Coach Mika Robinson

Take time to reflect…

One of the most valuable things you can do as a leader is to slow down and take the time to reflect on a regular basis. Too often we find ourselves in a place of reacting rather than proactively seeking solutions, and taking the time to reflect can equip us for when those moments arise that are likely to bring a reaction.

A few of my favorite ways to reflect…

🚶‍♀️🚲🛶 Getting outside and active - do some of my best thinking that way!

📕 Reading a good book, either one that applies to the issues at hand or one that completely lets me get my mind off of them for a bit

✍️ Writing down my thoughts. Starting with brainstorming and slowly formulating real thoughts.

Do you take time to reflect on a regular basis?

LESSONS LEARNED FROM A LEGEND

This past weekend, a coach who I consider one of my mentors as well as a rival and most importantly a friend reached the incredible milestone of 1,200 career victories in a regional championship final. I was fortunate to be courtside all weekend as the NCAA rep and snapped this picture during warmups of the final. I wanted to share a few things that I have learned over the years (I love to remind him that it was his volleyball camp when I was 15 that probably propelled me into a career in volleyball) from him.

-The best leaders never get too good to do any job. When I showed up for the venue walk through on Wednesday morning, this Hall of Fame coach was preparing to personally mop the floor (with a contraption that he had built to pull the mop like a sled) between the morning basketball practices and the first regional team’s practice.

-The best leaders lift everyone around them up (even or especially their competitors). Over the years, I have often been the recipient of his words of encouragement or advice. This past weekend, I watched him lift every one of the opposing coaches up in brief conversations, comments about their teams post-match and in press conferences, and with the respect with which he gave each of them in his team’s preparations.

-The best leaders pay attention to detail. The little things matter. Whether he was instructing his team on a specific way that they could score in the next match or realizing that I would need someone to go get me lunch on day 1 without me having to ask (and he was the one to go get it) or being the one to make sure the court was perfect for each day of play, his attention to detail despite all that was going on was always there.

People often look at those who have accomplished great things and think they must have had some lucky breaks along the way. More often than not, I find that they have just done some things extraordinarily well for longer than anyone else is willing to! Congrats on another great season Coach and best of luck to you and your Spartans this weekend at the finals!

Don't forget the power of gratitude and joy and positive reinforcement!

As leaders, we often get overwhelmed by the day-to-day grind and the work that has to be done in order to get the results that we need. However, the best work is always done with joy and gratitude.

If you are struggling to get the results you want today, stop and assess whether or not you are approaching the situation with joy and gratitude. I know…sometimes we just don’t FEEL like having either joy or gratitude, but that is when it is the most important to bring them to the table! Instead of looking for consequences to change behavior, consider finding ways to give positive reinforcement for changes in behavior. Reward what you want to see, and most importantly MODEL what you want to see!

Do you agree? What makes this the most challenging for you?

Just a reminder that success is never a straight climb…there will ALWAYS be challenges along the way.

Our job as leaders is to take the challenges in stride and to help those we lead reframe them as something to overcome versus something to take us down.

So, if you find yourself facing a challenge (or two or three) today, just remember that probably means you are on the path to achieving something worthwhile!

Do you agree? Why or why not?

“Pressure is a privilege.” – Billie Jean King

Leaders often feel pressure…pressure to perform, pressure to get it right, pressure to be “on”, pressure to be positive when they don’t feel like it, pressure to stay disciplined, pressure to stay optimistic, etc.

Pressure is an interesting thing. It is very often self-inflicted, and it is very often only present in our own minds. However, it is still very real. So, how do we allow it to help us be the best version of ourselves rather than make us crumble?

I believe Billie Jean King got the essence of how we make it work for us. We need to view that feeling of pressure (whether it is external or internal) as something worthy of gratitude. We would not feel pressure if we were not in a position to feel it. When we are in a position to feel pressure, it means that we have been given both opportunity and responsibility. What we do with those things are up to us!

