Everyone on a team is important. Everyone has an important role to play from the star who scores the most points to the last player on the bench who provides moral support and encouragement to his teammates. This is the essence of a team: working together toward a common goal and performing your job to the best of your ability so that your teammates can do their jobs well, too.

Coaches play an important role in empowering those under them to be great. This creates a team concept and a positive, winning attitude. How teammates interact with one another is critical to a teams success. Its up to the coach to manage that interaction by fostering an environment in which everyone feels important.

When I was coaching the World Team Tennis Boston Lobsters during the 2005 season, there were times when players were either not getting to play in matches at all or were only playing in one set. Of course, every player wants to play every match. If a player was not upset about sitting on the bench, I would have to wonder. When a player is not playing as much as they would like, however, their behavior and reaction become critical not only to themselves, but to the team environment.

During the Lobsters season, I received a lot of feedback regarding the players demeanor on the bench. This was valuable information that allowed me to see how the fans perceived the players behavior. I used this feedback during individual and team meetings. For the players who did not get to play very often, I told them how important they were to the team and that it does matter what they say to their teammates and how they conduct themselves on the bench. I also stressed that I wanted them to look good, whether they were playing a lot or not and that how they conduct themselves on the bench is a reflection on them. I was trying to empower them to be great regardless of their playing time. The result was that every player had an active role in helping the team to victory. We were a true team, which as you know, is sometimes difficult to manage and sustain. Another key element of empowering others to be great is for players to have trust in the coachs decision making. Implicit in that trust is that the decisions made are for the benefit of the team, not the individual. Coaches can ensure this trust by believing in and telling their team that they are not just the coach, but that they, too, are a member of the team. This attitude and leadership certainly promotes more camaraderie and fun while achieving the primary goal winning!

As coach of the Lobsters, it was my job to win. This was important for the owner, the city of Boston, and the team. I had to make the critical order of play (deciding which sets to play first, second, third, fourth and fifth) and lineup decisions for every match. Believe me, my decisions were not always popular, but it was my responsibility to create a winning environment regardless of whether my decisions were popular or not.

There were times during the season when I asked for player feedback, particularly regarding the order of play. I welcomed their input; however, I made the decisions regarding the lineup. For example, if I saw that one of my players was playing better than his partner in doubles, there was a good chance that I would substitute the person who was playing better that night into the mixed doubles. These substitutions were not always understood, but I was looking out for the best interests of the team, enabling each player to contribute to the team in a necessary and meaningful way. As you all know, everything turned out great, as the Lobsters made it to the playoffs as a first-year franchise. We won a playoff spot by edging the Philadelphia Freedoms by ten games. Everyone on the team contributed to winning those crucial games. Would Martina Navratilova have played in the last five matches of our season if she did not love the team and its incredible chemistry and spirit? She showed how much she enjoyed playing for the Lobsters. She played in our last match for free. How many professionals would have done that!

At the professional level, its the coachs job to win, and decisions that are made must always be in the best interest of the team. In our case, we were able to have it all a trip to the playoffs, a winning team spirit, and players who were empowered to be great.