Developing a Team of Leaders

                                                                        "Lead By Being Led."

                                                                                                Abraham Lincoln

Last spring several thousand coaches attending the Nike Championship Clinic in Las Vegas had the opportunity to hear Duke's Mike Krzyzewski discuss ways to develop leadership within your team.  Coach "K" echoed much of what President Lincoln had meant 150 years prior in saying, "Lead by being led."  The key to leadership on your team is listening to the players, empowering the players, and creating an environment that cultivates leadership.  This heightened internal leadership will lead to better teamwork.

The first step is up to the players in that they must take ownership for the team.  The coach plays a role in generating this sense of ownership, but ultimately it is up to the players to treat the team as if it is their own.  The team taking ownership then gives the coach an entree to empower his players.  Coaches need to recognize that through empowering their players they are creating better chemistry and more synergy.  Or as Coach Krzyzewski said in Leading With The Heart:

"2 are better than 1, if 2 act as 1.  And if you believe that 2 acting as 1 are better

than 1, just imagine what an entire team acting as 1 can do."

If you are a coach who chooses to, "Lead by being led", what must you do to begin the process?  To start with as a coach you need to study leadership, learning all that you can about yourself as a leader, and about developing leadership qualities in the men/women who you coach.  A good place to begin is by understanding the 3 Cs of Leadership:

·Communication

·Cooperation

·Commitment

The last of these 3 Cs in commitment, but it is the foundation because as a coach you must be committed to developing your players' leadership skills. Often players do not readily accept the responsibilities that come with leadership.  In this case you need to remain committed to the concept and persevere until your men/women accept the challenge of becoming an empowered team.  The most important aspect of communication is becoming a better "active listener" for as Stephen Covey says, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."  The focus in cooperation is embracing the variety of roles that relate to leadership, including the ability to be an "accountable follower".

Coaches usually take some time to talk with their team about leadership, but more coaches need to make a greater commitment to the development of leaders within the team.  Why?  Because outside of the innate talent of your athletes it is the single biggest factor in the success of your team.  You need a plan to cultivate leadership so develop strategies to accomplish this goal.  Recognize that developing young leaders is an ongoing process, 24-7-365.  This means keep your eyes open for the numerous venues and teaching opportunities that will present themselves to you.  It is not just one time or one place.

Legendary Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was okay at the chalk board, but he was a master with people.  We can all learn from Coach Bryant, who relished the opportunity to empower his team and cultivate team leaders as indicated by the following:

"If anything goes bad I did it.

If anything goes semi-good, we did it.

If anything goes real good, then you did it.

That's all it takes to get people to win football games."

                                                                                    Paul "Bear" Bryant

Dave Bollwinkel shares with you ideas that will benefit players, parents, and coaches.  Coach Bollwinkel brings to our pages 25 years of college coaching experience, including 9 seasons as a head coach.  Currently Dave works with teams and businesses around the country on leadership and teamwork issues.  Scores of athletic programs have benefitted from his popular interactive workshop, TEAM In Training.  To find out more about what he has to offer coaches and teams take a look at www.CoachOnandOfftheCourt.com under Leadership - Team.