Christopher Gamgort
Sales and Marketing Intern
No matter your industry, when it comes to achieving greatness, coaching always matters. While most everyone would agree good coaching is essential, too often we forget that effective coaching requires strategies that can be adapted to meet the needs of the moment. That’s why the best coaches continually reflect on their performance, assess gaps, and strive to improve with the next opportunity.
We find this to be the case in sports, which provide many of the most visible examples of how coaching can drive success. And each March, we’re lucky enough to see close-up how some of the best men’s and women’s college coaches handle the pressures and unpredictability of the NCAA tournament. While these premier college tournaments may not seem, at first, to connect to the life sciences, a closer inspection reveals that, whether you are leading a sales team or trying to win the NCAA, coaching:
- Is critical to ongoing success
- Must contend with personnel turnover
- Needs to meet the needs of all team members, from the new hire to the “superstar”
- Requires adept communication
- Is driven by passion and a unified goal
Considering these connections—and in honor of one of my favorite times of year to be a sports fan—I thought it would be worthwhile to examine a few standout quotes from college coaches and unpack how their wisdom can improve the ability of any coach to motivate their team and drive success.
“Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication.”
– Coach K (Michael Krzyzewski), Duke University (1980–2022)
As one of the greatest coaches of all time, Coach K’s maxim likely resonates with anyone who has ever led a team. That said, effective communication is easier said than achieved. If you are working to enhance communication with your team, you might:
- Institute a team channel for communication. Does your team have a newsletter, a regularly cadenced communication, or a social media feed? Developing a consistent outlet that team members depend on and can access at their convenience can be a great way to ensure the whole team is literally on the same page.
- Invite feedback and model what good looks like. Remind your team members continually that communication is a two-way street. Providing your direct reports with feedback that is consistent, honest, and respectful will encourage them to do the same.
“Winning is fun…Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point.”
– Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee (1974–2012)
As a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Pat Summitt—like Coach K—is one of the best there has ever been. Personally, this quote sticks with me because of its twist on what we expect. By shifting the focus from winning to wanting to win, Summitt drives home how important motivation and goals are to coaching. To improve in this area:
- Take time to identify what motivates each member of your team. Is it financial compensation? Praise? Recognition? Community? A mix of these and more? Understanding—and then focusing on—motivators is an essential part of moving the needle.
- Navigate change by staying focused on your goals. Change is inevitable. How you handle it is not. Your team will look to you in times of upheaval. Consistently focus your communications on team goals. This will provide continuity that keeps your team moving in the same direction, no matter the challenge.
“The domino [effect] is, ‘How do I make the guys around me better?’”
– Shaka Smart, Marquette University (2021–present)
As the only active coach included in this post, Shaka Smart stands out to me because of the inventive ways he engages his team. For example, to highlight what he refers to as the “domino effect,” he developed a practice of handing out signed dominos after each home game and naming a player “Domino of the Game.” These traditions have helped build a winning teamwork culture at Marquette. To boost your own team culture:
- Create a novel way to publicly acknowledge success. If you have a newsletter or regular communication, consider creating a segment recognizing the achievements of individual team members. You might also gather the team for live events that highlight success with tokens of appreciation. Whatever you do, branding your acknowledgement program and being consistent can help create traditions—like Coach Smart’s—that motivate the team and improve the culture.
“I get a group of people who are talented to commit to excellence and to work together as one. That’s where it starts. Different talents, same commitment.”
– Coach K (Michael Krzyzewski), Duke University (1980–2022)
I couldn’t resist including one last Coach K quote. Personally, I believe he would have made just as outstanding a sales manager as he did a basketball coach. At Duke, he had to contend with yearly turnover, as players graduated or moved up to the pros, much in the way most managers must adapt to changing personnel. That’s something for any sales leader or regional manager to keep in mind. The fact is, though his star players came and went, Coach K remained successful year after year, for decades. I think his tacit advice for every coach to unite their team—no matter their talents—around a commitment to excellence may be one the most insightful pieces of advice from this living legend.
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Christopher Gamgort recently earned a degree in Marketing/Finance from Providence College, where he was a sports radio broadcaster for the basketball program as well as other sports. Having consulted on marketing plans for small businesses, he is currently employed with Encompass Communications and Learning, Inc. where he works with the sales and marketing teams to engage new business opportunities. Christopher can be reached at LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/christophergamgort and at cjgamgort@encompasscnl.com.
