Your Legacy Isn’t in the Wins, It’s in How You Lead
Championship Culture: The 6 C's That Define Your Coaching Legacy
I spoke at a conference this year where I was the keynote speaker and on stage for 2 hours in front of 160 high school softball coaches. I LOVED every minute of it! I dove into Building Team Culture While Motivating Players AND The Mental Side of the Game, two topics I am very passionate about!
Where does my passion come from? Well, I had one of the best high school coaches who laid a tremendous foundation for me that centered around hustle, effort, attitude, respect and teamwork! Coach Hutcheson made me WANT to be a better player and teammate! She had this way of connecting with you but also holding you to a high standard! I am now 47 years old and almost every time I walk onto a softball diamond (which has been thousands of times) her presence is there. Her impact has helped shape a good portion of my life in softball. I was also fortunate to have play for and coached with the 2nd most winningest coach in the Div. III history, Bob Timmons! His teachings about the game and coaching style have provide me with foundational tools to continue my success in this sport that I love! I was so fortunate to have had two impactful coaches!
At the coaching conference, I put one powerful question up on the big screen:
“You are making an impact. What kind of impact are you making?”
Every coach in the room paused. Because this isn’t just a catchy phrase, it’s a mirror.
As coaches, we are always making an impact. The question is whether that impact is intentional, meaningful, and aligned with your values or if it’s reactive, inconsistent, or unexamined. I was so lucky growing up to have coaches that cared, connected with me, that were consistent in their messaging and knew the game like no other!
At the conference I spoke about the 6 C’s that build a championship culture, the kind of culture that lasts longer than a single season and leaves a legacy that lives beyond the game. These aren’t just buzzwords, they need to be your compass. Are you coaching with intention?
Self-reflection is one of the most important tools in your coaching toolbox. Not film review. Not scouting reports. You. How you lead, how you respond, how you model what you preach. Hopefully if you are a coach, you can take time to reflect on the latter.
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each "C," with practical coaching insights, real-life softball examples as that is the season I was just in with multiple teams that I support, and quotes to guide your growth.
1. Connection: Lead with the Heart
Before your players will give you everything they’ve got, they need to feel seen and known. Connection isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s a foundational coaching tool. When players know you care about them, not just their performance, they show up differently.
Connection doesn’t require a big team talk or heart-to-hearts every day. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking, “How’s your grandma doing?” or “How’d that math test go?” That small moment says, I see you beyond the jersey.
I once worked with a coach whose player had been struggling on the field which wasn’t normal. After practice, the coach sat next to her on the bench and just asked, “How are you really doing?” The athlete teared up and opened up about family struggles. That single moment changed their relationship and that players season. There was a shift in play and a new level of trust.
2. Consistent: How You Show Up Matters
Teen athletes are living in a world of constant change with school pressure, social shifts, hormonal rollercoasters. What they need from you is consistency. Not perfection. Not unshakable optimism. Just steady, grounded leadership.
Consistency builds trust. When your energy, tone, and expectations are reliable, players stop guessing how you’re going to react and start focusing on what they can control which is their effort, execution, and attitude.
This past season at a game I observed a game where the coach was calm and encouraging whether the team was up by two or down by four. After a tough loss, the coach said, “We’ll be fine-we are focusing this season on the process, not the outcome and you all played a great game!” That’s the impact of consistency. The coach didn’t get upset at the loss and place blame, yet focused on process.
3. Courage: Accountability Is Important
Real coaching takes courage, the courage to confront behavior that doesn’t align with team standards, to give honest feedback, and to say the hard thing with love.
When you hold your athletes accountable, you’re showing them they matter. Accountability says: I believe you’re capable of more. It’s not about punishment; it’s about raising the bar through challenge and support.
At a game with one of my teams I support in the mental performance space, two players collided and dropped the ball. No communication. Neither wanted to accept it was their own fault, they didn’t talk after the incident and both somewhat pouted through the rest of the half inning on defense. After the game, the coach shared with the team that that behavior isn’t going to win championships! She said “That’s not the effort we expect from our leaders. I know you’re both better than that.” She called them up and challenged them to be better next game. Both of those players came out on fire the next game with communication and energy.
4. Competence: Know Your Stuff, Then Keep Growing
As a coach, your players are looking to you for guidance. They need to know you understand the game, not just technically, but emotionally and mentally, too. Competence earns credibility. But your growth mindset earns respect.
Softball is evolving. So are your players. Keep learning. Stay curious. Ask questions. Attend clinics. Watch film. Read. Grow.
A coach I work with shares one article or video with their team each week, sometimes it’s a hitting breakdown, sometimes it’s a mental skill. The message is always the same: we’re all students of the game. I loved that idea and have implemented the same thing with my Empowered Athlete’s Group!
5. Communication: Clarity Builds Confidence
If your players are guessing what you want, they’re not focused on execution, they’re managing uncertainty. Clear communication is one of the most loving things you can give your team.
Uncertainty breeds fear, and fear hijacks performance. When a player doesn’t know their role, or thinks they might get pulled for the smallest mistake, they shift into self-protection mode instead of playing freely. That fear triggers tension in their bodies, in their minds, and in their decision-making. Confidence and flow state require psychological safety. If they’re walking on eggshells, they’re not competing, they’re surviving.
Define roles. Set expectations. Use language they understand. Repeat yourself more than you think is necessary. Teenage brains are NOT wired for long-term processing in high-pressure moments so reinforce, reinforce, reinforce.
I was with a team where two players were quietly frustrated and when asked their biggest struggle was, they didn’t know their roles. Once the coach clarified their responsibilities and told them, “We need you in this exact role, and it matters, you are important, I need you here even though this may not be the role you had wanted.,” they stepped up. They were given steps on what to work on for future responsibility and they owned what they needed to do.
6. Character: Words and Actions in Sync
Your players are always watching. They’re watching when you’re on the field, when you’re talking to an umpire, when things don’t go your way. Especially when things don’t go your way.
Character isn’t a speech before a game. It’s how you act when no one’s looking AND when everyone is. If you expect them to be composed, resilient, and respectful, you have to lead the way. Do what you say. Live what you teach.
I saw a team lose a game on a bad call. Instead of the coach exploding, she walked calmly to the ump, had a respectful conversation, and then turned to the team and ran out to left field. I asked the coach what she said after the loss and she shared this… “We don’t blame. We respond.” The lesson in that moment was bigger than the game. Control the controllable- which is YOU! They came back in game two and dominated right from the first inning.
Coaches, remember: Your impact goes far beyond the field. Keep showing up with heart, courage, and intention. Remember connection and accountability matter!! Stay grounded, stay grateful, and keep raising the standard. This game gives you a platform and how you use it defines the kind of impact you make. Let’s build legacies, not just lineups!!!
“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results.” – Bob Proctor
“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” – John Wooden
Jodi Stepanek, MPM, CMMI
Mental Performance Coach and founder of Big Heart Meditation & Mindfulness
If you are a high school coach and connected with the above and want to dive further in to elevating your coaching game and the 10 pillars of mental performance and how to implement into your team practices, reach out! My Coaches Circle starts back up this fall, so if you want to join my 6-week class, just let me know!! IF Fall time doesn’t work, I have another session starting in February 2026. – Coach Jodi
