10 Qualities of a Dream Team Coach

***This article is inspired by chapter 8 of John C. Maxwell’s book “Developing the Leaders Around You” – “The Leader’s Greatest Joy: Coaching a Dream Team of Leaders” ***

In my last article, I shared about 10 qualities of Dream Teams. While these qualities of your team members are critically important, a Dream Team must also have a great coach who can keep the team focused, develop the talent, and create a culture that allows the team to reach its potential.

Charles Frances once said, “You can buy a man’s time, you can even buy his physical presence at a given place, but you cannot buy enthusiasm…you cannot buy loyalty…you cannot buy the devotion of hearts, minds, or souls. You must earn these.”

In order to lead a Dream Team to reach their potential, leaders must become great coaches. How do you do that?

Consider John Maxwell’s 10 Qualities of Dream Team Coaches:

1 – Chooses players well

The first key to forming a Dream Team is to assess needs and recruit great talent. Without great talent, a team will be limited in what it can achieve. A Dream Team coach must be clear on what he or she needs in team members to accomplish team or organizational goals.

2 – Constantly communicates the game plan

Communication must be repeated if it is to be heard. Saying anything once will not do the trick. It’s often been stated that unless you’ve said something at least 7 times it hasn’t been heard yet. Until the leader is tired of hearing himself or herself communicate a message, it probably hasn’t been fully embraced.

3 – Takes the time to huddle

All great teams know when they need to huddle up to design the next play, assess previous plays, and to reconnect to be reminded of the goal they are working toward. A Dream Team coach develops a consistent, effective meeting rhythm to make sure the team remains on the same page in order to keep moving in the right direction toward success.

4 – Knows what his or her players prefer

Knowing your followers is critical to every leader’s success. Each team member has a unique personality, skill set, and contribution. Knowing how they prefer to be communicated with, challenged, and encouraged is critically important to connect best with each person to help them do their part to make the team successful.

5 – Excels in problem-solving

Problems are what demand leadership. When problems arise, leaders rise up. Dream Team coaches have learned how to assess problems and design solutions to overcome them. The better the problem-solver you are, the more trust and credibility you gain with your followers.

6 – Provides the support needed for success

Pursuing big goals can often be draining and overwhelming. It is a journey that has many ups and downs along the way. Dream Team coaches pay attention to the state of their team members and give them the support they need to keep moving forward from the beginning to the end of the journey.

7 – Commands the respect of the players

Respect is earned, not given. When a Dream Team coach does his or her job well and connects well with the team members, he or she begins to naturally command respect. True respect cannot be demanded, but when you perform at a high level and connect intentionally to help your team members succeed, you will begin to command their respect by simply being yourself.

8 – Does not treat everyone the same

As stated above, each team member has a unique skill set, personality, and contribution. Dream Team coaches remember they are dealing with people, not machines. You can treat everyone well without treating them the same. Customize your leadership for each person you lead and you will improve their performance and the overall team results.

9 – Continues to win

Winning can lead to more winning when leaders build on previous success. However, this must be an intentional effort. It is rare in sports for championship teams to repeat the following year because the sense of urgency disappears. Dream Team coaches know how to build on previous successes while not becoming complacent because of previous wins.

10 – Understands the levels of the players

Team members operate at various levels due to experience and development. You will have star players with years of experience paired with emerging talent of younger or less-experienced players. Understanding the skill levels of your team members allows you to lead them most effectively and manage expectations well.

Dream Team coaches are few and far between because it takes intentionality to develop into one. If you will commit to focusing on each of these qualities and implementing them into your personal leadership development plan, you can become the kind of leader that Dream Team players want to follow. But remember, it’s up to you to become the kind of leader that high-performing team members want to join. If you don’t’ have the kind of talent that you want or need, look in the mirror first and consider how you need to grow in order to attract better followers.

You can become a Dream Team level leader.

I believe in you!

Make today GREAT!