Loyola Greyhound Leadership Academy - Be Excellent

Good Afternoon Loyola Greyhound Leadership Academy – I returned yesterday from a trip to the United States Naval Academy. I had the pleasure of attending the USNA Leadership Conference with two student-athletes: Anna Bosse (Track and Cross Country), and Andrew McGill (Men’s Golf), and two student interns from Campus Ministry: Christin Campbell and Ed Ortiz. (If you bump into them ask them about the conference!) There were 220 student leaders from over 60 schools. There were regular students, ROTC members, Midshipmen and Cadets from military academies and also student-athletes. The theme of the conference was Followership: The Evolution of a Leader. I wanted to share just a couple highlights from the event and will share some more in the future. The conference featured talks by former Vice President Dick Cheney, current VP for US Public Policy for Facebook Joel Kaplan, Lieutenant General Sattler of the USMC, Astronaut Chris Cassidy, and many more. It was amazing and the takeaways were numerous. The first talk that I want to tell you all about was by Captain Will Byrne, Commandant of Midshipmen at the USNA. He is the Dean of Students at USNA. He shared a couple simple messages that when you take a look at it a few times, you will smile and say I can do that. He started by talking about a book that has all the secrets of life – All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. The following is from that book- “These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten): 1. Share everything. 2. Play fair. 3. Don't hit people. 4. Put things back where you found them. 5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS. 6. Don't take things that aren't yours. 7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody. 8. Wash your hands before you eat. 9. Flush. 10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work every day some. 12. Take a nap every afternoon. 13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. 14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. 15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. 16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first worked you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.” It is so simple but so true. His other point shared with us was based upon what he says to the new midshipmen when they arrive in Annapolis. “Be Excellent.” That is it. Be Excellent. He did expand to add the following – Be Excellent – to yourself Be Excellent – to each other Be Excellent – to this place He went on about each area briefly as well. Be Excellent – To yourself - eat right, work out, study, tell the truth, know the rules To each other – be a good listener, share your time, be an active bystander To this place – take care of your school, your dorm room, your locker room, etc. These are two simple points to share with your teammates. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please touch base if you have any questions. David Gerrity

Thursday Loyola Leadership Academy Email

In honor of Throwback Thursday, here is a look at some of the basics with the Team Captain’s Leadership Model. Do you remember way back in the first chapter of The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual? Jeff Janssen lays out how you can break leadership down into two areas – Lead by Example and Vocal Leader. Leading by example, although tough at times, is really about pushing yourself. It is about your commitment, your confidence, your composure and your character. If you push yourself every day to be the best student-athlete you can be even when times are tough, you are leading by example. Leading by example is extremely important for the team to be successful. By setting the bar high in all areas - academically, athletically and socially – you are saying “I am a leader and I want my teammates to follow my example.” Leading by example can have a powerful impact on the team, especially when that team has most of the members “on board” or as Janssen says “committed or compelled!” Your leadership by example pushes members of your team who are compliant and existent. But this can only go so far and this is where Vocal Leadership kicks in. There are two types of vocal leaders – The Encourager and The Enforcer. Read the start of section 2 in the leadership manual pages 73-76, it will give you a really nice introduction to vocal leadership. Think about your team and make a list of teammates who are the encouragers and the enforcers. Both are vital to your team’s success. Now that you have that list, ask yourself another question – “How did these people become the vocal leaders on my team?” Many times it is people who are extroverted and outgoing who do not mind stepping out in front and communicating the team’s vision. Many times the vocal leaders are seniors on the team and this is great but this sometimes will stifle younger players who are worried about stepping on the toes of their older teammates. This is where communication is key – if you are an older member of the team try to nurture the younger players’ leadership – give them the opportunity to speak up too. If you are a younger member of the team, talk to the vocal leaders and see how you can be a part of the leadership team. Janssen says it best – “Remember your team must have one person who is willing to step outside of themselves to be a vocal Leader. Are you that person?” Thanks to Jeff Janssen and The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual. Pages 16, 73-76.