can improve commitment levels over the next few years by focusing on the aspects of your culture that you can take control over.
Three Things to Improve Coach-Athlete Relationship and Encourage Commitment – 4:58
So here are three things you can do to improve your coach-athlete relationship and encourage a more genuine commitment from your dancers, because once you can build that level of commitment between athlete and coach, the team commitment is that natural extension.
#1: Training – 5:11
The first part is training. Most athletes participate in sport because they love it, and that includes dance. They want to grow. If a teacher is not providing adequate training and instruction, the athlete is likely to quit and go searching for better training elsewhere. A coach who emphasizes good, solid technique training will increase team commitment from dancers who are focused on growth.
Now, dancers who are focused on the shiny object and external rewards may not stay committed in an environment that's focused on their growth, and that's when you have to stay true to your own coaching philosophy. And if your goal is to offer solid technical training in whatever style you provide, and maybe even to help raise better humans, right (you're more of that holistic approach), the dancers with the same values will stay with you.
A coach is first and foremost, a teacher. A coach should be able to focus on training his athletes in the necessary skills and abilities and meeting each athlete's training needs. If each athlete is pushed and continues to see growth, they're able to perform their best, feel that sense of contribution to the team, and remain committed to those team goals.
And that doesn't mean you as the teacher are the expert in everything. Sometimes you might need to ask for help with training that falls outside your expertise. But whether it's you or outside resources, it's about providing that solid training for dancers who want to grow. That will keep them coming back.
#2: Promote Teamwork Within Your Culture – 6:33
Number two is promoting teamwork within your culture. Coaches who encourage athletes to be part of the decision-making process will often foster that culture of commitment. Research on different leadership styles calls this a democratic coach. It just means someone asks the team for their opinion, gives choice and options when it's appropriate, and doesn't treat the team like a dictator.
With a democratic coaching style, coaches are encouraging teamwork and team investment from every member, not just seniors, not just the most talented athletes. If it's a truly democratic culture, everyone has a voice regardless of standing. There's no hierarchy. Everyone feels that sense of investment and commitment. And to be clear, that doesn't mean that every voice gets what they want all the time. It just means that every voice is heard and contributes, and then the coach can make decisions from there, but everyone is involved.
#3: Information Sharing – 7:26
And number three is what we call information sharing. It's about effective communication. That's a key in creating a trusting, committed coach-athlete relationship. Just like any relationship, trust is built on good communication. An athlete will be more committed to their team if she feels well-informed by the coach about any changes that are going to affect her or issues concerning her role on the team. Interestingly, the research demonstrates that of the three that I'm talking about here (training, teamwork, and sharing information), it's the information sharing that has the strongest correlation with commitment.
Again, this communication style is more natural to a democratic leader, and I encourage coaches to adopt this open communication style where you talk about things with your athletes. That doesn't mean you never make a unilateral decision. Sometimes you're in charge, it's your choice. But if you do have to make a decision on your own, for the sake of the team, take the time to explain your reasoning to your athletes, and especially at that high school and college age, just being clearly informed goes a long way to build that strong coach-athlete relationship and, therefore, commitment.
The coach-athlete relationship is dynamic and ever-changing. Just like a marriage, a partnership, a long-term friendship, these relationships need continued investment, time, continued energy in order to thrive. The relationship is built on mutual appreciation and respect and requires the desire on both sides to discover each other's needs. Doesn't that feel exhausting actually? Because it is. It takes a lot of work, and it's why coaching is so emotional and often mentally draining. We can often teach the dance technique, but it's the relationships and building mental toughness and all of that, that is so challenging and can feel draining.
Reciprocity – 9:14
But when done with conviction and heart, that strong coach-athlete relationship creates this norm of reciprocity between coach and athlete. The coach offers the athlete good training, areas to contribute to the team, decision-making opportunities, which signal the coach’s trust and respect.
When you adopt a coaching practice that focuses on training and instruction, and lead with this democratic leadership style, you set the stage for team commitment. It takes a focus on training, consistently encouraging teamwork, and sharing information to contribute to this superior coach-athlete relationship, and again, it's all leading to overall team commitment. That's the goal. It's rooted in the one-on-one relationships. And culture isn't created overnight. It takes time, a lot of commitment to the process, and establishing your own philosophy, so you know what you stand for and you can continually show that.
And if you're struggling with team commitment, reflect on your own coaching style, ways you can improve on these three areas. And above all, don't be discouraged if it takes more than a year for things to really turn around. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and these investments will pay off both in the level of commitment you see from your athletes and your own level of happiness, fulfillment, and success.
And remember, it doesn't mean athletes will always stay around, even when you have the best culture, but it does mean that the right athletes who fit you and your program will stay. At the end of the day, even the best coaches who listen to all the research, do all the right things, won't reach every athlete. Some will still quit or just never adjust to your culture but let them go. Focus on the athletes who are ready to connect and learn from you. And it comes back to your passion. That's why we do this. So stay connected to your own joy and keep sharing your passion for dance with the world!
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Thank you for listening to Passion for Dance! You can find all episode resources at www.chelseapierotti.com/podcast, and be sure to follow me on Instagram for more high-performance tips at @dr.chelsea.pierotti. This podcast is for passionate dance teachers and coaches who are ready to change the dance industry by creating happier, more successful dancers. I'm Dr. Chelsea and keep sharing your passion for dance with the world.
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