For better or worse, the environment surrounding your team impacts performance on game day. A talented team in a poor environment will not fulfill its potential. In contrast, a decent team in a positive environment can exceed expectations. Let’s look at how to build a more positive environment around your team.

A Positive Team Movement

As the positive coaching movement begins to flourish, coaches like you want to grow beyond being a supportive and demanding coach. They want to know how to build a more positive team. As Clemson’s Dabo Swinney puts it, “A team can do great things but a positive team can do extraordinary things.”

Admittedly, I don’t love using the term “positive” in this way. It can be misconstrued as soft or touchy-feely by those who aren’t familiar with it. To me a positive team is united, committed, character-driven, selfless, hard working, driven, and resilient.

A positive team isn’t built overnight. It requires discipline, intentionality, and consistency over time. Ask top coaches like Steve Kerr (Warriors), Dave Roberts (Dodgers), or Sean McCoy (Rams). Many more are rising through the coaching ranks, in part because they know how to build a positive team.

4 Strategies to Establish a Positive Team Environment

What coach doesn’t want a positive team environment? You can take your team to the next level by shaping an environment that supports a championship team culture. Here are 4 strategies to get you started.

1. Establish Trust and Safety

A positive team environment begins with trust and safety. When people feel safe being themselves, they are free to take risks within the team without feeling insecure or embarrassed. They can test the limits of their abilities without fear – a key to athletic development and performance.

To infuse your team with a greater sense of trust and safety, lean in and genuinely listen, share gratitude, and invite team member’s input.

For more practical strategies for establishing trust and safety, click here.

2. Set Clear Expectations

Players will rise and fall to your expectations. However, communication breaks down and assumptions fill the gaps when expectations are unclear. Get your team members on the same page.

As the coach, your athletes need to know what you expect of them. The more specific the better. Discuss their roles within the team. Talk to your players about expected positions, their place on the depth chart, and playing time. Discuss strengths and areas of improvement. Share what you expect from players as a teammates, leaders, and students.

Clear expectations empower your athletes to take ownership and responsibility to meet those expectations. This also makes accountability easier.

3. Demonstrate Belief

When coaches consistently communicate their belief and confidence in their players their athletes show greater effort and commitment.

Author Jon Gordon emphasizes this point. In You Win in the Locker Room First he shared, “I’m convinced one of the most important things a leader must do is to be positive and optimistic.” Communicating a positive and optimistic mentality demonstrates belief in your team’s ability to effectively navigate adversity and become successful.

The more you believe in your team, the more they’ll believe in each other and the better they’ll perform together.

As Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski put it, “I believe in you. These four words can mean the difference between a fear of failure and the courage to try.”

4. Praise the Process

Praising the process is calling out the effort, strategy, or skill that led to success or improvement.

When you praise the process consistently with your team, this focuses them on continued learning and development, pointing out what led to past success as the key to further improvement.

Praising the process, rather than criticizing mistakes, helps teammates identify and recognize the hard work everyone is doing to make the team better. This staves off negativity, helping your athletes encourage one another.

Bonus Download

To help you with establishing a positive team environment I created this cheat sheet outlining 10 essentials (including the 4 listed here) you need to focus on to truly transform your team’s environment and culture.

Give Your Team a Positive Advantage

Creating a positive team environment should be a top priority for every coach. It is the everyday actions of maintaining a championship team culture. The difference is in the details. Leverage the 4 strategies above to create a team environment where players can thrive. Help your team fulfill its potential.

Question: What are other strategies to establish a positive team environment?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

• Book: You Win in the Locker Room First by Jon Gordon
• Post: Is It Better to Be a Supportive or Demanding Coach?
• Post: Why Do Great Teams Focus on Culture First?
• Post: How To Protect Your Athletes From Your Low Expectations
• Post: “Good Job” Isn’t Good Enough: What It Means to Praise the Process
• Post: 3 Reasons Teammates Should Encourage Not Criticize