So, here is hoping you find yourself feeling grateful for the privilege of feeling pressure today! Seize the moment and make it a great day like this group is going to do! 😉

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“Management is a role. Leadership is a relationship.” ~Michael Maccoby⠀

In order to be able to lead anyone, they must give you permission to do so. That permission is gained through the development of trust, sharing of empathy, and focus on serving those you lead. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it can be easily damaged. However, the rewards for the efforts are always worth more than the risks involved. Relationships are always the key!⠀

Here are my top 3 keys to building a strong coach/player relationship.

1) Get to know them as a person first and seek to understand their perspective.

2) Remind them often that you are on their team and want nothing but their success. Catch them doing good!

3) Always be willing to listen and quick to apologize when necessary.

My players will tell you that I am far from perfect every day, but I think they will also tell you that they never doubt that I care about them and tell them I love them often!

START WITH CORE VALUES

Creating a unified and winning team has always been challenging, but it may even be more so these days.

One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned over the years is the value of core values in creating a positive team culture. Here are a few reasons why they are so important.

• Tough times will inevitably come, and if you don’t have core values in place it can be really hard to be consistent in decisions.

• If everyone is on the same page regarding values, it is so much easier to get everyone to do the necessary work and make the necessary sacrifices.

• They provide a framework for accountability.

• Developing leaders at all levels is critical, and core values provide the platform for leaders to make decisions on their own that still work towards the team goals. It empowers them to lead.

• Having a clear identity has never been more valuable than in today’s world. Core values clearly communicate to everyone the identity of your team.

• Picking the right people to join your “bus” is one of the most important decisions you will make, and core values prevent you from adding talented individuals who will not contribute to a positive culture.

Does your team have core values? DM me your email address if you’d like a resource to help you define yours!

Your results or accomplishments (or lack thereof) don’t define you!

Over the last few weeks, our team has had some big wins and a couple of tough losses. However, neither of those things define us as individuals or collectively.

Remember that you are so much more than what you do or don’t do. You are how you make others feel. You are how diligently you work to improve. You are the love and light you pour out into the world. You are also enough just as you are.

High standards are critical for success in many ways, but they should never supersede understanding that we all bring unique gifts and talents to the table that make the collective better.

Embrace your strengths and go be the best version of yourself today, no more, no less!

Leadership can be a lonely journey at times, as you often have to be the first one to step out or the one who has to make the hard decisions. Over the years, I have learned that it is so critical to develop an inner circle of family, friends, peers, and mentors who can help in those times. They can check you when you are veering off course and affirm you when you are doing the hard but right thing. Similarly, I cherish the opportunities I get to return that favor to someone (family, friend, peer, or mentee) who has allowed me to be in their inner circle. It often is a bigger gift to me than it is to them, which is a great reminder for me not to be afraid to ask others for their insight.⠀

Here’s to continuing to cast stones to create positive ripples!

Some of the narrowest paths lead to the most amazing views.⠀

Rarely does anyone accomplish something of significant worth and then look back and say, “Oh how did that happen? I just fell into that.” The reality is that they usually have spent countless hours toiling and climbing and sacrificing in order to get there. In fact, I believe those hours are precisely what makes the accomplishment have worth and what makes the view that much more amazing. Fortunately, there are usually a lot of spectacular views on the path along the way, too.⠀

As a volleyball coach, I have learned that championship teams don’t just happen. They take the right combination of people who are willing to take a path that is more narrow than comfortable, hours of work and sacrifice, the ability to enjoy the views of the process, and finally a little good fortune/grace along the way.⠀

Where are you choosing the easy path? What views could you see if you chose the harder, more narrow one?⠀

Coaching is a bit like an addiction…wait! Hear me out!

This post is for all of the coaches out there…I SEE YOU!

Unless you’ve held the title of coach or had a wife, husband, mom or dad who has held that title, you may not understand.

On the surface and from the outside (or often even from players’ perspectives) coaching appears to be a position of power, influence, and ego. The reality is that many (if not most) coaches couldn’t be operating farther from that position.

