Qualities of a Team Leader

There are different kinds of team leaders. My kids having different personalities are/were different types. My daughter (softball) was a vocal this is how we do it, this isn't how we do it vocal leader who was never afraid to get in a teammates face. In a tournament we were getting homered by the umpires. The opposing team's infielders were obstructing our base runners. My daughter decided to end the problem. She didn't run around the fielder. She ran through her and planted her face in the dirt. Problem over.

 

My son is the quiet, lead by example type. He's the type coaches tell other players to watch how he carries himself and how hard he works. If my son comes off the field saying, "let's get some runs" that's an outburst for him. I tried to convince my son he needed to be more of the rah rah type in high school. He said it's just not him. As long as what a leader does points the team/teammates in the right direction it's the right thing to do.

^^^^

My son is like this.  Quietly leads on and off the field.  Very rare for him to have vocal outburts.  Only been a few times I've seen him express emotion on the field.  Once was when he hit a 2 out RBI double to tie the HS district championship game in the bottom of the 7th.  Pumped his fist as he got to 2nd base.  His team would go on to win in the 8th.

The best team leaders lead by example. They let their actions speak. They are humble and they are willing to sacrifice. Most of the time they are one of the better players. But that is not always the case. Sometimes they are simply someone the team respects because of the way they go about their business and the way they treat people. Being vocal is fine if the actions back up the words. But if the actions are speaking your mouth doesn't have to.

 

I had a kid once that didn't talk much. He was a freaking stud of a player. Gritty hard nosed kid. He could look at a team mate a certain way and they knew exactly what he meant. He set the tone. People followed his lead. I have had kids that wanted to be leaders. But no one was buying. They talked it but they didn't walk it.

 

The old saying "Actions speak louder than words" rings true to me. Lead by example.

Anybody who puts the team's interests ahead of his own, who takes joy in his teammate's successes, who exhorts his teammates in a constructive manner, who contributes to the team's mood and chemistry, or who sets a positive example of disciplined preparation or intelligent, aggressive execution is showing qualities of leadership.

 

When I look at my son's team, which is having an unexpectedly good year, it's hard to find anyone who isn't a leader. Among them:

 

--The senior who must have doubted his school choice freshman year when the team didn't even win 20% of its games but is now playing on a team with a .650 winning percentage and who radiates joy at the opportunity finally to be on a winning team and makes everyone feel happy to be there. That's leadership.

--The junior who batted .300 his freshman and sophomore years but struggled to get over the Mendoza line the first half of this season, but who kept focused, continued to play good defense, kept his approach, didn't get desperate or down on himself, and finally got hot and had tons of big hits in the stretch drive. Persistence through disappointment. That's leadership.

--The undersized redshirt freshman who finally worked his way into the line up in the middle of the season and gets the most out of every at bat and seems to hit a grounder through the 3-4 hole every time we need a two-out hit. Playing within yourself. That's leadership.

--A player who began the year in the mix for a spot in the lineup but who now gets only one start a week in a midweek non-conference game. Despite his disappointment over his role, he handles the ball boy duties for home games with astonishing zeal, sprinting out to chase down loose balls and deliver fresh ones to the plate umpire. Doing a small job as if it's the most important job. That's leadership.

--All the players on the rail encouraging the players on the field and generally being into the game and sharing their observations with each other. At my son's previous school, players were required to be on the rail and not sit in the dugout, with only a few exceptions like for the pitcher of record. At this school, there is no such rule. The last few years, most of the guys watched from the bench. This year, they are on their feet and engaged--because they want to and because they care about the guys who are on the field wearing the same uniform. That's leadership.

--The players helping with field maintenance. This school does not have a paid grounds crew. The last few years, the field duties took longer than they should because guys would stand around waiting to be told what to do and hoping someone else would do the heavy lifting or dirty work. This year, players move a little more quickly and show more initiative doing what's needed instead of waiting for someone else to do it or for someone to tell them to do it. That's leadership.

--The three-year starting position player who lost his spot this year but found a new role as a middle reliever mostly in nonconference games and has helped a depleted pitching staff by eating some valuable innings. Instead of ending his career moping on the bench, he carved a new niche. That's leadership.

--The player who was hurt last year but is back this year and who is always the most alert and opportunistic player on the field. Doesn't have particularly good speed, but he's always a base ahead of where he's expected to be. Being a student of the game and applying the knowledge to gain every possible edge. That's leadership.

--The pitcher who has blown a few saves but doesn't let his personal disappointment show in his body language and keeps battling as long as he's in the game to make the best of the situation he created for himself. Several times, the team has re-claimed the lead and won those blown games, and the attitude of the guy who kept focused in the midst of a bad outing contributed. That's leadership.

 

I could go down the entire roster and find something positive about how just about every one is putting the team first--and having more fun and more success than they would if they were worrying about their own role or recognition. Leaders put the team first, and it shows up in many forms.

You know I haven't been yelled at on this site in a while so seems like a good time to suffer some abuse!  I am not a big believer in team leaders.  The leader of the team had better be the coach.  Somebody famous said that - or a coach I used to know - too old and feeble to remember which.  But none the less I agree.  There is the occasional player who can get away with being a coach on the floor/field.  Who can let a teammate know in no uncertain terms when they are not putting forth their best effort.  My experience is I have coached precious few of those.  And those that 'try' to be team leaders most often are scoffed at sometimes by players and coaches alike.  And often they become negative or phoney.   But IF you are going to be a team leader you need to be one of the very best players on the team.  You can be the funny guy and keep the team loose if you are down the talent line but to be a true leader you have to be a premier player.

Um...wow.

2020dad,

 

We're using terms differently. My background is the military, and I distinguish between authority and leadership. 

 

Authority flows through the chain of command, and you are right: the coach holds 100% of that unless he chooses to delegate some of it. Notice that none of the examples I cited involved any players usurping the coach's authority over others.

 

Leadership is working with and through others, helping them be more effective and work more effectively together. It is a shared responsibility for everyone.  In the military, even the junior enlisted people who don't have authority over anyone are evaluated on their leadership performance.

       
       
Swamp you are probably correct.  Like so many things we discuss here terms are open for interpretation.

I think the role of team leader changes with the age of the team but it always involves leading by example. 

 

I think a team leader is the guy that can calm a kid down by explaining "Yeah, you missed the ball, but you have made that play 100 times where you didn't miss it, so let's try to go back to that okay?"...rather than leaving the kid stuck in his own head after an error.  A team leader can change the mentality of the dugout.

Great post.  I need to send this out to my kids coach.