Howto: Be A Leader

There are many different types of leaders. On Thursday we will be voting to chose our captians for the fall NorCal season. This is a big responsibilty and one that is not given lightly. It is not a popularity contest. So before the girls pick captains for the next few months, I thought I would share a few perspectives about what makes a good teammate, leader, and captain.

Over the course of her four-year career at UNC, Carla Overbeck was one of the most improved players on the team. Her improvement came from her desire to become competitive in practice. She developed a passionate desire to see everyone on the field with her compete as hard as possible. This transitioned into part part of what Carla understood about everyone who plays the game: they can all make a decision to take their intensity up another notch.

From Vision of a Champion & Carla Overbeck:

…The first step is to be a voice on the field. Whether it's an instructive voice or not, just be a positive voice.

Why are girls silent on the soccer field? You want to be liked; you don't want to be perceived as someone who's bossy, and knows everything. While I always wanted to be helpful to my teammates, like anyone else, I also wanted them to have respect for me.

I think if you scream at people all the time, obviously that's not a very effective way to lead and get respect. That's why the tone in which you speak to people is extremely important. If you're constantly yelling and screaming, not many people want to hear that. Even if it's a negative, I think there's a way you can deliver your message in a positive way, just by the tone that you use.

From my past, I know that I have always tried to get to know people as people -- what makes them tick, and how to motivate each individual. That's just being a good teammate, being a good leader. I don't think that means you treat everyone the same. You handle every person and every instance differently…

…If you can understand and be compassionate for every person's position and role, it makes you more aware of what's happening on the field, and aware of the different personalities on your team. It might sound kind of silly, but you should simply treat people the way you would want to be treated. For example, imagine yourself playing for a coach who yells and screams all the time. Would you benefit from that? I certainly wouldn't.

I think it's also important to be a good person off the field. Others have a lot of respect for that. If you see a teammate struggling -- maybe to fit in -- try to support her. Always be willing to lend a helping hand, whether it's getting someone a ride to a game or collecting the balls after practice -- even something small like that.

I was captain of the National Team, but there have been a lot of veteran leaders. Julie Foudy is an example. She's a vocal leader, and she leads by example -- her work ethic is unbelievable. There are a lot of ways to be a leader. You could not say anything during a practice or a game, and work to exhaustion, and I think people would still respect that. That's definitely a way of leading. You gain a lot of respect from teammates with a strong work ethic. Kristine Lilly doesn't say a whole lot, but her actions on the field make her a great leader. There's another perfect example on my current team. Hege Riise, from Norway, doesn't say much, but on the field she works in such a manner that everyone is in awe of her. In every game, she shows up to play. She's a winner, and she leads. People want to follow what she does, because she makes such a positive imprint.

And finally, here is a video of Chelsea FC and Englands "Captain Fantastic" John Terry.  "Chelsea to the core and a true hero to the fans, John is the most successful captain in Chelsea history and in many eyes, he's the best central defender currently in action. As brave as they come and a superb reader of the game, sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders' defender."