From Scratch
Taking over a new program and trying to build an elite culture from scratch is challenging in a lot of ways. It's really hard to slow things down. The amount of work that needs to be done can be overwhelming and it's hard to remain patient. You know what you want things to look like and you want it to happen as soon as possible. Your desire to establish a new approach right away can actually get in the way of your ability to do so.
I've taken over two programs (Rhode Island College, University of Maine) that had no history of basketball success. I'm sure in both situations I was a little to eager to get things established. To get your culture right, you really have to think long term. I've always been more of a big picture thinker, but I still had trouble with this. It's hard to see something happen that is dysfunctional and say "Well, that's understandable, we haven't had a chance to implement our culture." You want it to change, and you want it to change now. Which is okay. But your first thought with any decisions about your culture should be about the long term impact. If you cut corners with your approach to feel like you are making an immediate impact, establishing your culture only gets tougher.
Trust is the most important core element of any successful organization. Everything you do should come from the mindset of earning the trust of your players. Show vulnerability and humility, and have genuine conversations with them. Don't just get to know them off the court, let them get to know you off the court. Make sure your actions back up everything you say. If for a second they feel like you aren't being authentic with them, you'll start to lose them and your culture will never be strong enough to sustain elite success.
We all think of leadership as making declarative statements. I think it's more about asking questions. One of the most important things you need to do when you take over is learn about your players and your organization. Telling people how you are going to do things is not how to go about it. It's a somewhat lazy approach to leadership, one that makes you feel good when you go home at night, but not one that connects with your team. You feel like you are establishing how you are going to operate, and your players are asking "Do I really want this guy telling me what to do? Whoever asks the most questions wins.
Place a majority of your focus and time off the court or away from the office. The basketball will take time, but it will be shaped by your approach. As your team is learning to trust you, the way you communicate with them will have a huge impact. Your preparation and your message is more important than your offense or defense. I'm not saying the basketball isn't important, of course it is. But as your team is still getting to know you, who you are is more important than what you know. They may love the offense, but if they don't really believe in you that won't matter. People buy in to who you are more than what you do.
Leadership from day one is a challenge. You have a natural urge to get as much done as quickly as possible. I'm pretty confident you'll look back at more than a few things that you tried to move too quickly with. Take some time to slow down and figure out the best way to implement your approach with the long game in mind. The goals is not to change things today, but to be successful over the long haul.