Culture clash
I'm watching on the sidelines as a program implodes.
It's imploding because the culture that exists in the program is rotten. It's always been rotten. It's inconsistent, it's full of holes, it's empty, it carries no weight.
It's imploding because coaches cannot and will not make tough decisions. They allow individuals who are bad for the health of the program to remain on the team. They reward the behavior of these individuals with senior gifts, the end of the banquets, and gear.
It's imploding because the coaches prefer to be popular with the athletes rather than coaches. The coaches in question side with the athletes over matters that do not impact them, and then find themselves on the receiving end of that favoritism when they aren't on the same side.
It's imploding because the coaches believed that culture, once established, remains established. They did not recognize that culture is fluid, and organic, and must be maintained, and nourished.
It's imploding because the actions, and decisions, made by the staff - and the history of actions, and decisions - run counter to the culture the staff was attempting to build. You cannot invest part time, yet expect athletes to invest full time. You cannot talk, "competitiveness" when you take time off, or cut out practice days, or allow the athletes to decide what's best for their regatta preparations.
The end result is culture death. Avoidable culture death.
Coaching is difficult, and the difficulty grows exponentially when you become head coach, or when the program begins to grow. It's in these moments that you have to establish, and hold firm with the culture. It's when you have to make decisions that are difficult, but ultimately are better for the program.
If your goal is to have a beautiful garden, then you're going to have to maintain it, and remove weeds, and other invasive things. If you allow it to run wild because it's easier, you shouldn't be surprised when the things that you truly wanted are choked out by the things you could live without.
It's imploding because the culture that exists in the program is rotten. It's always been rotten. It's inconsistent, it's full of holes, it's empty, it carries no weight.
It's imploding because coaches cannot and will not make tough decisions. They allow individuals who are bad for the health of the program to remain on the team. They reward the behavior of these individuals with senior gifts, the end of the banquets, and gear.
It's imploding because the coaches prefer to be popular with the athletes rather than coaches. The coaches in question side with the athletes over matters that do not impact them, and then find themselves on the receiving end of that favoritism when they aren't on the same side.
It's imploding because the coaches believed that culture, once established, remains established. They did not recognize that culture is fluid, and organic, and must be maintained, and nourished.
It's imploding because the actions, and decisions, made by the staff - and the history of actions, and decisions - run counter to the culture the staff was attempting to build. You cannot invest part time, yet expect athletes to invest full time. You cannot talk, "competitiveness" when you take time off, or cut out practice days, or allow the athletes to decide what's best for their regatta preparations.
The end result is culture death. Avoidable culture death.
Coaching is difficult, and the difficulty grows exponentially when you become head coach, or when the program begins to grow. It's in these moments that you have to establish, and hold firm with the culture. It's when you have to make decisions that are difficult, but ultimately are better for the program.
If your goal is to have a beautiful garden, then you're going to have to maintain it, and remove weeds, and other invasive things. If you allow it to run wild because it's easier, you shouldn't be surprised when the things that you truly wanted are choked out by the things you could live without.
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