Leadership: Secret of Great Baseball Coaches

Unlock the secrets of effective leadership in baseball as Coach Ken Carpenter shares three decades of coaching wisdom on Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Ever wondered how to transform your players' mentality and create a thriving team culture? This episode promises to equip you with unique strategies that go beyond just winning games. Discover how giving players a voice, regardless of their skill level, can revolutionize your team's dynamics, and learn from leadership icons like Colonel Craig Flowers and John Gordon, who emphasize the power of influence over authority. 

Join us on a journey to redefine what it means to lead on the field. Coach Ken delves into the nuances of building trust and respect, illustrating how the best coaches don't just issue commands but truly listen and inspire. With insights on fostering a winning mentality that resonates with players, this episode is a must-listen for coaches and baseball enthusiasts eager to elevate their game. From insider tips on recruiting and coaching to the art of crafting a team culture that champions productivity, gain your competitive edge and transform your coaching approach today.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, sports coaching, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Presented by AthleteOne, a podcast helping baseball coaches to get their players to buy into their philosophy, become more productive, win more games by applying unique leadership strategies from some of the best coaches across the country. I'm your host, ken Carpenter. In this episode, we're going to talk about leadership. You're going to learn what the best coaches do. They give their players a voice. Why, even if you're not the best player, you can still be a leader. And finally, players need to know how much you care. If you enjoyed today's show text a coach, player or even a parent and tell them to check it out I have 118 episodes available in the back catalog. I get the best coaches from around the country to share their secrets to success, and I think it'll be beneficial to anybody who wants to get better at the game of baseball.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by AthleteOne. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches With 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game-winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills. We're covering it all. Whether you're a high school coach, college coach or just a baseball enthusiast, we'll dive into the tactics and techniques that make the difference on and off the field. Discover how to build a winning mentality. Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success. Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories. Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game. On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

Speaker 1: 2:01

Today's episode of the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast is powered by the netting professionals, improving programs one facility at a time. Coaches, are you looking around at your facilities and wondering what do you need to do to make it better for next spring? You need to do one thing Get in touch with Will Miner and his team at the netting professionals. Get in touch with Will Miner and his team at the Netting Professionals. They specialize in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball. This includes backstops, batting cages, bp turtles, screens, ball carts and more. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches and cubbies. The netting pros also work with football, soccer, lacrosse and golf courses. You can contact Will and his team at 844-620-2707. That's 844-620-2707. Or you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom, or check out Netting Pros on Twitter, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest projects and products.

Speaker 1: 3:15

Today, let's talk about a topic that lies at the core of every successful team Leadership. Leadership is more than just a title. Just because you have the title coach doesn't mean your players are going to follow you. Leadership isn't about wearing the biggest hat in the dugout or having the loudest voice. It's about influence, trust and earning respect every single day. Think about Colonel Craig Flowers, a former US Army commander. He says leadership isn't about barking orders. It's about creating an environment where players want to follow you. Do your players run through a wall for you because they have to or because they want to? If you're leaning toward have to, it may be time to reevaluate how you're leading Coaches. It starts with you Now as a coach. We've all got those moments when we think we've got it all figured out right. We call the shots, run the drills, set up practice, make the lineups. But here's the secret the best coaches don't just give orders, they listen. John Gordon, the guy who wrote the energy bus, which, if you haven't read, stop everything and pick it up says the best leaders inspire and encourage. Simple right, but think about it. Are you pushing your players to be better by lifting them up or just pushing?

Speaker 1: 4:50

Great leadership starts with being present. You know your players. You know what makes them tick. Some guys need a kick in the butt, others need a pat on the back. One size fits all leadership. That's quick ticket to a losing season. The best coaches are like great pitchers they adjust based on the situation. Are like great pitchers. They adjust based on the situation.

Speaker 1: 5:16

Colonel Flowers calls it the difference between command and control, leadership and collaborative leadership. Command and control is kind of like the old school you're in charge, end of story. Collaborative leadership that's where they start seeing some real magic. Your players feel involved. They're not just cogs in the machine, they've got ownership of the process. That's when they start playing for something bigger than you. They play for each other. Players it's not all on the coaches. You can lead too.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Leadership isn't just about a coach thing, it's a player thing too. And when you've got players who lead, it changes everything. It's like having a captain on the field, even if they don't have the C on their chest. John Gordon calls them energy leaders. These are the players who, even if they're hitting 200, still show up every day with fire. They run out every ground ball. They're the first in and last out of practice and they're the ones that's picking up teammates when they're dragging. Energy leaders are like glue that holds your team together, and they don't have to be your star players, they just have to set the tone.

Speaker 1: 6:39

Think about special forces in the Army, colonel Flowers says the best soldiers aren't always the strongest. They're the ones who make everyone around them better. The same goes for your team. If you got a kid who's not the most talented but raises the level of everyone else just by their attitude, wow, that's gold. You need those guys.

Speaker 1: 7:04

Here's a quick story. I had a player that he wasn't the best hitter on the team, but every single day he showed up early, was one of the last guys to leave, taking extra reps, extra swings, hustled all the time and guess what? The rest of the team noticed Before long. Guys started staying after with him. He didn't have to say a word. His worth ethic was his leadership.

Speaker 1: 7:34

That's the ripple effect of leadership. You as a coach, can set the tone, but when you've got players who lead by example, it spreads through the team like wildfire and suddenly you've got a culture of hard work, discipline and trust. That's how you build a winning team not just by outscoring your opponents, but by outworking them. This ripple effect great leadership trickles down. If you're the type of coach who listens, who encourages, who demands effort without crushing spirits, your players pick up on that. They start to lead themselves. Then the whole team starts firing on all cylinders. When players see their coach caring about them beyond their batting average, they start giving their best. You're not just coaching skills, you're coaching character. Remember this, players they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. We've all heard that saying. You build that trust and suddenly you're not just a coach, you're a leader. They'll follow into any game, any challenge, no questions asked.

Speaker 1: 8:50

My final thought leadership is about being the loudest or the bossiest, if that's even a word. It's about making your players better, not just as athletes, but as people. John Gordon says it best you don't have to be great to serve, but you have to serve to be great. Serve your players, lead them with energy and watch your team transform. That's all for today's episode of the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast. Get out there and lead with your heart and remember you set the tone your players will follow. The Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast is powered by the netting professionals, improving programs one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707, or visit them online at wwwnettingproscom. If you're a baseball coach and you would like to be a guest of the baseball coaches unplugged podcast, go to our website it's athlete onenet, that's athlete1.net and fill out the guest registration. Also, you can leave a review on our website. As always, I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and thanks for joining me on Baseball Coaches. Unplugged.