By: Theo Androus
Coach Shea is a great leader, and not just because she named my ten-year-old daughter, Audrey, captain of the lacrosse team - though that admittedly got my attention. It got my attention because Audrey is not the best player on her team. (Well, not the best by obvious definitions.) She's not the best scorer. She's not the best defender. She doesn't have the best stick skills. She doesn't have the most experience. In fact, she may rank last in all of those categories. What she does have is attitude and work ethic. And to Coach Shea, that is what matters most.
I confess that I was shocked when Coach Shea announced that Audrey would be the captain. This is her first year playing lacrosse, she rarely scores, and she's playing with girls who have a lot more experience. Audrey is somewhat reserved and soft-spoken; and she's easy to miss in a group of boisterous and confident kids. But here's what coach Shea said, "Audrey works harder than anyone on the team. She has a great attitude. She arrives at every practice ready to learn and ready to listen, and she takes coaching and direction."
Wow. Coach Shea says that she wishes she could clone Audrey, that she'd love to have ten more just like her. Simply stated, Audrey does her best every day. That's more than can be said of her father, maybe more than can be said of you.
I asked Audrey about her work ethic and she told me that her body often wants to slow down but her mind won't let it. That sometimes her body tells her to stop, but she just ignores it. She confessed that sometimes when she runs her side hurts, but when that happens she just thinks about something else and the pain goes away. Amazing.
And lest you think I'm the next Earl Woods or Mike Agassi or Richard Williams, I'm not. I believe in my kids and I've tried to teach them to believe in themselves. I'm also of the opinion that their lives are their lives and they must choose what to do with the gifts they have been given, and live (and learn) with the consequences of their choices. Yes, I encourage them. Yes, I support them. Yes, I challenge them. I place them in situations that test them and teach them. But I try to do so with love and kindness and respect. And sometimes we get lucky and they have a coach like Coach Shea who recognizes and rewards them for the key foundational elements to greatness at anything in life - attitude and work ethic.
Most teams are captained by the best player -- best being defined by number of goals scored or defensive prowess or some other more tangible measure. In the case of my daughter's lacrosse team, Coach Shea acknowledged and rewarded behavior she wants repeated - attitude and work ethic. And in that category, Audrey is the best. She gives everything she's got to everything she does. And kudos to Coach Shea for recognizing and rewarding that behavior.
As a leader, your job is to be clear about your expectations and create an environment that enables your people to execute on those expectations. Coach Shea is clear - she wants players who work hard, have a willingness to learn, and are committed to doing their best. Everything you do as a leader sends a message to your people. And the message from Coach Shea to her people is simple - work hard consistently and you will be rewarded.
The cool thing for Audrey is that when Coach Shea explained why she chose Audrey to be the Team Captain, the other players nodded in agreement. It made sense to them. If that's how they will be judged, then the choice is obvious.
How will you judge your team? What do you want from your people? Are you clear about your expectations? Are you acknowledging and rewarding behavior you want repeated? As a leader, you establish what matters most within your organization. Just make sure the actions you take are congruent with your desired outcomes.
If you do those all of those things, I might just write about you next.
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