Captain

by Ryan Krzykowski

Summer provides a new rhythm for many coaches — one that often includes team building, training new leaders, and digging into new books.  Our buddy John O’Sullivan, author of must-reads like Changing the Game and Every Moment Matters, has once again collaborated with Jerry Lynch (John and Jerry gave us The Champion Teammate a few years back) on a project that promises to be a winner.  The book is entitled Captain: The Athlete’s Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader, and the email I received last week (let me know if you’d like me to forward the email to you), indicated that preorders are being taken for the book’s scheduled early-June release.

The email John and Jerry sent out included a preview of a chapter from Captain focusing on Shane Battier, the former college basketball player of the year from Duke, who enjoyed a 13-year NBA career.  While a star in college, Battier became known in the league as a “glue guy”, the player whose value was difficult to quantify beyond box scores.  I loved this excerpt from the chapter:

Battier became a sought-after teammate and won championships at every level he played because he always realized that, in order to lead his team, he had to model championship behaviors. He had to lead by example. That is what you are being asked to do. Your teammates will hear your words, but they will see your actions, and if your actions do not match your words, it does not matter what you say.

When being asked to model championship behaviors, three qualities come to mind: courage, consistency, and integrity.

If you’re looking for a new tool to help train team leaders, consider taking a look at Captain.

Let’s Coach With Purpose…