Leadership Is Influence

Commit to leading. Everyone can. It’s not about a title like captain or senior.

Sport demands physical and cognitive work. Combine them. "The magic is in the work."

Leaders shape teams and individuals.

• Model excellence. Be worthy of having followers.
• Lead yourself first. Leadership requires discipline.
• Punctuality. Be on time, all the time
• Prepare. Know your job to do the job. 
• Strength and conditioning. Sport rewards explosiveness.
• Focus. "Next play" was Coach Krzyzewski's advice. 
• Energy...Energize yourself and others. 
• Effort. "Always do your best," the Fourth Agreement.
• Communicate. Early, loud, often
• Mentoring. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."
• Positivity. B+ equals B positive. 
• Servanthood. Serve the team; serve your teammates. 
• Encourage, inform, and occasionally correct. 

Someday you may hear, “You made the team” or “You’re going to start.” Maybe, “we couldn’t have done this without you.” Some earn additional honors or public praise from your coaches. And if you’re committed and exceptional, maybe “You’re the best leader we ever had.”

Make today special. The best time to plant a tree is twenty year ago. The second best time is today.

Lagniappe. Multiple defenses are common in basketball and less so in volleyball.