Our athletic programs aren't just here to let kids run around with a ball. The program exists to make our student-athletes better, to help them become the men and women who will lead our society in the future. That's why we can't just talk about our values and personal codes, we have to actually live it out so our athletes can see it clearly. In this episode, Coach Chris Fisher breaks down the phrase OneFamily, which he uses to guide his athletic program and his life. It's a partial acronym that...
Jun 01, 2020•22 min
We tend to think that if we practice long enough, hard enough, the thing we're doing will be easy. But the truth is, things don't get easier, we just get stronger. And the only way to get stronger is to fail. That's right. It is not our successes that help us improve so that the hard things seem easy, it is our failures that propel us to that place. In this episode, Mackey breaks down why the most important lesson we learn from athletics is how to fail. Key Takeaways: -Athletics teach us how to ...
May 29, 2020•7 min
Often we view complaints as negatives. After all, complaints tell us what is wrong with the world, and who wants to be reminded of that? But this thinking is backwards. Complaints don't just tell us what's wrong. Complaints offer an invitation to make wrong things right. In this episode, Mackey reminds us that life is based on how we see things and that we can choose to see complaints as invitations for change. Key Takeaways: -Complaining is an invitation to get involved in something that is not...
May 27, 2020•6 min
Discipline and accountability go hand in hand. We must hold our athletes accountable for their actions both when they are with us and when they are away. Our athletes represent our athletic program, which is essentially our brand. They are representing us when they are in other teachers' classes and when they are out with their friends. We hold them accountable for their behavior regardless of where they are because that is how we will instill discipline in them. In this episode, Coach Claude Ma...
May 25, 2020•16 min
We all need a little encouragement from time to time--encouragement to look out for our FAMILY, encouragement to help us through tough situations, and encouragement to remind us of what's most important in life. In this episode, Mackey serves up these three types of encouragement. He reminds us that every member of your family (whether that's blood relatives or sports fam) is important to making the family successful. He encourages us to remember that our response is always within our control. A...
May 22, 2020•7 min
Adversity reveals a lot about us. It reveals the level of our integrity, our humility, and our toughness. During times of adversity, business is not as usual. That's why we are called to show either the best of us or the worst of us, depending on if we default to serving others or serving ourselves. In this episode, Mackey discusses how adversity exposes our true character and how we can make times of adversity reveal the best of us. Key Takeaways: -We get great at what we give reps to. -Tough t...
May 20, 2020•6 min
One of the greatest gifts we can give our athletes is helping them understand that they are playing for family. When they see their teammates as brothers and sisters, there is no limit to what they will do for each other. The greatest edge you can give your athletic program is a culture founded on family. In this episode, Coach Jeremy Reed discusses building a greater culture from the inside out. Key Takeaways: -You have the greatest edge when you have a greater culture. -You have to understand ...
May 18, 2020•25 min
We spend a lot of time thinking about being champions on the field, but what about being champions in the home? How do we become championship fathers? How do we teach the boys in our athletic programs and under our roofs to be championship fathers when they grow up? In this episode, author, mentor, and friend, Carey Casey tells us that being a championship father starts with being present for your kids. He reminds us that millions of boys and girls go to bed every night without a father in the h...
May 15, 2020•40 min
"Do what you can with all that you have wherever you are." Teddy Roosevelt Thinking about what you can't do or don't have is easy, but useless. Thinking about all the good you could do if you were in a different location is also useless. If you want to make a difference and have an impact, focus instead on what you CAN do with what you DO have, right where you are standing. Remember: Leaders always lead, regardless of circumstances or resources. Key Takeaways: -It's easy but useless to focus on ...
May 13, 2020•5 min
Every person you meet is in one of three places: -Having a bad time -About to have a bad time -Recovering from a bad time It is guaranteed that you will have bad days and rough times. There may even be days when you struggle to get out of bed. Those rough times and the struggles you face can either anchor you down or be the catalyst that propels you forward. The choice is yours. Will you choose to let your struggles make you stronger? Key Takeaways: Choose to view adversity as an opportunity Own...
