Lessons from a Coach: Building a Great Team

On Purpose Communications is expanding its network of talented experts, much like my father assembled individual athletes into a winning football team.

My father, Coach Bob Hampton, with quarterback Jon Ridgeway, 1991. Photo taken by Solidarity magazine.

Recently, the football team at my sons’ high school went to the state playoffs for the first time since 1991. My sons and their friends attended the game as thrilled fans, despite it being quite a distance away. On the car ride there, I reminded everyone who the coach was back in 1991: my father, Bob Hampton.

Let me explain why this achievement is so notable: Wootton High School has never had a “football tradition.” The school, its students and parents are more focused on academics and other sports, such as baseball, soccer, volleyball and tennis. For a football coach to build a winning team at Wootton, it takes a special blend of creativity, determination and leadership.

"We tell our players that if they learn the discipline necessary to play football, they'll be successful in life no matter what they do," my father told Solidarity magazine in 1991. "We don't play any games without trying to win, but there's not a 'win-at-all-costs' system here. They are students first."

As a kid, I remember sitting around the dinner table leading up to football season, and Dad would update us on his recruitment efforts. “I think that kid from track is going to join the football team,” he’d report. Having noticed this student’s speed and agility while he ran laps around the football field, my dad stopped him mid-stride and convinced him to try out for the team. He’d also spot candidates who showed athleticism in gym class, or whom he met and joked with in the school hallways.

Next, Dad would remove any barriers. He’d talk at length with parents about their concerns, usually by phone late in the evening. He’d drive players home after practice when their parents couldn’t get there. He found tutors for those whose grades–and playing eligibility–were slipping away. Then he'd spend hours in his basement office planning plays, or as my mother said, "doing his X's and O's." In other words, he was figuring out how to get the very best combination of talent from his team.

Last spring, I met a former player, now an adult my age, at a community event. He recognized my last name and offered his condolences, as my dad passed away in 2015 from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis--more on that terrible disease another time). He then went on to share an anecdote: “Your father convinced me to come out for the team, even though I had never played before,” he said. “He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Everyday after practice, when he drove me home, he’d use that time in the car to boost my confidence and help me become a better player and person.”

Needless to say, this story, and so many others like it, make me proud to be Bob Hampton’s daughter. They also inspire me to try to be the kind of leader and person Dad was: a cultivator of talent, a dreamer who never gave up, a creative problem solver who never let obstacles slow him down, and a servant leader who cared as much about the individual players as the end goal.

While I didn't inherit my dad's athleticism, I did pick up his love for team building. For more than 30 years, I've honed my craft in corporate communications, participating in and leading many incredible teams. It’s magical when everyone is working together toward a common goal, each assigned their own part in the master plan or “playbook.” As Aristotle famously said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Knowing I love group dynamics, I questioned how I’d adapt to being an entrepreneur when I founded On Purpose Communications more than two years ago. I knew that I wanted to start small and grow organically, and that’s exactly what happened. Former colleagues hired me, referring me to the next client, and then the next. Soon I began hiring consultants–a team of communications strategists, public relations pros, writers, digital + social media wizards, event planners and designers—taking on larger and more complex projects.

Today, On Purpose is formalizing this network of talent, realizing its vision as a full-service strategic communications, public relations and content development agency. Our team of savvy independents can scale up or down based on client needs, thriving in the gig economy and redefining teamwork in a virtual workplace. My job, much like my father’s, is to clear obstacles until we reach the proverbial finish line, always striving for a winning score in the form of client results.

It’s an exciting step in our business development. I’d like to thank all those who took a chance and hired On Purpose when we were an unknown entity. And most of all, I’d like to thank the team who brought us to this milestone. I invite you to learn more about our growing network of talent by visiting our website.

Enjoy the holiday season with those you love. I’ll be back in touch in 2023.