Whether you’re leading a sports team, a business unit, or a military platoon, the role of the coach is the same: develop people, elevate performance, and drive results. During my time in the Marine Corps—and now in my work with leaders and organizations across industries—I’ve seen firsthand what separates average teams from high-performing ones. It always comes down to leadership. And great coaching is great leadership, but how can coaches improve team performance?
Improving team performance isn’t about control. It’s about creating the conditions for your team to succeed. Let’s talk about how coaches improve the performance of a team.
1. Clarify the Mission and Standards
Performance suffers when the target is unclear. Coaches must define success and clearly communicate the standards required to achieve it. Whether it’s showing up on time, executing specific plays, or living out core values, your team needs clarity. Without it, they’ll drift.
Coaches set the tone. If your expectations are vague or inconsistent, performance will follow suit.
“Standards without enforcement are just suggestions.”
2. Build Trust and Strong Relationships
How does a coach improve team performance? You can’t coach people you don’t understand. Take the time to know your team—what motivates them, what distracts them, and where they struggle. Trust isn’t given because of your title; it’s earned through consistency, honesty, and investment.
When trust is present, feedback is welcomed, not resented. Hard conversations become easier. And performance accelerates.
“If your players don’t trust you, they won’t follow you—not in sports, not in business, not in life.”
3. Focus on Fundamentals and Discipline
There’s no shortcut to high performance. It starts with the basics. In the Marine Corps, we didn’t begin with advanced tactics—we mastered the fundamentals first. That same principle applies here.
How can coaches improve team performance? Get your team great at doing the small things right—every day. Show up prepared. Communicate clearly. Execute under pressure. These habits create the foundation for performance.
“Before you can innovate, you have to dominate the fundamentals.”
4. Empower the Team: Decentralized Command
Coaching isn’t about being the hero. It’s about developing leaders at every level. If your team can’t function without you, you’ve failed them.
How does a coach improve team performance? Teach your team how to think, how to problem-solve, and how to lead. Give them ownership. Empower decision-making. That’s how you scale leadership—and build a team that performs under pressure.
“The strongest teams don’t rely on one voice—they operate as a system of leaders.”
5. Create a Culture of Accountability and Ownership
Nothing kills performance faster than a victim mindset. Coaches must create a culture where ownership is expected—where people take responsibility for results, not just tasks.
How can coaches improve team performance? Celebrate those who step up. Challenge those who deflect. Accountability starts at the top.
“The best teams don’t wait for someone to fix the problem—they fix it themselves.”
6. Celebrate Wins But Focus on the Process
Results matter, but the process is what gets you there. Recognize and reward effort, discipline, and execution. Celebrate wins, but don’t lose sight of the habits that created them.
The best coaches create focused, resilient, and constantly improving teams—regardless of the scoreboard.
Final Thoughts
How can coaches improve team performance? Coaching is leadership. And leadership is about service—serving your team by setting the standard, building trust, reinforcing discipline, and creating leaders within the ranks.
Improving team performance doesn’t require a complex playbook. It requires clarity, consistency, and commitment. Control what you can control. Develop your people. Build something that lasts.
“When the team wins, the coach wins. Lead them well.”