The reality is that we FEEL every low that our players experience and spend hours upon hours (during what most professions would consider “off” time) trying to find solutions to everything from how to score more points in x rotation to how to help Suzy see herself as the amazing, competent person and player you see her as to how to help that one freshmen make real connections to how to help that injured player remember their value with or without their sport to…you get the point. These are the hard days that often make us question if all of the sacrifices we’ve made (missing our own kids’ stuff, long days, pay that often equals pennies per hour) are worth it.

Then along comes the HIGH! A big win where your team overcame adversity. An affirming text from an alum thanking you for your influence. A once struggling freshman shining as a senior leader. A moment of true connection. The light in a player’s eyes when they accomplish something they’ve been struggling with. It will make you go through the lows over and over again!

Here’s to more highs than lows for you this week, coaches! I see you!

What does it mean to be a team in the pursuit of excellence?

• Having each other’s back on the good days and the bad days

• Loving each other enough to hold each other accountable

• Doing the little things even when we don’t feel like it

• Being willing to carry our share of the load - which may change drastically from day to day

• Having a unified and single vision

• Being “all in” even in moments we don’t understand or agree

• Playing for something bigger than ourselves

• Measuring ourselves against the yesterday version of ourselves

• Wholeheartedly believing in ourselves and the person next to me

• Stepping up when needed, taking on a support role when needed, and knowing neither makes me better or worse than those around me

Love this team’s collective and individual hearts and can’t wait to see all that they will accomplish together!

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Another coach and I had a conversation this week about how we wished we could hit fast forward to see all that this team will accomplish this year. Then I remembered…it’s not the destination that makes what I do worthwhile (don’t get me wrong, I do like my championship rings and trophies), but it’s the journey.

The ups and downs that this team will face this year will forge them into a team with unbreakable bonds, memories that will last forever, and growth beyond their wildest dreams. I don’t want to miss a minute of it!

Here’s hoping you embrace your journey today and remember that the moment that matters the most is the present one!

It’s been an emotional few days as I sent my youngest off to college at the same time that we started preseason. Yet, there are a few things that have made the days not only bearable but enjoyable.

1) Having the privilege to coach a group of athletes who have bought into pursuing excellence as a team over individual needs and choose joy in the process of doing the work!

2) Witnessing young women grow in every way imaginable right before my eyes, because they have been willing to be vulnerable and submit to something greater than themselves.

3) Having a unified spirit between all of our staff and players as we pursue the best versions of ourselves, and seeing the athletes see the fruits of their labors.

I am beyond blessed that these women call me “coach”!

Now, let’s get after it Tars!

It’s that time of year…camp season. Easily one of the most exhausting yet rewarding times of the year. A few of the rewards…

-Watching our players be incredible examples, mentors, and encouragers for the young girls they used to be.

-Seeing the pure joy in a camper’s eyes when she finally gets “it”, whatever that is for her.

-Hearing the true gratitude in parents’ words for the impact made on their impressionable daughters.

-The joy of having alums back in the fold for a week and catching up on their lives while watching them enjoy being back home in the gym.

-Watching my own kids (now young adults and critical members of our camp staff) work hard, enjoy the company of our team, and play the game we all love.

I won’t lie…it’s exhausting…but it always leaves me with a full cup! Time to get some sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow!

Stopping to be grateful for small blessings…

These beautiful flowers are blooming right outside of my office, and they stopped me in my tracks today. It reminded me how important it is to have an attitude of gratitude and to notice the small blessings in our day to day routines.

Wishing you all a blessed weekend!

Something special happens when people buy into each other, love each other unconditionally, and yet push each other on the good and the bad days…they become so much greater than the sum of their parts.

Most people go through life never experiencing this kind of magic, because it is really hard to be selfless and vulnerable enough to get to that place. It takes intentionality. It takes someone going first. It takes consistent effort. It takes a willingness to believe. It takes a growth mindset and a positive attitude. It takes faith in each other and faith in the process. It takes love.

