A low single digit percentage of kids across all youth sports are going to go on to play their sport at the collegiate level. If these are the statistics, then kids need to be in youth sports to get much more than a scholarship or a simple athletic experience. I've been arguing for several years now that youth sports is an ideal platform for creating thousands of teachable moments, but we need to be more deliberate about it. We're going to get so much more from youth sports if we deliberately mine the experience for life lessons than if we simply allow it to happen through serendipity. What Does Integrity - or Lack of Integrity - in Youth Sports Look Like?Positive ExamplescheckKevin, a high school player, commits a handball foul in the opponent's penalty box. The referee calls a foul on the other team (he didn't see the play well). Kevin admits to the referee that it was he who should draw the foul. checkA Club parent receives a uniform kit they hadn't paid for. They go out of their way to call the Club and arrange for payment to be made. checkMaking Commitments and Keeping ThemcheckStepping over a piece of trash on the field, then deciding to go back and pick it up because it's the right thing to do.checkShowing up on timeNegative ExamplesBlood DopingCheatingLyingDoing things behind the official's backbanIntentionally causing Injury to another because you can get away with itbanStopping at level 10 during beep test when you know you could go furtherbanSecretly (to everyone else but that one person) Not Shaking Hands After a MatchbanSaying one thing and doing anotherbanAlways being latebanMaking excusesbanPretending to be sick or injuredRewardsImmediate Verbal RecognitionTeam Bench ChatsEnd of Season Party AwardstrophyClub AcknolwegdmentstrophyClub Leaderboards for IntegritytrophyNewsletter ArticlestrophyPatches to Wear on Spirit-wear or Uniform ItemstrophyLetter or Email to ParentstrophyAbility to Wear a Captain's Arm BandtrophyOther Bling for Season Over-all Integrity award (like a custom ball, headband, or juggling training tool)How to be deliberate about Developing integrityClarify the PrincipleGetting clear about the specific behaviors you want to celebrate in the youth sports environment is a critical first step. Getting this in writing empowers your organization to get it into parent manuals and coach's training. Clarity around the subject of integrity will mature over time, but step 1 is to just get started. Look for OpportunityOnce the picture is clearly written down and baked into coach's training and parent guides, we need to be on the lookout for example behaviors. Identifying them and not taking them for granted is an important step. Once we recognize these behaviors in the youth sports environment, it's time to act. Reward BehaviorCoaches and parents should be empowered to take action to reward behaviors spelled out in step 1. This may be through immediate verbal rewards, patches, or even submitting email about the behavior so it can be recognized in newsletters and at end-of-season parties. The point is to reward the behaviors we want to see more of. Be ConsistentConsistency is the thing that gives a development program like this life and longevity. Consistency across coaches, between parents, and over time is needed or the program can devolve into a spaghetti mess of loose threads. Getting this in writing and reviewing it annually is a great way to ensure consistency. A Culture of Accountability - The Partner to IntegrityAs much as we sometimes don't like to admit it, human beings aren't the best at being honest or committing to a course of action. Take a look at gym membership numbers between the months of January and June for evidence of this. Millions of people make and break New Year's resolutions every year. We do pretty well, however, when we help one another out. Two or more people who commit to the same thing or to each other have a much better chance of sticking with their promises. Luckily, youth athletes have a team to lean on - IF that team has a culture of supporting one another. Creating a culture of accountability starts by bringing the players together around the notion that they are part of something bigger than themselves. Asking players to make a promise, and declare their promise to others on the team gives other players the chance to help hold one another accountable. Promises can range from helping to clean up the field after practice to practicing kicks against a wall at home to improve ball handling skills. Each player's promise is a "gift" to the rest of the team. As a coach, I start my season with a commitment to my players that I'm working for them when I'm not on the field. They know if I show up with a poorly organized practice session - that I didn't do my homework. If I consistently keep my promise, show up on time, and deliver what I'm supposed to deliver as a coach, I am sending a clear message to the team what Integrity looks like. Whether I like it or not, want to or not, I always come prepared to give them my best. It's okay for team mates to expect the best from one another in the same way. I explicitly tell them so. They hold me accountable as I hold them accountable. In a best case scenario, we teach our teams to hold themselves accountable to each other. For older teams (over 14 years of age), I suggest a group texting tool like Group Me for forming a texting group. Ask players to make a commitment to the team and declare it to the rest of the team. During practice and offline, the team can learn to hold one another accountable. Examples:"Didn't you say you were going to help cleanup after practice?," or"You said you would be working on your dribbling this weekend. How's it coming?"For the younger ages, it may be enough to ask them to make a promise to do their best at practice. After practice, a follow up huddle - "Did everyone feel like they did their best today?" and "How are we doing with keeping our promises to ourselves and each other?"Resources For Listeners of This Episode“Warren Buffett Looks for These 3 Traits in People When He Hires Them | Markets Insider.” Business Insider, Business Insider, markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/what-warren-buffett-looks-for-in-candidates-2017-1-1001644066.Maltbie, Reed. “#49 Cindy Timchal, 8x NCAA Champion Lacrosse Coach, on How Champions 'Win the Day', Cultivate Leadership, and Do All the Little Things Others Hate to Do.” Changing the Game Project, 21 Feb. 2018, changingthegameproject.com/49-cindy-timchal-8x-ncaa-champion-lacrosse-coach-champions-win-day-cultivate-leadership-little-things-others-hate/.“The Best Way to Chat with Everyone You Know.” GroupMe, groupme.com/en-US/.Barbaresi, Natalie. “How to Dominate the Soccer Conditioning Beep Test.” STACK, 25 Aug. 2015, www.stack.com/a/how-to-dominate-the-soccer-conditioning-beep-test.asteriskBlanchard, Kenneth H., and Spencer Johnson. The One Minute Manager. HarperCollins, 2012.asterisk“Character and Sports.” Character.org, character.org/key-topics/character-and-sports/. asterisk Josephson, Michael. “Study of Values and Behavior Concerning Integrity – Josephson Institute of Ethics: Training, Consulting, Keynote Speaking.” Josephson Institute of Ethics: Training, Consulting, Keynote Speaking, 29 Oct. 2009, josephsoninstitute.org/surveys/2009-integrity-report-mj-transcript/.
