Saturday, May 1, 2010

2009 Saluki Football Teambuilding

Below is a summary of the teambuilding process I conducted with Southern Illinois University Football last season. I have found this sort of process to be very effective in building community within the team and in developing the culture of the program as shaped by values. I hope it can serve as a model for your ministry. Please feel free to email me if you would like to discuss it further.




2009 Saluki Football Teambuilding


2009 was an outstanding season to be a part of the Saluki Football family. From December of 2008 through the final seconds of the season-ending loss to William and Mary, the team and the seniors in particular, had their sights set on winning championships. They won the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship, but fell short of their ultimate goal of becoming Division I Football Champion Subdivision champions.

Like every season since 2002, we were privileged to lead the Football Salukis through a set of exercises during pre-season which we call Teambuilding. This process has grown and developed over the years and this year’s set of discussions was focused on their collective goal of becoming champions.


In the following paragraphs we’ll share with you the ideas and the process which helped shape the values and relationships which ultimately made them champions. I hope you’ll try some of these questions with family members, coworkers and colleagues as you build your team to be champions.


The principle ideas around which we shaped all our teambuilding discussions, pre-game chapels and written communication were in these five statements -


Championship Teams:


• Love the game and make sacrifices for it.


• Are highly committed to their teammates.


• Develop strong leadership.


• Diligently prepare and execute their game plan.


• Compete on every play of every game.


In each of our Teambuilding sessions we had two main goals – 1) to build the team’s relationships so that they would know each other, trust each other and ultimately commit to each other. 2) To develop the culture of Saluki Football around values which make for championship teams.


In pursuing our relational goals we would interview a set of players each evening in small groups and then one of their teammates would relate another player’s answers to the questions to all ninety of his teammates. We asked them questions like these:


• Tell us your name, your home town, the position you play, and your uniform number.


• What is there you have yet to achieve in football that is very much a goal for this year?


• Tell us about a significant sacrifice you have made to be a Saluki Football player.


• Where you like to be and what would you like to be doing with your life in 10 years?


• If you could trade places for two weeks with anyone on the planet today, whom would you choose and why?


• Tell us about one of the most influential people in your life. How has that person impacted your life?


• If you could have a three hour lunch with any living person on the planet, whom would you choose and why?


• How would you like for your teammates to describe you at the end of your college football career?

In the process of building the culture of Saluki Football, we would discuss questions like these in both small groups and then with the whole team:


Championship Teams: Love the game and make sacrifices for it.


• Tell us about something you absolutely love about the game of football.


• What might you have to sacrifice now to become the player you want to be and for us to become the team we want to be?


Championship Teams: Are highly committed to their teammates.


• How have your teammates from the past demonstrated commitment to you and to your teams?


• How do you normally show your commitment to this team?


Championship Teams: Develop strong leadership.


• Tell us about one of the best team leaders with whom you have played football.


• What are some of the qualities you respect in team leaders?


Championship Teams: Diligently prepare and execute their game plan.


• Which of your teammates are the most diligent in preparation?


• How well does their diligence in preparation translate into execution on Saturdays?


Championship Teams: Compete on every play of every game.


• Can you recall an opponent from your past which competed at less than his best on some plays? What did you think of him?


• Tell us about an opponent from last year who was absolutely relentless. What did you think of him?


The 2009 Football Salukis were champions in large part because they fulfilled the five characteristics listed above. They grew to know, to trust and to make commitments to their teammates. These qualities make for championship teams in sport, in churches, in business, and in families. I pray your team will employ such Christ-honoring values as you pursue championships in all of life.

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