“Rules without Relationship Leads to Rebellion”

A great quote from Andy Stanley that is full of truth, but what happens if you have a difficult player that the coaches and team have established a relationship with and the player continues to rebel?

Teams in every sport occasionally end up with a player on the roster that is full of tremendous potential, but ends up caring more about themselves than they do about their team or their teammates. Those type of players seem to take great pride in having a reputation as a rebel.

Most pro teams will pass on disruptive players… most college teams will pass as well, but those type of players are more prevalent at the high school level. Good teams will recognize this type of player early-on and make a concerted effort to help the new player transition into the team culture and helping the player understand what is to be expected of them.

In most cases, with sincere help from coaches and teammates, the transition into the team culture is not a difficult thing.

However, when a player chooses to rebel and avoid integrating into the team culture… coaches and teammates are left with two options. The first is to accept the behavior and associated problems that the player brings to the team environment… or second, make a difficult decision and let the player go for the overall benefit of the team as a whole.

Where the bus is going doesn’t really matter… The key to a successful journey [season] is getting the right people on the bus and getting the wrong people off the bus…

4:13

(thanks Jon Gordon)