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Post by bcoachk on Dec 11, 2017 10:15:12 GMT -6
Anyone willing to share any good leadership development programs that they have used in the past or any ideas that have worked well developing better leadership on their teams?
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Post by chi5hi on Dec 11, 2017 10:53:14 GMT -6
IMO...kids regard these kinds of "programs" as just another class they have to take. As for myself, I don't even bother with it. The kids already know who the "leaders" are.
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Post by 54695469 on Dec 11, 2017 12:57:58 GMT -6
IMO...kids regard these kinds of "programs" as just another class they have to take. As for myself, I don't even bother with it. The kids already know who the "leaders" are. Amen.
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Post by seabass on Dec 11, 2017 12:58:32 GMT -6
I still think the best method for developing leadership skills in player's is to model good leadership behavior ourselves.
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Post by coachcb on Dec 11, 2017 14:29:09 GMT -6
Honestly, every leadership class or workshop I have ever been to is nothing more than common sense. Lead by example, give credit to your staff for positive outcomes, shoulder the blame for negative outcomes, find solutions (not excuses), be proactive (not reactive), treat your staff with respect, etc, etc..
And, most of them come down to not being an arrogant a--hole.
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Post by larrymoe on Dec 11, 2017 15:02:18 GMT -6
I did something of this nature 3 years ago and it worked really well. For a year. The next year it was a colossal failure. I tend to think that overall while it did help the first year, it was a waste of time the second.
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CoachDP
Sophomore Member
Posts: 240
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Post by CoachDP on Dec 12, 2017 7:40:22 GMT -6
Honestly, every leadership class or workshop I have ever been to is nothing more than common sense. True, but "common sense" doesn't seem to be so common, anymore.
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Post by coachcb on Dec 12, 2017 9:14:49 GMT -6
Honestly, every leadership class or workshop I have ever been to is nothing more than common sense. True, but "common sense" doesn't seem to be so common, anymore. Agreed. But, it's still too much b.s. for me. And, we have found that there are kids that have leadership skills and there are kids that don't. We all have to remember that these kids are kids and they may not be mature enough or have developed the cognitive skills necessary to take on a leadership role in the program. Here's a perfect example: we had a TB/LB who was valedictorian, class president, and went to all kinds of leadership conferences via Boys State and various student council activities. But, this kid was not a leader and there was no way around it. He worked his butt off for us and was an excellent football player but he was hyper-competitive and his idea of "leadership" was hollering at his teammates when the chips were down. He was actually more of a negative influence than a positive one and we had to get on several times during the season about keeping himself in check.
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Post by seabass on Dec 12, 2017 11:34:26 GMT -6
Honestly, every leadership class or workshop I have ever been to is nothing more than common sense. True, but "common sense" doesn't seem to be so common, anymore. I don't use the term "common sense" anymore because the "sense" we are all referring to isn't common. I started using the term term "not so common sense." Most of the time someone either corrects me or simply laughs.
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Post by seabass on Dec 12, 2017 11:36:37 GMT -6
I don't think teaching leadership is a wasted effort but I do think we have the cart way ahead of the horse many times.
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Post by coachcb on Dec 12, 2017 12:41:26 GMT -6
I don't think teaching leadership is a wasted effort but I do think we have the cart way ahead of the horse many times. At the heart of it, the staff needs to provide the leadership, first and foremost. The HC and ACs need to learn how to effectively lead a team. The best HC I have worked under and the best ACs that I have had know how to be positive, effective leaders. The chittiest coaches I have been around are poor leaders. It's just that simple. After that, it's the luck of the draw and a staff needs to be careful about leaning on any particular players in terms of a leadership role. Some years, we have had kids that were mature, smart and had solid leadership skills. We could turn these kids loose in certain situations and have them lead the team. But, other years, we simply don't have it. In one of my first few years as a high school coach, our HC had the captains address the team after the coaches got done. He learned real quick not to do this after one of the "leaders" stated "Alright boys, let's work hard and get out of here early!"
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Post by shocktroop34 on Dec 12, 2017 12:48:48 GMT -6
I generally get the most milage out of round table discussions. It doesn't involve a lot of planning, effort, or energy. I mainly have to keep an open mind, be objective, and be willing to listen.
Creating an environment where students feel safe, where they can let their guard down, and know that their words are protected from player-to-coach is also important.
If you want to develop leaders, you must first develop their voices, and model the most effective ways of communication. Many coaches are not comfortable with this because it is uncomfortable, so to each his own. I don't knock guys who aren't into this kind of stuff. I personally believe in it.
For more formal activities, I've used Jeff Janssen's Championship Team Building; and The Team Captains Leadership Manual.
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Post by coachddwebb on Dec 12, 2017 13:03:25 GMT -6
The last couple of years we have gathered our seniors and a select few of our juniors to meet once a week durning the off-season. I would give them a chapter from the Team Captains Leadership Manual to read and then we would discuss the reading and the activities at the end of each chapter. I feel this has help us, but also hurt us, if the kids don't really want to be there. The biggest thing I have take from this is that you have to weed out the kids that don't want to really be there, those kids deep down don't have what it takes to be leaders anyway. The kids that want to be there will get something out of it and you will see it durning the season.
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Post by Coach Vint on Dec 12, 2017 15:02:15 GMT -6
I have gone around and around on this over the years. Everyone in the locker room is a leader. They all exert influence in one way or another. Some influence negatively, some influence positively. The big thing is that leadership is not something you say, it is what you do. The best leadership development is done in a small group setting.
One place I was at we divided by position groups and went through a couple of points of emphasis with our position group. We talked about how we all influence others and what we do either brings more energy to the team, or it takes energy away from the team.
Several years ago we did a 15 minute leadership development program with our seniors to be that we came up with. It as very effective. We did it five Fridays during January and February. It wasn't anything fancy. We defined leadership and talked about what good leadership would look like. The big part of it was getting them to understand the leadership is simply helping others get where they can't go on their own. We didn't use a book or a curriculum for that. It did make a difference.
When I was an OC coaching QB's leadership was a big part of our QB Development Program. Again, we defined leadership and talked about how they would use their personality to fit the role of a leader. We talked about our expectations for them and what we expected.
Everywhere I have been we had a leadership council. It was a group of players selected by teammates that met with the HC and coordinators once every 2 to 4 weeks to discuss progress of the team. Typically the players vote on 2 guys from each class, and the coaches add two guys from each class. We had 125 to 200 kids in the program.
Leadership can be developed and there are a million ways to do it. Putting everyone in a big room is not the best way to do it in my opinion. And remember that who you want to be your leaders and who your leaders actually are is two different things. Try to find a way to develop the guys who your team follows to lead in a positive way. There is a different between leaders and captains. A lot of kids want to be leaders, but no one gravitates to them. They can be leaders, but they are not the guys you necessarily want in positions of leadership.
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