May 08, 2020•15 min
Adversity is something we're teaching our athletes to deal with every day on the field. The goal is to prepare them for when unexpected adversity strikes outside of athletics. We are all dealing with an adverse season right now. We can either rail against it, or put into practice what we've been trying to teach our athletes all this time: Adversity is just an opportunity for growth. In this episode, Mackey encourages us to use this time of adversity to become better, to invest in ourselves, and ...
May 06, 2020•5 min
Love is not weakness. Love is strength. Love makes you willing to die to self for your teammates. It makes you willing to serve them. Without love, there's no service, no selflessness, and no sacrifice As we've said many times before, sacrifice is required to find success. When you love your team and your teammates, you will sacrifice for them, and together, you will succeed. In this episode, Coach Kirk Sundberg explains that real love is sacrifice. And, he reminds us that love brings strength a...
May 04, 2020•40 min
“Because I said so” isn’t just a statement of authority. It’s also a statement of dependability: Because I said so, it will be done. Dependability is all about doing what you say you are going to do. Dependability will always beat ability because no matter how much talent you have, it’s worthless if you can’t be depended upon to do what you said you would do. In this sample from the 2Words Character Development curriculum, Mackey lays out the difference between ability and dependability, and why...
May 01, 2020•10 min
Celebration is contagious. When we see someone smile or laugh, we want to smile and laugh with them. Complaining is also contagious, though. When we hear someone complain about the weather, it makes us realize it's too hot, too muggy, or too something when moments before we were enjoying a beautiful day. When we hear someone complain about a situation we're coping with well, we suddenly find it harder to cope. The words that we use and the things that we do are contagious to others. In this epis...
Apr 29, 2020•17 min
Team values that aren't put into practice are just words. That said, having an easy-to-remember acronym to consistently remind athletes of our team values can help athletes to turn those words into action. In this episode, Coach Sam Harrell breaks down the acronym FAST, which they use at Ennis High School to talk about their team values. FAST stands for: Faith, All in, Selfless, and Toughness. They put this acronym on t-shirts, encourage each other to be a FAST team, and talk about the values ev...
Apr 27, 2020•26 min
Our work adds up a little at a time until we reap big results. But if we don't put in our little bit of work today, that little bit rolls to tomorrow, which pushes tomorrow's work to the next day, just like a snowball begins to gather mass as it rolls down the hill, until the work has piled up into an overwhelming heap. It's easy to put things off until tomorrow. It's easy to schedule and plan for what you will do tomorrow instead of just doing it today. It's much harder to execute today on what...
Apr 22, 2020•19 min
In this episode with Coach Mike Fecci of Mckinney North High School, Coach Fecci stresses that winning games is a byproduct of a great team culture. The young man or woman must be built first; then the winning part will take care of itself. It all starts with our athletes' character. The more opportunities we give them to get character reps, the better their character will be, and the more wins and success that will come as a result. As Coach Fecci tells us, "Do right, act right, and everything ...
Apr 20, 2020•19 min
Our athletes have the capacity to become tough, gritty individuals. As coaches, we have the capacity to help them get there. We want to teach our athletes to be mentally tough, to do the right thing in everything that they do, and to succeed at challenges they think are beyond them. During this interview, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Zac Harrell of Athens ISD discusses the importance of putting our athletes in tough situations so we can help them become mentally tough. Coach Harrell...
Apr 17, 2020•23 min
Inside every struggle there is tremendous opportunity. We live in interesting times, and interesting is often a euphemism for difficult. But even in these interesting, difficult times, there are opportunities everywhere. Opportunities to affect others. Opportunities to get up and do something. Opportunities to step beyond our comfort zone so that we can grow. In this episode, our guest Damon West poses the question: where is your opportunity right now? We are all deep in the struggle of our time...
Apr 15, 2020•40 min
Description: Second-in-command, second chair, assistant coach. These are all ways of describing the same thing: a leader. An assistant coach is just as valuable to the team as the head coach. A second chair has a responsibility to help the first chair become his best, just as the first helps the second to be the best they can be. Just because a leader isn't the top dog doesn't mean they aren't important, valued, or influential. In this episode, Colton and Mackey dive in on leading from the secon...
