Learning to Lead

First printed on prepvolleyball.com in 2012

            There are a lot of elements that have to be present in order to have a great team.  Of course athleticism and talent will help a lot.  So will hard work, discipline and selflessness.  There is one element, though, that I believe helps focus all of the others and without it I don’t see how you can build a great team.  That element is leadership.  Leadership can mean many things and I will discuss some of those here.  The one thing, however, that all true leaders have in common is that they make the people around them better and they do it all the time.  While some people come across as natural leaders, leadership is actually a skill just like any other.  It requires practice, commitment and understanding in order to be great.  But if you put half as much time into becoming a better leader as you probably do into your hitting or setting technique then you become infinitely more valuable to your team. 

            To start, I want to be clear that I do not believe that the word “leader” and the word “captain” are synonymous.  If you are a captain of your team then there is a good chance that someone—your coaches or teammates—have recognized some capacity for leadership in you.  Being a captain is just about holding a title, though.  Being a leader is about who you are.  Everyone, captain or not, can be a leader on a team.  That is because there are many different kinds of leadership.  Not everyone can be a vocal leader and not everyone can lead with how well they play.  Every single player, though, is capable of leading by example.  And any leader who does not lead by example will never be truly great.  Leading by example means acting in the way that you would want your teammates to act, in ways that would benefit the team.  It means working as hard as you can all the time and never giving excuses.  This is crucial because as a leader you should never expect more out of others than you do yourself.  People are much more likely to follow you if you hold yourself to the highest standard. 

            Many teams, especially high school or college teams that have age differences, operate within some kind of hierarchy.  Usually older or more experienced players are on top of that hierarchy.  It is likely that the most obvious team leaders will be found at the top also.  There is some understanding that those at the bottom, freshmen for example, have an obligation to work more for the team.  As a leader, though, you should learn to look at the hierarchy and flip it over.  Having more power does not mean that those lower down should be doing more for you or the team.  That power gives you the ability to do more for them.  The higher up in that hierarchy you are, the more responsibility you have to work to make your team better in any way you can.  That allows you to go beyond simply leading by example and to become a more active leader. 

            As I said before, people lead in very different ways.  Some people are vocal leaders; they voice their opinions frequently and are usually louder on the court.  Some people become leaders just because of their abilities on the court; being a great player often makes other people depend on you.  As we’ve already discussed, some people are just a constant example of how to act.  And some people are a combination of all of these things.  It is important to figure out what kind of leader you should be.  While you don’t necessarily have to be great at it right away, it can’t be unnatural.  Like I said, being a leader is about who you are.  Trying to force yourself into a role that doesn’t fit you will not compel other people to follow you.  And at its foundation, leadership is all about other people following. 

            With that said, there is a fine line between being a true leader and just having other people follow.  You can’t make other people want to follow you.  I have seen many people who are leaders through intimidation.  People do what they say because they are afraid not to.  That’s not leadership.  Being a leader is not about people having to listen to you, it’s about people listening to you because they trust that you have something worthwhile to say.  Leading by example is so important because what you say has to match what you do.  Nobody likes a hypocrite.  Your teammates have to be able to look at you every day and see that you practice what you preach. 

            One of the most important traits of a leader is awareness.  To lead effectively you have to know your team and you have to know your teammates.  That does not mean you have to be best friends with every single person on the team or know their deepest secrets.  It just means you have to pay attention and be conscious of where the team is at any given point.  Take the time outside of practice to think about your team.  Consider how the team is doing and what potential problems could arise in the future so that you’re prepared.  Observe your teammates enough to know how they’re doing and make the effort to understand them enough to make that call.  Being a leader is about making the people around you better.  It’s hard to do that if you don’t know the people around you well enough to know what makes them better. 

            The relationship you have with your teammates is not the only important relationship.  It is difficult to lead your team effectively unless you also have a fairly strong relationship with your coach.  The coach should be one of, if not the, most vital leaders on a team.  They have the ultimate decision making power.  Therefore, if you’re trying to help your team get better, it is best to work closely with your coach to do so.  Because working on a path that’s anything but parallel to what your coach wants will cause problems in the future.  In any of these relationships, with coaches or other players, the most important ingredient is trust.  Your coach and your teammates must trust you and trust that you are working in the best interest of the team at all times.  Otherwise they have little incentive to work with you or follow your lead. 

            It is crucial to remember that leadership is not a sometimes thing.  If you want to be a true leader, then that is how you have to be all the time.  You can spend months being the example for your teammates, and one bad day can ruin all of that work.  Being a leader holds a certain amount of power.  Once people have decided to follow you, it’s important that you lead them down the right path.  Just because you are a leader does not mean that other people are only going to follow you when you do the right thing.  They may also follow you if you decide to do the wrong thing.  Consistency, then, and being conscious about the example you are setting at all times are critical for leaders. 

            Finally, rule number one for aspiring leaders: respect everyone.  I mean every single person that you come into contact with.  Respect your teammates.  Being a leader and being on top of that hierarchy never makes it ok to place yourself above your teammates.  Like I said before, flip the hierarchy over.  The more genuine respect you show your teammates, the easier they will respect you.  Respect your coaches.  Do what you can to form a close relationship and work with your coach but never forget that they are in charge.  Being a leader is about making their job easier, not trying to take their job.  Respect the people outside of your program: your opponents, other staff members who work with your team, school officials, fans and anyone else.  As a team leader you have to remember that you represent your team and you are constantly showing your teammates how you want them to represent the team.  Leading a team is not just about helping your team get better and score the most points, it’s about building a team that everyone can be proud to be a part of.  If you respect others, you will get respect in return.  People follow those who they respect.

            As I said before, leadership is a skill.  It doesn’t require hours in the gym the way that many of our skills do.  It does require a lot of thought and a deep understanding of oneself.  You have to be able to look at yourself in an unbiased way and examine your behavior.  You have to hold yourself to the highest standards possible and to be aware when you don’t meet them.   Making your team better doesn’t have to come from how hard you hit the ball or how many digs you can get.  You can make your team better in every moment by how you conduct yourself.  Figure out what kind of leader you can be and work to be that person every single day.  Doing that, consistently, is actually much harder than training to hit a ball but it might just be the one thing that takes your team (and you) from good to great.