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

Have your Players ever come out flat?

DON’T WAIT!

Have your players start every game with the right balance of energy and focus!

Get your FREE exercise and get started with Lead ‘Em Up right NOW!

Mixing Board

Other Posts

3 Leadership Myths for Coaches

3 Leadership Myths for Coaches

Explore and challenge coaching myths on leadership in sports. Promote inclusivity, make teaching leadership enjoyable, and empower your team. Unveil the truth behind these 3 Leadership Myths for Coaches.

Podcasts

The #1 Thing Preventing Our Athletes From Leading Greater

The #1 Thing Preventing Our Athletes From Leading Greater

Have you ever had athletes fail to step and lead, when you know they can do so? What prevents our athletes from leading when they can do so? Tune in to this fascinating episode and discover the number one thing that prevents our athletes from leading greater. In the episode, we share many helpful tips on how you can help your athletes overcome this challenge and lead at a higher level.

The #1 Thing Preventing Our Athletes From Leading Greater

The Most Surprising Answer You Wouldn’t Expect

We are joined once again by Lead ‘Em Up member coaches Brad Storm and Ryan Winckler. In this episode, Brad and Ryan unpack and discuss the most surprising answer Brad gave at a Live Training we recently hosted at their school. Brad’s response cuts right to the heart of why we do what we do. This episode is full of invaluable advice that will resonate with all coaches.

If you want to connect with Brad and Ryan and learn more about how they were able to successfully roll out Lead ‘Em Up at their school, connect with them here:

Brad: Twitter | IG
Ryan: Twitter

Mixing Board

Have your Players Ever Come Out Flat?

Have your Players start every game off with the right balance of energy and focus!

Get your FREE exercise and get started with Lead ‘Em Up right NOW!