As a coach, witnessing this kind of magic is exactly what makes all of the struggles and hard days worth it. It is exactly what makes me more excited about year 16 as a head coach than I have ever been (which is saying a lot). I know there will be hard days and there will be struggles, but remembering this magic will get me to the next day again and again.

What about you? Who can you believe in today? Who can you love enough to push them to be their best?

Our actions speak so much louder than our words!

Too often, leaders expect those we lead to do what we say without noticing what we do. However, just like this baby bird, we all learn best from watching an example.

So, no matter the lesson you are hoping to impart, ask yourself “Do my actions align with my words?” If you’re like me, I’ll often find I need to do some adjusting.

Putting in extra effort and extra time does not guarantee success. However, in over 25 years of coaching and being blessed to coach numerous players who have led their teams to championships and numerous players who have been recognized as All Americans and Players of the Year, I have yet to see one reach those pinnacles without doing more than what was asked of them.

If you are not reaching the level of success you desire, stop and look in the mirror. Are you merely showing up and doing the minimum, or are you going above and beyond to take responsibility for your growth? Are you taking advantage of every opportunity to hone your skills, strengthen your mind and your body, build relationships, and grow every day? If you are merely showing up, realize that you have no one but yourself to blame for your current role or level of success.

As humans, we are made to be in community. As I passed another birthday this past weekend, I can’t help but reflect on just how important community and friendship are in our lives.

One of the greatest things about team sports is the opportunity to build relationships that last far beyond our playing days. This picture was taken of my college teammate and I this past spring while we watched her daughter playing the sport that we love. We currently live over 1500 miles apart and have not seen each other more than once every few years for a few decades now. However, every time we do see each other we pick right up where we left off, regularly connect via texts, and we always celebrate each other’s life milestones.

As a leader, helping those we lead learn how to build and nurture quality relationships may be one of our most important jobs. It doesn’t just pay dividends on the court. It has long lasting implications on their lives! In a world that is dominated by technology and busyness, this is more critical now than ever! I have been reminded of this frequently in the last few months, and I’m so very thankful for the friends like this one who always leave me with a full heart!

Take time to connect with others this week. I promise you won’t regret it!

Take time to recharge…

Those who know me well know that this is one of the toughest things for me to do. I grew up with parents who worked hard from sun up to sun down, and that work ethic was instilled in me as well. I’m notorious for overloading my schedule, saying yes to too many things, and living life with almost no “margins.” However, over the years, I have gained an appreciation for the importance of taking time to recharge and reset.

For me, there is no better place than the beach to refresh my mind, body, and soul. Whether with family or friends or all by myself for a few hours on a weekday, I always leave with a fresh outlook and a feeling of rest and relaxation.

My daughter says the song “Saltwater Gospel” is my anthem and while I wouldn’t say that I would choose the beach over a great worship service, I will say that being at the beach definitely feels “as close to God as I can get,” so it’s no wonder that it’s my favorite place to reset.

How about you? Where do you go to recharge? Do you regularly make time to do just that?

Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart."

Those who know me well know that the last 7 years have easily been some of the most challenging of my coaching career, with obstacle after obstacle being thrown in our path. If I were to list them all, few people would believe it was a real list.

Yet, today we began the first day of our training for 2023, and I’m going to go ahead and claim the harvest that is coming! Not only is this group going to shock a lot of people this fall, but they are going to do it all while staying true to our core values and lifting each other up.

One thing I know for certain is that God’s timing is ALWAYS perfect, and it is not lost on me that this is year 7! Thankful to be used by Him to shine light in the darkness and oh so grateful to get to pour into this group every day!

2023, we’re coming for you!

What’s that saying…”Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”?

These two had us rolling today dressing up as me and !

It’s , so it’s a great day to share my appreciation for ALL of the coaches I was fortunate to call “Coach” over the years.

A special thank you to Coach Cissy Witt who somehow not only managed to convince me to try volleyball but who was so instrumental in allowing me to become the leader I was meant to be. To this day, I’m not sure how she put up with some of my strong willed antics, but I’m so thankful she never crushed my passion or my confidence.

