Dawn Staley on Dealing with Players, Honest Communication, and the Value of Failure
"I Love You Enough to Allow you to Fail" - South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley
Part of the above conversation on Jemele Hill's show provided some excellent insight into the coaching style that has helped South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley ascend to the top of the college basketball game.
Here are a few of my favorite pieces of leadership wisdom from this interview.
On handling superstar athletes + knowing your players
I treat them like people. There’s a relationship...They’re people, when it comes down to it. They want to try and get back to what it is like to be normal. And that’s the part that the coaches that are very successful in the NBA, or on any level, they know their players. They take the time to talk to them. They have lunch with them. They have dinner with them. They spend time [together]. And that’s what people want.
We get to the point to where you are having an almost emotional relationship. You almost have to. But nowadays it’s becoming harder nowadays because of NIL. It’s becoming more transactional because players are going to do things that will help them win as far as money. And it’s a real thing. I think it’s cool.”
On dealing with players + the importance of honest communication
“Honest, real conversations. That’s how I talk to my players. I’m probably not the coach for everybody. If you can handle real truth and real conversations, you’re probably not going to like it but you respect it. .….I’m going to tell it like it is. That’s the only way I know.”
On loving players enough to allow them to fail
“I tell them, ‘I love you enough to allow you to fail'. Because if you’re trying to get to the next level, you’re going to have those days. And if you can’t operate in that space, you’re not going to be at that next level. And that’s not just basketball, that’s anything. You’re going to have bad days that you have to fight through, because the competition is waiting. They are waiting for you to fail so they can swoop in to take your raise or take your place. And that’s what I try to prepare my players for."
