Although there are many characteristics to a champion, I focused on the five key traits I have noticed in youth athletes and wrote a post on the first trait (champions look past the win-loss record). This post is about the second trait of a champion: they lead so other can follow.
Champions lead so that others can follow
In a game, player leadership is vital for the team’s success and, probably, the biggest challenge for a coach to encourage and develop. Being a leader requires taking your team under your guidance and directing them to where they should be. A good general of a team has the respect of his teammates and does not abuse that respect. It is no coincidence that teams with player leaders win more often than not and rally together in the final moments of close games.
"Leadership is like gravity. You know it's there, you know it exists, but how do you define it?"
Former San Francisco 49er Tight End, Dr. Jamie Williams
What does a team leader do?
lays all they have out on the floor every game and their teammates realize it and feed off of it gets the whole team involved leads vocally and is not afraid to get in one of his players' faces, tells them what is expected of them, or picks up a teammate down on himself demands more out of himself and others every game provides the team with whatever was needed at that particular instance, whether it be a pat on the back or a critique is the “go-to” person in the critical moments carries his team to victory
When an organization places a premium on leadership development, while at the same time promoting high expectations of team solidarity and interdependence, individual players are more inclined to make accomplishments of the overall team paramount. This in turn builds the stuff of authentic leadership. Teams with leadership cultures motivate players to serve as leaders and assume the responsibility that goes with being a leader. If players view the costs of leading as outweighing the benefits, they will not want to lead.
Steps to developing player leadership
There is no magic “player leadership” bullet. The development of player leaders requires a significant amount of coaching energy and dedication. If it is not the top one or two priority items for the head coach, then players and coaches will be frustrated, disgruntled, and eventually quit trying.
While I am not an expert in psychology or a leadership trainer, I have been successful in building youth athlete team leaders that have risen to the challenge and enabled teams to accomplish more than I ever would have dreamed possible. I do not have a recipe for success, but below are the steps taken that have allowed young individuals to rise up and lead teams to great accomplishments.
1. Identify potential leadership candidates
Within your first couple of practices, identify two or three potential team leaders. It is important to realize when dealing with young individuals that a minority of players have leadership potential and a fewer number still will accept the challenge. Potential leaders come in two varieties: 1) a top skill player who gives 110% effort all the time, and 2) an average skill player who demonstrates commitment to learning and success above and beyond any else on the team.
2. Challenge them to accept a team leadership role
After the potential leaders are identified, do not keep it quiet. Talk to the other coaches and listen to their feedback about potential candidates, but most importantly, talk to the player. Tell them you would like them to become a team leader and that you expect more from them on and off the field. Tell them this is a big responsibility and that you are willing to invest a significant amount of effort in developing their leadership skills. Finally, ask them if they are willing to step up to this responsibility and work with you, even if it makes them feel uncomfortable.
3. Quietly coach them
Potential team leaders are neither the coach’s pet nor the coach’s whipping person. They get the same treatment as all the other players except for the area of leadership development. When they make a mistake during a game, the response is the same as all the other players. When they fail to give the necessary effort during practice, they get the same reprimand as any other player.
The only area where they receive special one-on-one counseling is leadership development. During a quiet moment in practice or game, you may choose to whisper a suggestion or encourage them to act differently next time. As a coach, you may notice a player getting frustrated with their inability to do something, whisper to the player leader to provide them some encouragement or pull the player aside a spend some time working with them. If a player if goofing off and not responding to coach’s demands for attention, mention to the player leader to challenge their teammate on their commitment to success and the team’s performance.
Treat these moments as special one-on-one time. Keep the instruction brief, a few sentences, and make the requested action as a suggestion, not a demand. If they act in a manner you requested, find a brief moment shortly thereafter to acknowledge them stepping up and accepting the leadership responsibility.
4. Be gentle on mistakes
Young adults make leadership mistakes. Let me repeat this, young adults make mistakes. Early in the season, the coaches have identified potential player leaders, but you must realize that leadership development is an art, not a science, and it must be learned through experiential development. There is no leadership pill that you can give to someone that makes them a leader. Young potential leaders will make leadership mistakes.
The fact that young leaders make developmental leadership mistakes is less important on the season’s outcome than the way the head coach responds when this occurs. If the head coach publicly rebukes the player and humiliates them for stepping out of their comfort zone, like all humans, they will recoil and stop responding to the leadership opportunities.
Leadership training is a one-on-one positive reinforcement relationship. When they accept the leadership role and move out of their comfort zone, the coach is quick to respond with acknowledgement. When they make a mistake, the message is delivered with a positive acknowledgement of the attempt, a suggestion on how they might act next time, and finally another positive comment about their willingness to step up to the leadership role. With the positive feedback sugar, the negative feedback vinegar will sting in the open wound for many days. Remember, they will make mistakes during the learning process, but, as you identified early in the season, they are a top athlete with the most visible work ethic. You cannot afford to have them mentally shut down.
5. Encourage the successes
Watch for little steps to success and provide positive acknowledgement of the act. A baby takes tiny steps before they learn to walk. Developing leadership potential is the same way. If you want a player to take a big step, they first must take a little step, then they will take bigger steps. Developing leaders is similar to biological growth. First comes the lean forward, followed by the stutter step, then the walking step and, finally, a full trot. Without the head coach positively recognizing the forward lean, the rest of the progression will stall.
Developing youth player leadership is about developing a young individual to step out of their comfort zone and perform acts that enable others to follow. It is not easy for the coach or the player and requires a commitment from both parties to be successful. Without player leaders, teams will never excel to top performance and will be stuck in the ranks of the average to good teams, no matter what the coach does. The common characteristic of winning teams is that an organization creates an environment for player leaders to excel and the coach invests a significant amount of energy in leadership development.
Leadership development is coaching attitude development.
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