Durham Attack | Team Captains - Effective Leadership

1. Ensure High Standards and a Strong Work Ethic

Without effective team leaders, mediocrity can become the goal of the team. The team motto can become "Do just enough to get by" and "That's good enough." No one steps up and sets the tone for the rest of the team to follow. Further, when some athletes inevitably slack off and cut corners, no one is willing to constructively confront them on it and let them know that their laziness is unacceptable and detrimental to the team.

Great team leaders lead by example and set the standards for everyone else to follow. They consistently give it their all and demand that their teammates do the same.

"The second I let down, particularly if I'm perceived as the leader of my team, I give others an opening to let down as well. Why not? If the person out front takes a day off or doesn't play hard, why should anyone else?" Michael Jordan

Great team leaders place the team's goals above their own goals. They are willing to play any position, any role the coaches require to help the team meet their objectives.

"There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren't willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes their individual goals more difficult to achieve." Michael Jordan

2. Keep Your Team from Crumbling Under Pressure and Adversity

Without a team leader, teams often crumble under pressure and adversity. Players quickly get frustrated with opponents, officials, teammates, and themselves and lose their composure. They get distracted by their past mistakes and worry about making future errors. Further, when teams fall apart they tend to blame each other which distracts, divides, and destroys your team. Without a team leader, your players isolate themselves from the team instead of pulling together and staying tough.

This lack of leadership and mental toughness during adversity often forces you to burn precious time-outs and make unwanted substitutions during the game. Worse, your team ends up beating itself because they self-destruct rather than staying tough and forcing your opponents to beat you. Volleyball is a mental sport - when a team begins making errors the pressure on an individual can become enormous, and it becomes contagious, unless the team comes together and supports each other.

Effective team leaders help their teammates weather these inevitable storms of adversity. When adversity strikes, great leaders maintain their own composure which keeps their teammates under control. They bring the team together and refocus the team back on the task at hand. Good team leaders are a calming force who are able to help their teammates adjust and refocus.

"Young players are leaders only when they are playing well... that's not leadership. Anyone can lead the league in high fives when things are going well. But during adversity is when you need leaders in your group..." Rick Pitino

3. Build Better Team Chemistry

Effective team leaders promote a positive sense of team chemistry. They welcome and take the new members of the team under their wing so the new players feel accepted and have someone to turn to should something go wrong.

Effective team leaders prevent cliques from developing as they look to break down barriers, unify their teammates, and rally them around a common goal.

Volleyball is the ultimate team sport. No one player is more important than another. Without a player passing the ball, the setter making a good set, and a front-row player attacking, you cannot win a point. And unlike any other sport players rotate through positions on the court. The best team wins.

"If you want to build an atmosphere in which everybody pulls together to win, then you, as a leader have to recognize that it all starts with you. It starts with your attitude, your commitment, your caring, your passion for excellence, your dedication to winning. It starts with the example you set." Pat Williams, Orlando Magic

4. Help The Coach to Take the Pulse of Team

If a coach does not have a good leader he/she can trust, the coach might miss some important things happening with the players and team. The coach might not know why a certain player all of a sudden isn't playing well or why another might not be communicating with the coach any more. Further, the players may lose enthusiasm and the coaches may not understand why.

Effective team leaders help keep the coaches connected to the team. They keep the coaches informed about how players might be doing, who is struggling, and if there is any dissension brewing amongst the team.

5. Minimize and Manage Conflict

Additionally, good team leaders will help the coaches to manage the inevitable conflict that occurs on every team between players, coaches, parents, and others. They can often handle and solve a lot of problems before the coaches even have to get involved. This frees up time to focus on what the coaches do best - coaching.

6. Are The Best Insurance Against Stupidity

Good leaders are the best insurance policy against athletes making stupid decisions at school and in the community, that could tarnish the team and club.

Team leaders tend to be around their teammates more and can be a positive influence on them. This is especially true on weekend evenings when athletes can be tempted to do things that could potentially have negative effects on themselves and the team, not to mention your program's reputation. Great team leaders look out for their teammates and are willing to constructively confront them when necessary.

7. Know the Rules of the Game

Good leaders study and know the rules of the game (FIVB Rules of the Game) and can keep the team sorted out on the court. They can bring items to the attention of the officials or the coaches, who may be distracted by other activities.