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I’d like to share five tips for building strong teams, drawn from my 44-year career coaching basketball—10 years at the high school level and 34 at the collegiate level. I built many basketball teams at Providence High School and the University of St. Francis, and later served as a college athletic director, where I focused on team building among our athletic staff.
In this article, I’ll explore five key principles from athletics—and I encourage readers to consider how these lessons might apply to their own professional or personal teams.
1. CARING
The late Rick Majerus, the successful basketball coach at the University of Utah and St. Louis University, often quoted John Maxwell:
“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”*
Great coaches—and great leaders—care about their people beyond the narrow confines of the game or the office. Yes, coaches must be demanding; the competition is tough, and preparation has to be tougher. But genuine care builds trust—and teams respond.
When I observed Rick’s practices, his players gave everything they had. Why? Because they knew he cared about them.
One of our players transferred to St. Francis after turning down a Division I football scholarship. During pre-season, his teammate at the university had suffered a concussion and spent several days hospitalized—yet not one coach visited him. Disillusioned, our player left that program. He went on to have a standout four-year basketball career with us and is now a successful businessman.
Another example: Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history, once saw one of our players injure his ankle during a clinic. Two weeks later, Popovich—whom I’d never met before—called me personally to ask for the player’s number so he could check in on him. That player was shocked to get the call. Coach Popovich then invited our whole team to an NBA game and met with each player afterward. That’s caring. And that’s why his players—and the San Antonio community—love him.
Even Bob Knight, known for his toughness, showed great compassion. At a clinic with 800 coaches watching, one of our players misunderstood a drill. Some coaches laughed. Coach Knight immediately stepped in:
“If I hear any more laughing, I’ll pull 10 of you out to demonstrate—and our players will sit and laugh at you.”
The room went silent. Our players went on to have a great session. He showed he had their backs.
2. FAILURE
In recent years, youth sports have shifted. Trophies are given to everyone, and failure is often avoided. I believe this is a disservice.
Everyone will face adversity at some point. The key is teaching how to respond. I remember former LSU coach Dale Brown at a clinic saying,
“Your FQ is more important than your IQ.”
He meant Failure Quotient—the ability to get back up after being knocked down.
Consider:
- Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before discovering electricity. He said, “I now know 10,000 ways it won’t work.”
- Abraham Lincoln lost nearly every election before becoming one of the most impactful presidents in U.S. history.
- Winston Churchill, labeled “dumb and hopeless” by a teacher, later inspired a nation through war.
- Rudy Ruettiger, the real-life inspiration for Rudy, was dyslexic—told for years he was “too dumb to learn.” He not only attended Notre Dame, but played football there.
Cybernetics tells us there are two ways to deal with failure:
- Learn from it.
- Put it behind you.
No trophies needed—just resilience.
3. SUCCESS
Success often follows failure. Winston Churchill said,
“Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”*
Pat Riley added,
“Success is getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.”*
And Vince Lombardi noted,
“The glory in sport is not in never falling, but in getting up after the fall.”*
I saw this firsthand at Providence High School. In 1968, the school faced closure. Faculty, students, and families fought back—and won. The school not only stayed open but now boasts 30 state championship banners.
Success is never permanent. As one quote wisely says,
“Success is never owned; it’s only rented—and the rent is due every day.”*
Complacency is dangerous. When our St. Francis team beat Division I University of San Francisco—who had an NBA first-round draft pick—I believe they underestimated us. They forgot the rent was due.
Lastly, be mindful of success turning into arrogance. As John Wooden said:
“Talent is God-given—be humble.
Fame is man-given—be grateful.
Conceit is self-given—be careful.”*
4. LISTENING
Team builders must be great listeners.
At a dinner in New York, I sat with Coach Wooden and a high school coach. The high school coach did most of the talking. Wooden, with all his accolades, mostly listened.
John Kline’s Listening Effectively cites a study showing CEOs spend:
- 10% of their day writing
- 15% reading
- 30% speaking
- 45% listening
My daughter, a Chicago lawyer, starts each day by reading:
“I won’t learn anything today by talking, but I will learn today by listening.”*
Or as Will Rogers put it,
“Never miss a good opportunity to just shut up.”*
I always believed you listen with both your ears and your eyes. During time-outs, I’d say, “Give me your eyes”—because if I had their eyes, I hoped I had their attention.
In one championship game, we were down two with 2 seconds left. We ran a complex play—everyone had to listen. We scored and pushed the game into double overtime. We lost, but I’ve never been prouder.
Listening shows respect. When our team captains once raised concerns about a tough drill leading to injuries, we listened—and made a change. Leaders must be willing to do the same.
5. TEAM EGO
Great team builders eliminate individual egos and build Team Ego.
Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA titles in 13 years with the Celtics, credited their success to one thing:
“We left our individual egos at the door, and brought in our team ego.”
Talent is important. But only team-focused talent wins.
Michael Jordan was known for scoring—but I saw something else. He:
- Was the Bulls’ all-time leader in assists
- Was their best defender—and maybe the best in the league
- Was the hardest worker in practice
He lived the Team Ego.
At St. Francis, we instilled Team Ego off the court, too. Players were expected to treat hotel staff with kindness and respect. Managers often told us they hoped our team would return—because our players represented something greater than themselves.
Team Ego must be lived—not just preached.
I hope these five tips—Caring, Failure, Success, Listening, and Team Ego—will serve you in your own team-building journey, whatever your field may be.
