THE MONDAY LEADOFF

Hi my friend 🫡

This was an incredible week for The Monday Leadoff; I had the privilege of sitting down to talk shop with Chicago Bear legend and now varsity football coach, Robbie Gould. Here are the takeaways from our meeting:

• Break down the calendar into 52 individual weeks
• Utilize tools: Google Drive with folders, Hudl, Notion, Canva
• When onboarding players and staff, always communicate roles, expectations, and responsibilities
• Empower assistant coaches to help define their roles
• Conduct a pre-season meeting with each player to discuss goals and roles
• Conduct a post-season meeting with each player to discuss reflection questions and goals for next season
• Create an EOY depth chart with lineup projections for next year
• List/post key metrics for each positional group
• Have the individual players hold themselves accountable with self-grading
• Utilize team captains
• Find creative ways to engage the community: guests of honor, ceremonial first pitch, etc.
• Take the time to revisit the nuanced installs (onside kicks, rundowns, etc) and consider integrating them into live situations
• Celebrate the unsung heroes who do things the right way
• Find ways to help the kids embrace hard work
• Be so well prepared that you know what’s going to happen
• Emphasize the power of visualization
• Have visuals for the athletes
• Teach the players to "know where to miss" e.g. in baseball you can miss low on the throw because there's still a chance to get the runner out
• Ask questions and appreciate the conversation when an assistant coach oversteps
• Help the athletes define and understand what the team identity is

RULE OF THUMB:

(Credit: Alex Hormozi)

Hang out with people who talk about your future more than your past.

WHAT'S BEEN WORKING

1.

Notion and a weekly recap

Notion has been a game-changer. There's a bit of a learning curve when starting, but it's a great tool to categorize notes, systems, and ideas. I also started sending a weekly recap to my athletes and their families using it.

2.

Networking and asking questions

I've recently been talking about leadership and coaching with anyone who will listen. The beautiful thing is that people have incredible insights and personal stories. I've gleaned many nuggets of wisdom by talking about this newsletter and asking people about their experiences with coaching and leadership.

QUOTE I'M PONDERING

"Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging" -Cal Newport

Nothing but the best,

Matt 🎯

P.S. If you know someone who'd like to read this newsletter, send it their way!