Our First Lead ‘Em Up Team

Home / Blog / Self-Awareness / Our First Lead ‘Em Up Team

Our First Lead ‘Em Up Team

It was six-years ago I worked with the Watkins Mill Football Team but during that time, Lead ‘Em Up wasn’t even a thing.  I was still figuring this whole thing out.

It wasn’t until a year after Watkins Mill we launched Lead ‘Em Up and actually “pitched” a coach to hire us to work with their team all season long.

A mutual friend, Alan Stein, connected me to Chris Lun, Head Basketball Coach at Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD.

Coach Lun and I met one day in his classroom at Pyle Middle School and I pitched the idea of Whitman Basketball having a leadership coach on staff and using Lead ‘Em Up.  He loved the idea and jumped on-board.

I was ecstatic. Coach Lun is a State Championship coach who runs an incredible program so for him to see the vision I was casting it helped confirm our vision was something coaches would actually want.

That year was an incredible season.  We went all in with the boys; weekly sessions, on-going text conversations, team dinners, Iron awards and more. The year exceeded my expectations.

The season had the natural roller-coasters; losing streaks mid-season and questioning if leaders would step-up, but with a few weeks left in the season things starting clicking.  We had turned the corner.

The players began taking hold of the team and leading it to another level. The run we made the last few weeks of the season, throughout the playoffs, on our way to a Regional Championship and finally ending up at Xfinity Center for the State Tournament, was absolutely incredible.

Still to this day, that season was one of the best experiences with a team I’ve ever had.

Coach Lun is special. What an honor to work with him and the Whitman program and shout-out to Coach for being the first to help get the ball rolling for Lead ‘Em Up.


We want to provide you a tool to keep your players engaged, growing as leaders and continuing to feel connected to their team/teammates; The 21-Day Leadership Playbook. 

This FREE 21-Day Leadership Playbook is filled with various Lead ‘Em Up exercises, uniquely modified for players to do on their own, as part of a team-wide exercise.

Download your free copy right here! 


Have fun and #LeadEmUp

Get Part 1 Free

Get access to part 1 of the Green Team Framework FREE!

Green Team Framework

Other Posts

This is How It Works: A Masterclass in Community

This is How It Works: A Masterclass in Community

How do you make a real difference in a community? Sometimes, it starts with one person opening a door, and others walking through it with a plan to go all-in. That's exactly what's happening at Middletown High School, where the entire community, from business owners...

Podcasts

Ep. 153: The Adaptive Edge: Coaching for Every Athlete, Every Moment

Ep. 153: The Adaptive Edge: Coaching for Every Athlete, Every Moment

In today’s ever-changing world of leadership, we’ve come to grips that leading by experience, tendencies, and feelings is no longer enough. Too often, leaders rely on what they’ve always done, how they naturally respond, or what simply “feels right” in the moment. But true leadership requires something deeper, intentional adaptation.

This episode dives into the rise of Adaptive Leadership, a model that challenges coaches and leaders to grow beyond instinct and evolve with the people and circumstances around them. We explore how developing your Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), and Learning Quotient (LQ) can transform the way you connect, communicate, and create lasting impact.
Join us as we unpack how great leaders move from reaction to reflection, and from comfort to conscious change.

Ep. 153: The Adaptive Edge: Coaching for Every Athlete, Every Moment

Ep. 152: Honoring the Past Without Sacrificing the Future

Some seasons stay with you forever! That team that just got it, the chemistry that was rare, the bond that felt like family. But what happens when that chapter closes, and you’re handed a new team that doesn’t feel the same? In this episode, we get real about something coaches rarely talk about: grieving a past team while struggling to fully embrace the one in front of you. We’ll unpack the quiet emotional weight coaches carry, and the dangers of staying emotionally tied to “what was” while missing the potential of “what is.”

Get Part 1 Free

Get access to part 1 of the Green Team Framework FREE!