I had a recent conversation with a coach who was struggling with the performance of captains he had named at the beginning of his season. He was spending much of his time in conflict with his captains who felt that their titles exempted them from critical feedback and enabled them to determine the day to day schedule of their practices. Their language seemed to be largely focused on demanding particular action from teammates and changing the temperament and philosophy of their coaches. 

At this time, it occurred to me that these individuals may have never been given expectations which define their role as leaders. I also wondered if team membership had ever been defined for the team as a whole. As coaches, we can forget that athletes often have no sense of the responsibility that comes with team membership and a warped perception of the role of a leader. 

My philosophy of both is as follows.

When considering the expectations of membership on my team, I am reminded of a mantra that a friend once told me. “show up and suit up”. Athletes must be reminded that they have a responsibility to be there and give the best they have that day. My all time favorite quote describes this sentiment exactly. When delivering his famous address to the people of Paris on April 23, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt described the “Man in the Arena”. He speaks of the need to cast aside the fear of criticism and failure, and to strive for a worthy cause knowing that there will always be setbacks. When I asked a young freshman in a huddle before practice one day what this quote meant to him, he responded, “Show up and try no matter what”. I think that is spot on. 

In a recent podcast, Greg Carvel, famous head coach of the UMass Men’s Hockey Program, described his outlook on team membership and the coach’s role, “There are 1s, 2s, and 3s out there. 3s do everything right…they show up every day and work hard. 1s are the opposite and have no place in our program… and then there are 2s…2s sit on the fence between being a 1 or a 3… as coaches we love our 2s so much that we hug them and squeeze them until they choose a side.” As coaches, we must continuously convey an important relationship to our athletes - “The team will provide value in shaping your life, now you must do your part to provide value back to the team.”

Leaders must go a step beyond this. It should go without saying that leaders must meet the basic standards of team membership. Further, leaders must understand an additional layer of this relationship. They are the influencers capable of changing the direction of the team culture, thus, they have an obligation to ensure that that direction is chosen with a level of rigorous decision-making and that members follow them on that course.

Leaders, therefore, should be expected to fill the following roles.

1. Set and live the values of the team

Team values define a collective purpose which transcends winning and losing. Leaders must live these values and make every decision in alignment with the support of these values. Values derive from a delicate balance of what the members of the team find important, what the leaders embody, and what is needed for the members of the team to grow as humans. For example, If “service” is a team value, leaders must make decisions in the service of their teammates; 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

2. Communicate the importance of those values

As “keepers of the culture”, leaders must convey the importance of team values to their teammates. Clear communication which makes a case for the benefits of living these values is essential in gaining buy-in from members of the team. Powerful leaders do this through metaphor, storytelling, and logical arguments.  

3. Establish values in action

Leaders must bring values to life through action. In order to become something different we must do something different. Leaders define what values actually look like. They may do this in the context of practice and competition but also in all of the moments in between. When creating culture, actions stand as the tangible tools that work to shape the individual. Culture is defined not by what we collectively say but by what we collectively do. 

4. Support and hold teammates accountable for those actions

Change is challenging, and leaders have the responsibility to be the guide, the support, and the discipline when teammates stray from the course. When athletes enter a strong and positive environment, they will be positively shaped by that environment. Leaders must, therefore, build the art of leadership; a keen awareness of what their teammates need at any given time so that they have the structure to carry out the values in action.

It is for all of these reasons that leadership is certainly a combination of privilege and burden. When coaches convey these expectations clearly and fulfill their role as a leader for their leaders, they will properly help their athletes understand the responsibility that accompanies the power. A coaching friend of mine once told me that you can tell a lot by the demeanor of an athlete upon being named captain. “When a newly appointed captain releases a wide-eyed   exhale and reflects an understanding of the gravity that comes with the position, you know you are doing something right.”