This is Part 2 of a 5 Part Series of Notes from a Leadership Academy provided for a school’s student Athletes.
You can read all 5 parts at this link: Leadership Academy Notes
“As The Challenge Escalates, The Need For Teamwork Elevates”.
Leadership is a very important issue because every successful team has a leader or leadership among its team. It may start with the head coach; however, a better quality team has its leadership within the players! Not to say that good leadership shouldn’t start at the top with the Head Coach, because that has to be level one leadership. The other factor to make a team really go is one where leadership is developed among the team members…either self-developed or team developed! Naturally, the coaching staff all should be good leaders, but let’s face it, every coach on every staff is not always leadership material. While they may be good coaches, they may not possess those innate characteristics necessary to be a good leader.
As stated earlier, there must be strong leadership from the team in order for greater opportunity of success. A player-driven team allows for more accountability among peers. Players likely are more apt to follow their peers’ lead with most things, either negative or positive. With that said, if there are no natural leaders on the team, then we have to try to develop some.
#4 The Law Of Mount Everest
“As The Challenge Escalates, The Need For Teamwork Elevates”.
- Never under estimate the difficulty of the climb.
- As our challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates.
- Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream.
- Our potential is only as good as our current team. That’s why we must always know who is joining us on our journey.
- A great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare.
- Many people focus too much attention on their dream and to little on the team.
- The challenge of the moment often determines the leader for the challenge.
- The size of our dream should determine the size of our team.
Type Of Challenge –Type of Team Required
1.New Challenge – Creative Team
2.Controversial Challenge – United Team
3.Changing Challenge – Fast and Flexible Team
4.Unpleasant Challenge – Motivated Team
5.Diversified Challenge – Complementary Team
6.Long-Term Challenge – Determined Team
7.Everett-sized Challenge – Experienced Team
Type of Person On Our Team:
1.Enthusiastic Beginner – Needs Direction
2.Disillusioned Learner – Needs Coaching
3.Cautious Completer – Needs Support
4.Self-Reliant Achiever – Needs Responsibility
5.The Law Of The Chain
“The Strength Of The Team Is Impacted By Its Weakest Link”
Not Everyone Can Take The Journey To Become #1 or reach team goals because:
1.They can’t keep pace with other team members.
2.They don’t grow in their area of responsibility.
3.They don’t see the big picture.
4.They don’t work on personal weaknesses.
5.They won’t work with the rest of the team.
6.They can’t fulfill expectations for their area.
We all must take pride in our responsibility to the others.
A weak link is a member who doesn’t want to change, grow, or conquer new territory.
What happens when a weak link remains on the team:
1.The stronger members identify the weak one.
2.The stronger members have to help the weak one.
3.The stronger members come to resent the weak one.
4.The stronger members become less effective.
5.The stronger members come to question the leaders ability.
You lose the respect of the best when you don’t deal properly with the worst.
As long as a weak link is apart of the team, everyone else on the team will suffer.
Remember, no matter what kind of situation we face, our responsibilities to our team come in the following order:
1.To the School We Represent
2.To the team
3.To the individual
Our own interests and comfort come last.
“Winning Teams Have People Who Make It Happen”.
#6.The Law Of The Catalyst
“Winning Teams Have People Who Make It Happen”.
A Catalyst is never satisfied – Get out of your comfort zone; you won’t know what you’re capable of until you try to go beyond what you’ve done before.
- Intuitive Catalyst sense things that others don’t sense.
- Communicative Catalyst say things that other team members don’t say in order to get the team moving.
- Passionate Catalyst feels things that others don’t
- Talented Catalysts capable of doing what others can’t do because their talent is as strong as their passion.
- Creative Catalyst thinks things others do not think.
- Initiating Catalyst does things that others can’t do.
- Responsible Catalyst carry things that others do not carry.
- Generous Catalyst gives things that others don’t give.
- Influential Catalyst is able to lead teammates in ways that others cannot.
The road to the next level is always uphill and if a team isn’t fighting to move up, then inevitably it slides down.
Three Kinds Of Players:
1.The player who doesn’t want the ball. Some people don’t have the ability to come through for the team in high pressure situations.
2.The player who wants the ball but shouldn’t. This player can’t carry the team to victory, the problem is that they don’t know they can’t.
3.The player who wants the ball and should. This is the smallest group, they consist of people who want to be the “go to” player at crunch time and who can actually deliver. They are the catalysts.
To be the best, work positively to get out of your comfort zone. We won’t know what we are capable of until we try to go beyond what we’ve done before.
#7. The Law Of The Compass
”Vision Gives Team Members Direction and Confidence
A Teams vision must be aligned with:
1. A moral compass (look above) There’s only one true North. If our compass is pointing in any other direction then up, our team is headed in the wrong direction. A moral compass brings integrity to the vision.
2. An intuitive compass (look within) Integrity brings fuel to the vision, passion brings fire.
3. A historical compass (look behind) Build upon the past. A vision should build on the past, not diminish it. Anytime we cast vision, we must create a connection between the past, the present, and the future.
4. A directional compass (look ahead). A directional compass gives a sense of purpose.
5. A strategic compass (look around) Must have a strategy. It is not enough to stare up at the steps; we must step up the stairs.
6. A visionary compass (look beyond). The vision of the team must look beyond current circumstances and any shortcomings of current teammates to see the potential of the team.
“You most have a long-range vision to keep you from being frustrated by short range failures.” Charles Noble
When you see it, you can seize it (Vision)
A check list for vision must have:
1.Clarity – because it brings understanding.
2.Connectedness – Because it brings the past, present, and future together.
3.Purpose – Brings direction to the vision.
4.Goals – Brings targets to the vision.
5.Honesty – Brings integrity to the vision and credibility to the system.
6.Stories – Brings relationship to the vision.
7.Challenge – Brings stretching to the vision.
8.Passion – Brings fuel to the vision.
9.Modeling – Brings accountability to the vision.
10. Strategy – Brings process to the vision.
This is Part 2 of a 5 Part Series of Notes from a Leadership Academy provided for a school’s student Athletes.
You can read all 5 parts at this link: Leadership Academy Notes
About the Author of this post:
Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.