Another special thanks to my college coach, Jen Bates Weiss. She taught me how to separate player from person, how to do the next hard thing to take the next step towards excellence, and gave me the opportunity to learn that real leaders are more than their stats or accolades.

Thank you to all of the other influential coaches in my middle school and high school formative years: Terry Mixon, Kaffa Owens, Jimmy Jackson, and Katie Lawrence among others!

TEAM

On good days and on bad, a real team has each other’s back and picks each other up as needed.

A real team knows that excellence is a journey, and there is something to learn from both victory and defeat.

A great team battles at every opportunity and never quits until the final whistle.

How fortunate am I to be the coach of a team that gets these things AND truly cares about each other?

Abundance vs Scarcity mindset

One of the hardest parts of being a competitive athlete is embracing your current role while still striving for a better one. The challenge is real, and it can do a number on your mindset.

The players who do it best embrace an “abundance” or “YES AND” mentality rather than a “scarcity” or “YES BUT” mentality. What does it look like? It looks like celebrating your teammates successes more than your own. It looks like a player who is free of worry about mistakes and only focused on what they bring the next point. It looks like a player who sees the positive in both her own AND her teammates’ play. It looks like a player who embraces a teammate beating her in a point knowing that it will force her to be better next time. It looks like a player who is focused on growth over outcome in the moment. It looks like a player who takes the time to watch more video, get more reps, and take action to make improvements.

I explain to players that I am never looking to replace anyone for their shortcomings. Rather, I am always looking at what can someone add to our situation. So, if a player gets replaced on the court, in my mind it has less to do with what she is not bringing and more to do with what the new player CAN bring to the situation.

How often do you focus on the mistakes or the scarcity of opportunity and how often do you focus on the growth or abundance of opportunity? Here’s to having a “get to” mentality in life this week!

LIFE LESSONS

One of my favorite things about athletics (after relationships) are the life lessons that come from being part of a team and working towards being the best version of yourself!

So, when I get the opportunity to catch up with players years down the road and see who they have become as adults, it really doesn’t get any sweeter!

As Jess and her sweet family went above and beyond to treat our team to an amazing breakfast yesterday, I couldn’t help but smile thinking of the sweet, first year player she had once been compared to the incredibly competent professional, wife and mother that she is now.

This is why I coach! ❤️

Thin but unbreakable threads…
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Fourteen years ago I drove out of Idaho for the next step in my coaching journey, and I haven’t made it back until this week. When I left, these two were a college freshman and a high school senior that I had recruited and knew would have great careers. We laughed today about their recruit visits and them committing to come from Colorado and California to play in Idaho. They both are now permanent residents here and even their parents have relocated here.
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This profession has a lot of hard days, but it is days like today that remind me of how amazing it really is. I only actually got to coach one of these amazing women and only for a year at that, but we have stayed in touch over the years. They took the time to drive over to see me today, and that meant the world! The bonds formed in athletics are such a gift, and I’m thankful to have so many amazing women as a part of my story.

There are teams and then there are TEAMS.

After one week, it is obvious to anyone who encounters this group that they are “all in” with and for each other.

This season will undoubtedly bring challenges, but it will also bring growth, joy, and the satisfaction of what it feels like to fight with and for each other.

As their coach, I am buckling up for an amazing front row seat to all they will accomplish and more importantly BE.

Do yourself a favor and follow our journey at !

JOY
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At the end of day 2 of preseason, this picture reminds me of the joy of the journey! This class of first year athletes are talented, selfless, excited, and joyful!
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As their coach, I absolutely cannot wait to go on this journey with them, and I can already get glimpses of the amazing women they will have grown into over the next four years!
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Come join us on the journey! Follow along at !

This team truly captured what it looks like to be good teammates AND a successful team after never having even practiced together and facing more than one obstacle that would have derailed many.

Ladies, it was absolutely my honor and privilege to coach you and can’t wait to see all that each of you will accomplish! Your coaches, teams, and families have so many reasons to be proud of how you represented this past week!

Keep being givers, solving problems, and adapting as you go!

USA on 3!