Greg McMullen

So I’m sitting on the bus on our way to Lawrence Central (and due to certain recent events the coaching staff has to stagger seating). I’m in the back of the bus with all of the “close” guy swimmers you can really sense the camaraderie between the team.

At the same time you can also feel the sense of disconnect between swimmers of different backgrounds. Both of our team captains are sitting in the back minding themselves while the younger and less experienced swimmers sit quietly on their own.

Hopefully by the end of the season we can have a connection between all of the swimmers especially between the guys and girls. At the girls only meet all of the girls were laughing and having a good time. Today we have limited interaction mainly because the two teams can inter mix and you can tell that the cliques all bond together instead of forming one team.

What’s the best way to promote team growth? Is it better to support individual team growth before allowing the teams to intermingle? As always comments and suggestions are helpful.

As a coach, I’m starting to find myself in some tough spots. Last week we had a few guys that were having a rough time even making it through pushing off of a wall without stopping immediately. This combined with the fact that we have a 6-lane pool with over 30 swimmers meant that we unfortunately had to make some cuts.

Now for a business example. We (at @UniqueHomeSol) recently setup a marketing group to head up our online, TV and print campaigns. After about a week I was approached and told that if I didn’t “provide direction to the group” I would be done. Fortunately I was able to warm up to the idea of pushing ideas out into the room and developed the capacity to accept praise and criticism.

It seems like everyday we find ourselves in situations were we have to make cuts and sacrifices for the greater good of our company and teams. My question to you is how long does it take? Does everyone get the same chance, or do certain people get special treatment because of a relationship that they have with the owner or coach?

Ultimately, when is it appropriate to tell someone that feel like ‘they’ are no longer an asset to your team? I’m thoroughly interested in your thoughts so please share them.

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