Building a House from the Roof Down
I still remember my season as a coach in 2005. I walked into the gym confident, believing my experience as a division one basketball player, my work ethic, and passion meant I was ready to lead. I was confident, but I lacked the foundation to be an effective leader. My entire focus was external: "How do I get this team to do what I want them to do?" Unfortunately for nearly a decade, every season began the same way for me as a leader.
Unsurprisingly, this approach wasn't always effective.
What I've learned over the last two decades coaching teams and coaching coaches is that this top-down and external approach to leadership is fundamentally flawed. I tried like most new coaches tried to build team culture by jumping ahead to the fourth level of leadership: Leading the Team. It’s the leadership equivalent of building a house from the roof down. We have the sequence backward. A thriving team culture must be built sequentially, starting from the inside out.
The Four Levels of Leadership framework helps coaches and leaders—whether new to the job or veterans of 30 years—assess where their most critical work lies. Here’s a breakdown:
Level 1: Know Yourself
Before you can lead yourself, you must know yourself. The journey starts with self-discovery and self-awareness. This requires more than simply copying a leader we admire—a mistake I made in my pitiful attempt to replicate John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.
To do this, leaders must intentionally create time and space for reflection, just as Steve Kerr did before taking the Warriors job when he identified his own vision and values after being prompted by Pete Carroll. We must fundamentally understand who we are at our core.
What truly matters to you? And this isn't a one-time exercise; it's a constant reflection: Who am I, and why am I coaching? And then continuously being honest with yourself and getting feedback from those around you– how well am I doing in living those values and being that person?
Level 2: Lead Yourself
Lead Yourself is about alignment: closing the gap between your espoused values and your daily actions. This is often the hardest work.
We are constantly pulled off course by "mind traps"—ego, the need for control, the drive to be right, simple stories, and avoiding conflict. These traps divert us from our best self. I discovered massive misalignment in my own coaching when I committed to this inner work a decade ago.
Leaders like Arizona State’s Molly Miller embrace radical responsibility. They don't resort to blaming "players today" or even themselves; instead, they immediately ask, "What happened here, and what can I learn?" They show up authentically, which means being true to their core values, not some rigid personality.
Level 3: Lead Others
After achieving internal alignment, you gain the capacity to genuinely connect with others. Level 3: Lead Others acknowledge the fundamental difference in every individual. As Shaka Smart explained on the Coaching Culture Podcast, the key is to lead the person before you lead the team.
You must build strong, personal relationships with each athlete. This means leading the individual by tapping into the specific intrinsic motivation, goals, and aspirations of each player. This demands genuine curiosity, not just monitoring their behavior. Great leaders constantly ask, "Who are you?"—not just of themselves, but of their players.
Also, this level requires both high care and high candor. You cannot have one without the other. You must be able to both support and challenge each person individually.
Level 4: Lead the Team
Only after mastering the first three foundational levels can you successfully reach Level 4: Lead the Team. This is the strategic implementation phase where your philosophy is expressed and reinforced through your systems. For example, Pete Carroll expresses his values of "Compete and Joy" through his Competitive Cauldron (tracking competitive drills) and his celebrated team-building antics (like the Super Bowl basketball hoop challenge).
Leading the team requires co-creation, this involves empowering players through leadership councils and co-creating team standards with your players. It also expands to leading and aligning your entire coaching staff, engaging parents, and influencing the wider athletic department or organization that supports your team.
Final Though
Culture doesn't start with a team meeting, a poster on the wall, or even with setting team standards. It begins with you. Your capacity to lead your team will never exceed your capacity to lead yourself. And to lead yourself– you must first know yourself and avoid the common trap of trying to copy other inspirational leaders. The challenge—and the reward—is the intentional, inside-out work of building that foundational knowledge.
