Leader: every team needs one (or more). With some teams, a leader never seems to appear. Other teams mistake having captains as having leaders. And some teams have players that want to be leaders but can’t. They simply haven’t been able to gain the trust it takes to lead.
Players who want to be leaders have to understand that leadership is easy when things are going well. The true leaders lead when things aren’t going so well — when you are in the thick of a losing streak, when the stress level of the team is high, or when cliques that once were funny are now beginning to crack the very foundation of the team.
The true leader at this point will keep the team focused on what has been proven to work for the team in successful times. They will make sure their teammates understand:
- what is happening
- why it is happening
- what they can do as players to get the team out of this situation
- that they should seek help from the coaches in properly defining the above
But here are the difference-makers in true leadership:
- the true leader will have developed a trust and a relationship with his teammates before his work is really needed
- the true leader is not afraid to speak the truth to his teammates
- the true leader understands that the message has to be sent differently to different players because it has to be received properly, then acted upon in order for the behavior to change
- the true leader walks the walk every day — not just the days he feels like it
So if players think they want to be leaders, they need to know that the role of the leader is not just when things are going well. The leader really earns his position in times of trouble. That is when true leadership is needed!
