Smart Coaches. Smart Strategy. The Culture Problem.

I learned about culture the fall of my senior year of high school. On a random Friday night a group of friends and I, they will remain nameless as many of our readers would know them, were bored and looking for something to do. The fall sports season had ended, winter sports had not yet begun, and we had a few weeks with no practices, no games, and no structure. You know what they say about idle hands.

We decided we were going to get back at a friend of ours who had a reputation for toilet papering houses and somehow always getting away with it. He had recently bought a new Jeep, and in our infinite wisdom, we decided to dress it up for him. Vaseline, toilet paper, soap, and a potato. If you know, you know.

At first, it seemed harmless. We initially got away with it by lying to our parents and the authorities. For a brief moment, we thought we had outsmarted everyone.

Of course, that did not last.

As happens in a small town, word traveled quickly. This was long before social media, yet people knew what had happened in a matter of minutes. Eventually, the story made its way to our varsity basketball coach, Troy Love.

Coach Love made a decisive call. We were suspended for the first three games of our senior season.

There were no excuses. No negotiations. No private deals.

Our parents supported the decision. The district administrators supported the decision. And most importantly, the team understood the message.

We learned a valuable lesson that day. But even more important than the punishment itself was what Coach Love established. He set a clear standard for who we were going to be and what was acceptable. The culture was not up for debate.

Why Culture Matters More Than Ever

Walk into almost any high school gym today and you will find something encouraging. Coaches are smart. They study the game. They attend clinics. They understand strategy, player development, and situational decision-making better than ever before.

Yet many programs still struggle. They fracture internally. They fail to meet expectations. They underperform relative to their talent.

Strategy is not the issue. The reason often has nothing to do with Xs and Os and everything to do with culture.

That idea was captured perfectly by Peter Drucker, widely regarded as the father of modern management. Drucker spent decades studying why organizations succeed or fail, and his work has influenced leaders in business, education, government, and sports alike. His conclusion was simple but powerful.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

In other words, no matter how good the plan is, it will fail if the people responsible for executing it do not believe in it, support it, or live by the same standards.

Why Culture Is Harder to Build Today

Culture shows up in adversity. It shows up when roles are challenged, when losing streaks hit, and when accountability becomes uncomfortable. Strategy tells players what to do. Culture determines whether they actually buy in.

Years ago, culture was reinforced naturally. Parents trusted coaches. Administrators backed them publicly and privately. Standards were clear and consequences were consistent.

Today, that alignment is much harder to achieve.

Parent dynamics have changed. Coaches are often navigating second-guessing, private conversations, and public commentary. Playing time and roles are increasingly viewed through an individual lens instead of a team lens. When a coach’s authority is undermined outside the locker room, culture erodes quickly.

Player expectations have shifted. This is not about effort. Many athletes work year-round. But there is a growing expectation of immediate opportunity and constant validation. Adversity is sometimes avoided rather than embraced. Commitment can feel conditional.

Administrative support is inconsistent. Some administrators are outstanding partners. Others are stretched thin or risk/conflict-averse. When standards are enforced unevenly, accountability becomes optional. Players and parents notice.

Strategy Cannot Fix Cultural Gaps

No offensive system can overcome entitlement. No defensive scheme can compensate for poor buy-in. No practice plan can repair trust once it is broken.

Culture requires:

• Clear standards that are enforced consistently.
• Alignment between coaches, administrators, and parents (yes parents… especially you).
• Patience to develop people, not just players.
• Courage to make decisions that may not be popular in the short term.

That work is slow. It is exhausting. It is often invisible. And it is far harder today than it was a generation ago.

Why Culture Is Harder to Build Today

Culture shows up in adversity. It shows up when roles are challenged, when losing streaks hit, and when accountability becomes uncomfortable. Strategy tells players what to do. Culture determines whether they actually buy in.

Years ago, culture was reinforced naturally. Parents trusted coaches. Administrators backed them publicly and privately. Standards were clear and consequences were consistent.

Today, that alignment is much harder to achieve.

Parent dynamics have changed. Coaches are often navigating second-guessing, private conversations, and public commentary. Playing time and roles are increasingly viewed through an individual lens instead of a team lens. When a coach’s authority is undermined outside the locker room, culture erodes quickly.

Player expectations have shifted. This is not about effort. Many athletes work year-round. But there is a growing expectation of immediate opportunity and constant validation. Adversity is sometimes avoided rather than embraced. Commitment can feel conditional.

Administrative support is inconsistent. Some administrators are outstanding partners. Others are stretched thin or conflict-averse. When standards are enforced unevenly, accountability becomes optional. Players and parents notice.

What That Story Still Teaches

The lesson from that Friday night years ago was not about punishment. It was about leadership.

Coach Love did not ask if the suspension would be popular. He did not worry about optics. He cared about the standard. And because the parents and administrators were aligned, the message landed exactly as it was intended to.

That is culture.

Culture is clarity.
Culture is consistency.
Culture is the courage to do what is right, even when it is uncomfortable.

Smart coaches still matter. Strategy still matters. But Drucker was right then, and he is even more right now.

If the culture is not right, the strategy never gets a chance to work.

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