Ladder of Priorities

“You give up the right to do your own thing, when you make commitments to other.” -Holtz
The key to any successful endeavor is to have an understanding of priorities of all the participants and aligning them with the goals of group. A sport is no exception.
In school sports the most frequent conflict arises as the incoming priorities of coaches, parents, and players are in opposition. In order to become successful people must supplant their individual goals for the betterment of the group.

Examine the example below, where you have the incoming priority lists of the three key groups.

Parent's Priorities

1 - Athlete
2 - School

3 - Team

4 - Program

Player's Priorities

1 - Individual

2 - Team

3 - School

4 - Program

Coach's Priorities

1- Program

2 - School

3 - Team

4 - Individual

The chart clearly illustrates where conflict arises. While the overall importance of school can be seen throughout, the coaches’ focus must be on what is best for the largest number while the others are more concerned with the individual.

Most coaches are very considerate of the individual’s needs and wants when making decisions but their bottom line the priorities outlined by their job and position come first. In order to have a successful program the coach must manage and guide their players to subvert their instincts of self first. Team success is a product of having the individuals focused on a group end goal, not short term individual goals.

Convincing players and parents that the program must be your primary focus in perhaps the greatest challenge that facing school coaches.