Please join me for a fun series.
My mission, and I've chosen to accept it, is to write a post based on each letter of the alphabet.
The English major inside of me is very excited about this project...
and my inner nerd is even more fired up! Keep checking back as I tackle the intangibles of sport...
from A to Z.
I talk about success a lot for a couple of reasons.
The first is that I believe success is more than wins and losses.
The second is because there do seem to be specific qualities that successful coaches share.
Since we all want to be successful...
and help our players be successful, let's talk about what that would look like.
7 qualities successful coaches share:

1. Personality.
   Defined as the qualities that make someone interesting, personality is important as we build our programs.
   The characteristics that make us who we are will be the stamp that separates our team from others, that make our alums proud (or not), that make recruits want to play for us (or not), that will earn our programs respect (or not).
   
2. Accessibility.
   Defined as easy to talk to or get along with, a coach can't put a barrier up between themselves and their team, recruits, alums, or administration.
   I don't think those folks need to always love what we've got to say, but they've got to feel like they have our ear.
   It makes them feel special and that we care...
   those two things will go a long way to creating good will.
   
3. Humility.
   Defined as having a modest view of one's own importance, being humble is huge on teams...
   and it starts with the head coach.
   Sure we run the show, but without recruits, players, assistant coaches, administrators, and office folks helping behind the scenes, not much would get done.
   It truly takes a village to create a successful program.
   
4. Integrity.
   Defined as being honest and having high moral principles, integrity is the hub of our coaching wheel.
   It's great to have a personality that draws people to us, and to be easy to talk to...
   all of this stuff.
   But if we'll compromise what we say we believe in, that makes us hard to trust.
   How can we build a strong foundation of success if people think we're shady?
5. Sustainability.
   Defined as creating conditions where people can exist in productive harmony...
   if that's not very high on a coach's to-do list, it should be! Harmony is huge, and underrated in my opinion.
   
6. Capability.
   Defined as talent that has potential for development, that sounds amazing for us and our players! To me that says that just because we're the coach doesn't mean we stop learning.
   If we keep striving, and pushing, and challenging ourselves to get better, we'll find success.
   
7. Sagacity.
   Defined as using sound judgment, showing discernment, and farsightedness...
   this sounds like the veteran coach who has seen a lot of things and has their stuff together.
   It's what we should all strive for, though I think it's a difficult quality to attain.
   I'm certainly not sagacious yet...
   but I'm working on it!

This should give us a road map to our program's success.
Even if you decide that your list will look a bit different, I believe there's value in thinking critically about how we'll accomplish our goals.