Apr 13, 2020•24 min
Description: Coaches are under a lot of pressure to get wins and have model athletes, but there isn't necessarily a lot of praise or thanks for all the hard work that goes into meeting those demands. But coaches are helping to develop the adults of tomorrow. Many of us had an influential coach in our middle or high school years who left a lasting impact on our lives. Coaches who are authentic. Coaches who speak truth, not because it is popular, but because it is right. Coaches who teach athletes...
Apr 09, 2020•34 min
In the midst of uncertainty with school and business closures, Mackey and Colton bring us this episode, where they discuss accepting reality, taking action, and being there for our athletes and our F.A.M.I.L.Y. Mackey and Colton want to remind us that it's okay to be blindsided by the current situation because no one could have seen this coming. But what is not okay is to stay blindsided and lamenting that things are not as they should be. Our student-athletes deserve better from us than that. D...
Apr 06, 2020•22 min
The people that we surround ourselves with at work and in our personal lives have a huge influence on us. That's why it's so important to surround ourselves with people who do things the right way and who help us grow personally and professionally This is one of many insights provided by Coach John Walsh of Denton ISD in this interview. Coach Walsh also discusses doing research to find an athletic program or head coach that is the right fit and growing within that program. Key Takeaways: -Discip...
Mar 30, 2020•24 min
Our team and school standards are what make us who we are. Everything runs more smoothly when coaches and athletes are doing the right things based on those standards. Our high standards give our athletes something to grab and hold onto when something goes wrong in their lives. It's an anchor for our student-athletes' lives where they can learn how to do hard things with integrity. In this episode, Colton interviews Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Michael Waldie of Gonzalez ISD. Coach ...
Mar 23, 2020•22 min
As coaches, we have to hold our athletes accountable for their actions. When they mess up a play in the middle of a big game, that's on them. After all, we're not the ones playing; they are. But, we have to remember that every kid responds to constructive criticism differently, so the way that we address accountability and hold each athlete accountable for their actions will be slightly different. To get to the point where we know how to hold each of them accountable, we have to know our athlete...
Mar 16, 2020•20 min
Your family isn't just your blood relatives or your spouse. Your family is also your friends, your co-workers, and, your athletes. Having a team that acts like a family means that everyone is valued, and everyone has a place in the program. When we focus on inclusion and togetherness, other values like hard work and competition are easier to drive home. In this episode, head football coach Kyle Abshire of Carizo Springs High School talks us through building a family atmosphere where everyone is ...
Mar 09, 2020•26 min
Our athletes will not grow without challenges and adversity. They need obstacles in their path, so they can learn how to overcome natural opposition. The playing field isn't always fair--refs make mistakes and the other team might have better players than we do. But, life is not always fair either, and the field is a safe place for our athletes to learn this truth. Regardless of unfairness or adversity, our athletes are capable of learning and growing, and we just need to put them in positions w...
Mar 02, 2020•27 min
The role of a coach is intricate, even complex. It seems like it should be very simple: Set drills, work out plays, review tape, play the game, rinse and repeat. But if all we focus on is the X's and O's, or the nitty-gritty details of the sport, we are missing the mark. As Coach John Contrucci, Athletic Director of Junction ISD reminds us in this episode, coaching goes beyond running plays and scoring points. As coaches, we fill a void in the lives or our athletes by modeling appropriate behavi...
Feb 24, 2020•21 min
Without truth, there can be no trust. Without trust, there can be no relationship. Without a relationship, there can be no chemistry. Truth and trust are the foundation of any team. Without truthful feedback, no trust will form, and without trust, there is no progress, no growth, and no wins. For that reason, "Speak the Truth" is one of the laws of the Depend Upon Brothers (DUB) concept used by the football program at Whitehouse High School. This concept, or code of conduct, makes it clear to at...
Feb 17, 2020•23 min
Your athletic program won't look like the one in the next town over, the one is another district, or really any other program in existence. In fact, your program this year won't look like the program from last year. Why? Because your athletes this year don't look like your athletes from last year. The athletes are what make your program different. That's why you build relationships with your athletes, coach them based on their individual strengths, and create game and practice strategies based o...
Feb 10, 2020•16 min
