ALL ABOARD: The Eight Key “Ships” for Winning Teams
By Enio Sacilotto
As playoff season begins in various leagues, the excitement is building. I came across an intriguing post a few months ago discussing the “ships” that are essential for teams to be successful. I took that idea and developed my own thoughts on the “ships” necessary to win! These principles can be applied to any sport or organization.
CHAMPIONSHIP – Winning a championship is the goal for any team, regardless of the competitive level. It is one of the primary reasons we take part in sports: to compete at our highest level. Striving to be the best version of yourself every day and working together as a team to win a title is the greatest reward. However, many often forget that winning is the end goal; it requires mindful attention to the processes that lead to that coveted championship. Part of this process involves setting performance and process goals. Process goals are the daily action steps that demand hard (and smart) work, repetition, and consistent second- and third-efforts. By taking it step by step, you can ascend the ladder of success. Now, let us explore the processes we will refer to as “ships” that are needed to navigate toward a championship.
RELATIONSHIPS – Throughout a season, athletes, coaches, and team staff spend countless hours together—on the field, in locker rooms, during off-ice workouts, at hotels, on planes, buses, and at school (for school teams). A positive brotherhood forms in a cohesive group willing to improve every day, aided by healthy sports and mental coaching. Within this brotherhood, a culture develops in which members love and respect each other and are committed to helping one another succeed. Teammates become integral to this brotherhood, where trust is established and serves as the foundation for team performance. Strong relationships foster a solid brotherhood that evolves into friendships. These two elements build trust within the team, which is crucial for strong performance.
LEADERSHIP – Leadership begins at the top of any organization. Leaders—such as ownership, management, coaches, and team staff—set specific goals for the club and foster a championship culture through a systematic approach. The team values and manifestos are developed collaboratively, and the team’s leaders embrace these goals and culture, acting as extensions of the coaching staff. Everyone works together toward the common goal: winning the championship. Joining the leadership “ship” is a learned skill; leaders are not born; they evolve into leaders. They lead on the field by making extra efforts, adhering to team systems, being selfless (taking hits to make plays, blocking shots), or by being vocal leaders in the locker room. Here, they encourage their teammates, create a positive environment, and hold each other accountable when performance dips below the required standard.
PARTNERSHIPS – Organizational leaders, coaching staff, and team members work as partners to achieve their goals. In turn, athletes are trained to work in sync with one another as a team. Delving deeper into team play, the partnership “ship” involves goalies collaborating, defensive pairs working together, and lines, power-play units, penalty-kill units, and 6-on-5 units all forming partnerships. Another aspect of the partnership among team members is accepting your specific role. Every team will need scorers, defensive players, and playmakers. Teams don’t need 20 skill players; they need several roles filled with gifted athletes. Vincent Trochett is a leader both on and off the ice for the New York Rangers. To compete for the USA Olympic men’s hockey team, he accepted a supporting-player role. Great athletes understand the importance of teamwork and embrace any role they are given. Athletes from all sports can learn from Vincent’s selflessness in accepting this role by listening to this interview.
When everyone boards the partnership “ship,” they buy in, perform in unison during competition, and execute at their best.
WORKMANSHIP – Every athlete must embrace the “ship” of workmanship. Workmanship entails a mindful attention to detail. Paying attention to the little things is a skill that can be learned. Attention to detail builds success. For instance, in hockey, this includes maintaining proper passing technique (using “LOOK-PUSH-POINT”), positioning for checks (like keeping your stick on ice for stick-on-puck checks), and habits like boxing out in front of the net and tracking rebounds. Habits are the result of repeated actions that form your consistent behaviour. On-ice habits, like getting under sticks for better positioning on the “box out” or refining your pre-game routine, all contribute to success. When you commit to the “ship” of workmanship, you take pride in your actions, understanding that championship teams are built on the daily practice of both attention to detail and habits.
HARDSHIPS – Experiences during sports seasons are never the same. There will always be ups and downs throughout the season. Sports would be too easy if we won every game and never stepped out of our comfort zone. Adversity is guaranteed in any season. Championship teams respond with resilience and unity; they stay true to their goals, values, and team manifestos, no matter the challenges they face. They pursue their goals every day with determination and grit.
CRAFTSMANSHIP – Craftsmanship refers to mastery of skills, involving the learning and execution of proper techniques for passing, receiving, checking, defending, skating, and shooting. Mastering these skills requires hours of deliberate practice and repetition, where athletes take pride in even the smallest individual improvements. Athletes often discuss confidence, which consists of two parts: 1) always competing with second and third efforts, and 2) preparation. Establishing practice and game preparation routines that can be repeated is crucial. Another key aspect of preparation is understanding all your team’s systems and plays.
OWNERSHIP – While all the “ships” are important, everyone must commit to the Ownership ship. Ownership means committing to and buying into your team. This requires setting high standards and expectations for everyone involved, which we do through our team manifesto. Once the standards are established, team members need to show integrity: doing what they say they will do and fulfilling their commitments, even when no one is watching. Another important part of Ownership is accountability. Once high standards are set, some people may inevitably fall “below the line” and make mistakes. This is where accountability comes into play. There are three types of accountability: the athlete to himself, the teammate to the teammate, and the coach to the team member. We must also establish an accountability agreement that outlines the consequences if a member falls below the line. An example could be the loss of playing time.
BONUS “SHIP” FOR COACHES AND SECOND-YEAR PLAYERS
MENTORSHIPS – Sports are about teaching and helping each other improve every day, becoming the best version of ourselves. Coaches need to mentor all their players. Veterans should guide rookies to play and act in accordance with the team vision outlined in the team manifesto. Rookies bring fresh energy, and everyone should uplift one another to become their best selves daily. Management supports coaches, coaches support players, and players support each other!
Sports is an unpredictable journey, but embracing these “ships” will increase our chances of boarding the most rewarding ship of all: the championship!
Enio Sacilotto is the President of International Hockey Camps and runs the Mental Edge High-Performance Training. Enio has 44 years of coaching experience (professional hockey in Europe and the Victoria Royals (WHL)). Currently, he coaches at the Burnaby Winter Club Hockey Academy, is the coach of the Serbian U18 men’s National hockey team, and is the Head Coach with the Burnaby Steelers. If you have questions or are interested in his services, contact Enio at enio@coachenio.com or call 604-255-4747. Website: www.coachenio.com.