Many coaches have wondered why some programs have an excellent, thriving culture year after year that everyone wants to be a part of, and why some cultures are much less desirable and often even toxic. What is the secret to developing a great culture? Are there secrets? Is there a model to follow? First, a formal definition of culture straight from the Merriam-Webster dictionalry: "A set of shared values, goals and practices that characterize an institution of organisation." That sounds all good and dandy. But what does it really mean? My less formal definition of culture in layman´s terms: "Culture is what you are. It is what you collectively value and the way you cooperatively do and feel things as you passionately work toward a common goal." Our intent with this presentation was to gather different perspectives and information pertaining to program cultures from leading track and field and cross country coaches. First, though, we will offer an explanation of the culture at the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) where the author was the director of track and field and cross country for 24 years (46 conference chanpionships and over 400 All Americans in that span). We also reached out to both present and former athletes for their perspective. Our survey was constructed around three major questions: (1) What do you deem a great culture? What are the ingredients? (2) How can a great culture be built and sustained? Is there a model for coaches to follow to create a great culture in a progra? (3) What is the role of the athlete(s) in developing a great culture? An additional question for coaches was this: What advice would you offer a young, beginning coach who is attempting to establish and create a great culture?
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