The Key to Leadership

Today's blog post was written by Stephanie Toy. Stephanie is a senior at Notre Dame majoring in Information Technology Management and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Founding Director Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan. Stephanie is also a midfielder on the Notre Dame Women's Lacrosse Team.

Something I truly cherish about my time at Notre Dame was my experience in the Rosenthal Leadership Academy. This academy is something organized by Notre Dame’s Student Welfare and Development department. The program consists of two retreats and six workshops throughout the year. Athletes from all different sports at the university are nominated by coaches and peers to be part of this program. They work with each other and advisors in an effort to grow as leaders.

Each week there is a different theme for the athletes to focus on. The lessons vary from figuring out strengths and weaknesses to overcoming fear of failure. While every lesson felt important to me, one really opened my eyes to leadership. The lesson concentrated on the concept of understanding that each of your teammates is different and everyone brings an important role to the team. This idea sounds like something that is very obvious and simple, but it is something that I have found many athletes struggle with, including myself.

As competitive athletes, we tend to think that everyone thinks the same way we do. Most people believe that their way of thinking is typically right. However, this isn’t the case. When you are on a team, everyone brings something different to the table. The team would not work properly if everyone thought the same and acted the same. Nothing would ever improve because nothing would ever be challenged. In the same breath, if a team was full of people who were all business and brought no fun to the team, the team would also be unsuccessful.

As a leader, it is important to recognize this. Many times people can become frustrated with a teammate that does not seem as focused as everyone else. What is important to realize is that maybe someone else on the team relies on that teammate being loose. Instead of trying to stop and prohibit people on your team from being who they are, a true leader will encourage everyone’s different personalities. This is a lesson that has already helped me tremendously, and I am certain it will help me throughout my athletic, academic, and professional careers