The Pillars of Excellence – a map for success

NOTE TO READERS – The News-Press and Naples Daily News have partnered with FGCU for a recurring series of guest columns by the coaches at the university, which is an NCAA Division I institution. They will share their insights on leadership, communication, motivation and more and how they connect with their athletes to make them successful on and off the playing field.

I came to Fort Myers two years ago to lead the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball team. I’ve been in the coaching business for 25 years and at all levels – high school, Divisions I, II and III. I’ve seen coaches come and go from programs all over this great country. Most coaches focus on the outcomes on the court as their goal. But leading, to me, is not about wins and losses. I want to help the young men I coach achieve something greater – success in life. I have a formula that works – I know this because it comes from my own lived experience. Let me tell you how that formula, the Pillars of Excellence, came to be.

I believe there is a life-defining, maybe even life-altering moment for everyone. Mine was being viciously stabbed in the neck and a centimeter away from death. While recovering, I received a card with the word “attitude” on the front and the famous Charles Swindoll quote: “Life Is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.”

The fragility of life changed my perspective. So I left the comfort and stability of a successful business career behind to start over and follow my passion for coaching, basketball and mentoring. The next thing I knew, I was accepting a coaching job with Jay Wright and Villanova University. I knew I was on the right path when, at the end of a team huddle, Jay Wright would break it with us, saying, “1, 2, 3, attitude.” I can’t just say that was a coincidence.

My journey continued from Villanova to Boston University then to Penn State. It was at the latter when I started exploring more ways to educate, guide and prepare our players for life after basketball. I looked at myself – my failures and successes – and the Pillars of Excellence started to formulate: faith, accountability, passion, humility and gratitude. And, you might have guessed, attitude was the foundation holding everything up.

Faith, for me, is first. It’s a belief in God, a higher being and higher power. Selflessness and “other-centeredness” for the greater good. Having faith is essential when the storms of life come rolling in. On and off the court, players need to have faith in us – as a staff, program and university – that we will do what’s best for them – because usually what’s best for them is best for the team.

Accountability can seem like a lost art today because we allow/tolerate shortcuts, tardiness or anything less than someone’s best. We encourage players to do what they say they will do when it comes to school, the weight room, the basketball court or social situations. Your word matters, whether you committed to being in study hall, practicing in the gym or cleaning your room. Accountability requires self-discipline and communication by all.

Passion is vital because you have to love the hard work associated with what you’re doing. For our players, that’s the love of playing basketball. This means no one else is motivating you to do something; the desire and energy should be in you. Within this FGCU program, we love the game; we love the process; and we love to develop men.

Humility leads back to the famous quote attributed to a few people, including coach John Wooden, “The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching.” The rewards, accolades and status of being part of a collegiate basketball program can put humility to the test, but how we treat people matters. When a fan wants an autograph, our players stop and give that person time and attention. A positive experience with one of us could have a massive impact on someone’s day.

Gratitude stems from one simple fact – we cannot take this opportunity for granted. We all have things to be thankful for in life. For the FGCU Eagles, the players are receiving an excellent education AND developing their basketball skills as Division 1 athletes. The team has trainers, doctors and nutritionists at its fingertips. This team competes against the best. We see the world. Our games are transmitted across many platforms. Our players should be thankful for the opportunity to be college athletes. And, if you’re not an athlete, be thankful for the life that basketball has provided. Yes, it’s going to be hard, but be grateful for the hard. Ultimately, it will help you be the best version of yourself.

These five pillars would not work without the firm foundation on which they were built – attitude. These pillars transcend sports. Every day, we all face choices: positive or negative attitude, bounce out of bed or hit snooze, play the victim, complain and be miserable, OR be solution-driven, stay positive and fight for joy. I was stabbed, fired and lost enough games to last a lifetime. Through it all, I chose my attitude; it didn’t choose me.

When it comes to basketball, we can’t control the officials, fans, bad bounces or injuries. We can’t control the travel, media and alums. But we can control our attitudes.

Taking a page from Jay Wright’s playbook, the FGCU Eagles break every huddle with a familiar chant: “1, 2, 3, attitude.”

The five pillars with attitude as its foundation became a map for success throughout my coaching career. To date, these pillars have helped achieve a near 85% graduation success rate and shaped many NBA/G-league professionals, European professional basketball players and Fortune 500 stars.

Pat Chambers is the head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast University men's basketball team.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The Pillars of Excellence – a map for success