Join me over the next few days as I discuss leadership from the viewpoints of conference commissioners, athletic directors, and entrepreneurs.
As a certified coaching nerd, I love going to conventions, seminars, clinics…whatever. I attended the Women’s Leadership Symposium in May and will bring you some of the highlights. If you get a chance to attend, you should. They’re regional events so that the costs can be kept low, but still very informative.
Anyhoo, there were lots of speakers of course and the first I’m going to talk about today is Jon LeCrone. Jon is the commissioner of the Horizon League and was part of a panel discussion. He talked about what good leaders should give to others so that they can act on the leader’s behalf:
- Priorities: Delegating is a big deal the higher up the food chain you get…at least that’s what I’ve heard! A good leader will delegate assignments with goals and priorities so that the person can be successful.
- Faith: Defined as giving complete trust and having confidence in someone. A good leader will delegate a task and not micromanage that poor person to death. You’ve given them their task with the appropriate priorities…now you’ll leave them to be amazing.
- Resources: A good leader knows that awesomeness can’t operate in a vacuum. Once the task has been delegated, the leader will make sure they have the appropriate resources (manpower, financial, access to higher ups, etc.) that will ensure success.
Once you’ve mastered the art of delegating effectively, you are on your way to becoming a success! Here are Jon’s three steps to becoming a successful leader:
- Engage (about me): Imagine your team at the beginning of the season. They’re nervous and excited about the possibilities the season will hold for them and their teammates. You walk into the room and look at their eager faces and you have a choice. At that moment, you get to set the tone for the entire season. If there’s ever a time for you, as the leader, to be engaging…that is it! Show them the passion you have for your sport and for the team. It’ll be contagious.
- Share power with others (about others): I really like this one because leadership isn’t about the leader, but about everyone. Can you be a leader if no one follows? Recognizing leaders within your team (and acknowledging them) is huge. So is empowering your assistant coaches. I think you get more buy in when others feel like they have a voice.
- Strive for excellence (about behavior): As Aristotle (and Shaq!) said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Excellence isn’t something we talk about, meet about, or write about in our team handbooks…it’s something we do. Every day. Consistently. If we want our teams to be good, then we’ve got to constantly demand excellence. Not just at the beginning of the season when everyone’s fired up, but in the middle and at the end when everyone’s dragging.
Leadership is as much about others as it is about us. Delegating not only helps the leader, but also the person who’s coming up and trying to learn the business. I enjoyed Jon’s talk on leadership, I hope I’ve done him justice!
Part 2: These 3 Little Letters Could Hold The Key To Your Success As A Leader
Part 3: 3 Keys To Building Collaboration Within A Competitive Culture
Part 4: 5 Steps To Land Your Dream Job
Part 5: Leading Yourself: 5 Steps To Put Your Future In Your Own Hands
Part 6: Networking For Introverts: It’s Not As Bad As You Think
