January/February 2019 - 17

Be sure your captains are worthy of you and your
team's trust. If you or your athletes can't trust your team
leaders, it's difficult to respect and follow them.
4
.Respect others. Along with honesty and trust, the
.best leaders are high character people. They treat their
teammates, coaches, opponents and officials with respect
- even when they disagree with their decisions. They
treat everyone they meet with the dignity they deserve,
regardless of their role and place. Rather than talking down
to teammates, they humbly see themselves on the same
level as their peers. They seek to help, uplift and serve their
teammates rather than expecting teammates to cater to them.
Be sure your captains are high character people. If they
don't respect others, your team won't respect them.
5
.Care passionately. The best leaders care passionately
.about your team's success, about their teammates and
about the sport. They love the game and bring a palpable
sense of passion to everything they do. They play the sport
because they absolutely love it. They also desperately want
what is best for the team and willingly make individual
sacrifices for the good of the group. They are often the first
ones to practices and workouts and the last ones to leave
because they invest so much in the program. They are the
definition of what it means to be " all in. "
Be sure your captains are passionate about your team's
success. If they aren't, your team will see right through
them and not be willing to follow them.
6
.Relentlessly competitive and compelled to win.
.The No. 1 trait that consistently comes through in the
best leaders is that they are highly competitive people.
Winning is a big priority for them, and they invest the
necessary time and energy to maximize the team's
chances of winning. They bring an unmistakable sense of
urgency to competitions and workouts because they are
fully committed and serious about success.
Your best leaders make the hustle plays, win the 50/50
balls, challenge their teammates to step up and make
opponents bring their absolute best rather than giving
an inch. Their competitive will sets the tone for the rest
of the team and increases the intensity of workouts and
games. They expect and demand a high standard from
their coaches and teammates.
When looking for team leaders, you want those who
are relentless competitors. You want those athletes who
are compelled to win and willing to do whatever it takes
to make it happen. At the same time, you must make sure
that their competitiveness doesn't go overboard where
they become obsessed and drive teammates away or over
the edge. You also don't want them resorting to unethical
and illegal means to win.
These six critical qualities of the best captains
consistently come out on top when coaches and
teammates rate their leaders. You can use these six
qualities as a template to evaluate your captains and help
you consider and ultimately choose future captains.
For more info on helping your team win championships,
visit www.JanssenSportsLeadership.com.
WINNINGHOOPS.COM 17
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January/February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2019
