The 3C's of Trust, the Backbone of a Successful Season
Issue 157- Jason Payne, CMPC
It is late September, and for many of you this means that pre-season is underway: weeks of practice and intersquad games until the season gets rolling. It can feel tedious.
One coach I talked to this week said his team could not wait for games to start; they are tired of battling and crashing into each other every day.
While you and your team may be restless, this is not a trivial window. It is where trust is being built or forfeited. Not the tactics you install. Not the standards you post. The specific human question every athlete is asking: can I trust my coach.
The answer, from the most well-known line of research on team performance, comes down to three things.
Patrick Sweeney's Three C's of trust are Connection, Competence, and Care. They are what your athletes are assessing in the first month, whether you realize it or not. They read them fast, and they hold them tight. Sweeney estimated that 90% of the trust you will have with your team is decided in the first 6 weeks.
Here is what each one looks like, how to strengthen it, and a coach who has built their program around it.
Connection.
Do they know you, and do they believe you know them?
Not their strengths or weaknesses. Nor their stat lines. Who they are. Their sibling's name. What they are worried about in school. Where their parents are from. What makes them laugh.
Connection is not a personality trait. It is a foundational habit. It is asking one specific question of one specific athlete, and remembering the answer the next time you see them.
Steve Kerr is one of the modern masters of connection in coaching. He frequently pulls a struggling player aside in a timeout not to correct a mistake but to check in. The veterans on his championship teams have consistently pointed to Kerr's investment in them as people as the reason they responded to his coaching demands. He learned it playing for Popovich and Jackson. Connection travels through coaching trees.
It is one of the hallmarks of coaches who leave a lasting impact on their athletes.
This week: pick five athletes on your roster you know the least about. Learn one specific non-sport thing about each of them.
Competence.
Do they believe you have answers?
Not perfect answers. Confident answers. When something goes sideways in a game, your athletes scan the sideline expecting you to have already seen it. Do they walk into practice trusting the plan? Or leave film sessions feeling like they understand the game a little better than when they walked in?
Athletes settle into the season's work when they trust their coach's competence. They tighten up under coaches who are guessing. Your first month is when this reputation is set.
Nick Saban's practice structure at Alabama was famously precise because Saban has repeatedly said, "Competence is the foundation of everything else a coach can build". Players who left his program have consistently highlighted how they trusted him to handle any situation that arose. He had already anticipated every situation before the athlete got to it. Athletes who believe their coach has already thought it through will run through a wall for them. Athletes who believe you are unsure will hesitate at the wall.
This week: pick the two areas of the game your athletes are most unsure about right now. Explore it together, by running that scenario in practice or on film.
Care.
Do they know you have their back?
This is the one area most coaches think they are strongest, yet their athletes would disagree. Care does not show up in the friendly moments. Care shows up in how you hold people accountable.
The question your athletes are asking about care is not: Does my coach like me? It is: Will coach still have my back if I make a mistake tonight?
Care is ensuring you target behavior when you correct, rather than impacting athletes' self-worth. It is calling out effort without calling out the person. Dawn Staley at South Carolina is held as the model for care without compromising standards. Her program is known for two things at once: the demand she places on her athletes, and the loyalty they show her. Both are the same thing measured from two different angles. Staley holds the bar. Staley also cares for her athletes. That is care that targets behavior and never touches worth.
This week: name one athlete you have been quietly frustrated with. Have a five-minute conversation with them where you target the behavior specifically, and end by naming one thing you believe in them for.
Of the three, which is your team weakest on right now? Connection. Competence. Care.
Take the honest answer. Pick the exercise above that matches it. Do it this week.
Ninety percent of the trust you will have when the season is on the line is decided in the first six weeks.
You are still in that window.
— Jason
3C's Assessment
I have built an assessment you can use to see where you think you stand on the 3C's and if your players see things the same way.
I will be sending it out to the Launch List on Monday. If you would like a copy and haven't signed up yet. Here is the link.
P.S. Two quick things.
The Aligned Coach Scorecard is at ninety-seven coaches. If you have not taken it, this is the one that maps to the framework the season above was built on.
Kindle pre-orders for ALIGNED: The Inside Out Path to Coaching Excellence are live on Amazon. Pre-orders help the book find coaches beyond my list. Amazon uses early velocity to determine where to rank the book at release, so if you were going to grab it anyway, pre-ordering today will certainly help me out.
Are you or your athletes struggling to be their best?
Let's find a solution together.
I help coaches thrive.
As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and a basketball coach with over 25 years of experience, I understand the barriers to peak performance for both you and your athletes.
I would love to help you or your team build a competitive advantage.
Here are a few ways I can help:
- Consult with your team or coaching staff
- Teach mental skills to your team via Zoom
- Work 1-on-1 with coaches
- Work 1-on-1 with athletes
Book a Free Discovery Call
If you’re feeling the weight of expectations, pressure, or burnout, you don’t have to figure this out alone.
A discovery call is simply a chance to talk through your season, your goals, and your process with another coach who’s been there. No pitch. No obligation. Just a meaningful conversation.
Schedule a discovery call here.
Shoot me an email at jasonpayne@evolutionmpc.com. I love talking about coaching and seeing how I can help you.
Coaching is hard; let's make it easier.
Check out my website at http://jasonpayne.ca
Thanks for reading, and have a great week.