We often get asked by coaches when they should do the Lead ‘Em Up exercises with their teams. Our answer is always the same: in-season, off-season, all-seasons.
Leadership is a lifestyle and needs to become part of our players lives. It’s not something they can just turn off and on. It needs to be developed and developing this skill takes time, repetition and reinforcement.
Think about this, most leaders we know are constantly working on their craft of leadership. They are reading, listening to things, attending conferences, participating in workshops, sitting with mentors and engaging in conversation about subjects associated with leadership. They recognize the need to continuously pursue growing as a leader all year long, otherwise they feel their skillset starting to diminish.
Don’t be afraid to repeat an exercise. Don’t shy away from engaging in a leadership discussion that you’ve already engaged in. In many cases, your players will need a refresher. Think about how much you forget these days. Players just like us, also hear different things when they hear messages shared differently. Your players are always in different stages of life with growing maturity levels, so they may not have heard your message the first time, but the second time, it hits.
Leadership has only been taught once the player has learned. If they haven’t fully learned, then they are still learning, which means you need to keep teaching.
In-season, off-season, all-seasons.
Have fun and #LeadEmUp
