Are You a Team Player?

Are You a Team Player? River Hill Athletic Leadership Seminar 2009

Presentation created using ideas from The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Playerby John Maxwell Goals of this Seminar: To learn the qualities of a team player To learn how you can embody these qualities to become a true team player

Adaptable • Being flexible, teachable, creative, willing to make changes for the team, willing to take on a different role on the team • To become more adaptable: • Try to keep learning new things • Reevaluate your role on the team • Think about how things can be done instead of what prevents you from achieving it • Think through scenarios where you might have to adapt, such as: • To your teammates playing style • To you teammates moods • To the refs • To field conditions • To your role on the team

Collaborative • Working together, everyone adding something, not competing with teammates, concentrating on team not self, trusting teammates • To become more collaborative • Always ask, “What’s best for the team?” • Get together with someone on the team you view as a competitor and figure out how you can work together to benefit the team • Get together with someone who has strengths in your area of weakness and work together

Committed • Being determined to see it through, realizing commitment is a choice not an emotion • To become truly committed: • Make sure the goals of the team and the team itself are truly important to you • Risk giving your best all the time • Realize there is no such thing as a half-hearted champion

Communicative • Making connections, learning about each other on and off the field, court, etc. • How to be more communicative: • Make it easier for teammates to get to know you • Follow the 24 hr rule – address any conflict with a teammate with in 24 hrs. • Spend time on especially difficult relationships • Speak truthfully but kindly to teammates • Make an effort to get to know everyone on your team • Tell teammates when they are doing great • Kindly tell them how to improve

Competent • Knowing your sport, your position, fundamental skills, and being committed to excellence • How to be more competent: • Refuse to settle for average • Work hard on the small stuff • Work on performing consistently – physical and mental practice • Pick an area to specialize in • Practice extra on specialty, weak point, or role needed by the team

Dependable • Making a consistent contribution, doing what you say, being responsible, exercising good judgment • How to be more dependable: • Check your goals, do they benefit the team or just you • Check with your teammates – do they think you are reliable? • Have a partner that holds you accountable • Try your best to always do what you say you are going to do

Disciplined • Doing what you don’t want to do, so you can do what you really want to, having disciplined thinking, emotions, and actions • How to be more disciplined: • Do something necessary but unpleasant everyday • Take on new challenges • When you get mad, hold your tongue for 5 minutes • Work on remaining calm when you get start to get mad or frustrated • Work on fundamentals everyday • Work out and practice in the off season

Enlarging • Adding value to teammates, valuing teammates not criticizing them, valuing what your teammates value, finding ways to help others improve • How to be more enlarging: • Serve others first • Point out others strengths and help them focus on improving • Believe in others before they believe in you • Make it a point to tell someone on the team something truthfully positive about their abilities everyday

Enthusiastic • CHOOSING to be positive (attitude is a choice), acting enthusiastic even if don’t feel like • How to be more enthusiastic: • Spend time with others who are enthusiastic • Go the extra mile • Strive for excellence • Keep negative comments to yourself and try to turn your own thinking more positive • Cheer for others when you are on the bench

Intentional • Working with purpose, doing the right things every day • How to be more intentional: • Write down your goals and team goals and read them every day • Explore your own strengths and weaknesses • Specialize and focus on that • Prioritize what your are working on • Practice every day with the purpose of getting better at something specific

Mission Conscious • Keeping the big picture in mind, knowing overall goal, supporting the leader, making team accomplishment the most important, doing whatever necessary to achieve goals • How to be more mission conscious: • Find ways to keep the mission in mind – writing it down, talking about it, making a visual reminder • Figure out how you can contribute best to meeting the mission • Try to keep whole team focused on mission

Prepared • Being ready mentally and physically, knowing what your are preparing for • How to be more prepared: • Thinking about what you will need or need to do • Creating a list • Learning from mistakes • Visualize • Practice, practice, practice

Relational • Caring about people on the team, treating everyone like they are important, respecting others, sharing experiences, trusting teammates • How to be more relational: • Focus on others • Ask teammates about their hopes, goals, what makes them happy, sad • Share common experiences, spend time together outside of the sport • Make others feel special

Self-Improving • Thinking about how you can improve and applying it • How to be more self-improving: • Become coachable, ask questions • Value improvement over self promotion • Plan how will learn more

Selfless • Putting others ahead of yourself, being generous, worrying about what benefits the team not yourself, being loyal • How to be more selfless: • Promote someone other than yourself • Practice serving others, let others go first • Give to others without them knowing it • Always be willing to help your teammates even if it takes x-tra effort on your part

Solution-Oriented • Finding remedies, not faults, taking the attitude that all problems are solvable • How to be more solution-oriented: • Refuse to give up when problems arise • Rethink strategy if things aren’t going right • Don’t see things as problems, just setbacks that need to be figured out

Tenacious • Sticking with things even when they seem impossible, being determined, giving all you have • How to be more tenacious: • Work harder – practice x-tra before or after practice • Never quit

Are You a Team Player?