Loyola Greyhounds Leadership Academy - email to members

The semester has finally come to an end.  You have finished up your finals and now you have some time to take a step back and reflect.

I spent a little time that last couple days thinking about the Loyola Greyhounds Leadership Academy.  What are we trying to accomplish with the leadership academy and how are we doing?  I don’t have all the answers but I do know that each member of the academy brings something unique to the table.  We are all given the tools to grow our leadership skills.  I enjoy getting to work with you all and hope we can continue to build the program.

One area that I want to focus on is helping Leadership Academy members grow from being a Leader By Example to a Vocal Leader. Many young leaders have no problem leading by example. If fact, for many people it just comes natural, it is part of your DNA.

But what about that next step? Sometimes young leaders are a little nervous to step up and be the enforcer on the team, to be the person who vocally encourages and sometimes challenges teammates. Often times, especially in team sports, the junior and seniors on the team fill the role of Vocal Leader.  They not only enforce the rules and keep the team on track but they by their use of encouragement have helped build a stronger team.  There is often a learning curve to move from Leader By Example to Vocal Leader.

The leadership model that Jeff Janssen presents shows that the core of leadership is having the commitment, confidence, composure and character needed to be a guiding light to your team.  You are not telling (or yelling) the way, but rather showing them the way. You have heard coaches talk about doing things a certain way (maybe call it the Greyhound Way!)

The move from being the hard-working and diligent Leader By Example to the Vocal Leader takes time to develop and can seem daunting at times.  So what the Leadership Academy is doing is giving you the tools, the background and support to develop your Vocal Leadership skills.

Talk to your coach and get some feedback on what your coach is looking for from you as a Vocal Leader.  It might just be the role of Encourager.  Giving your teammate some praise after a great practice.  Giving a little pep talk on the side to a teammate that is struggling.  If you need some practice, watch this great pep talk by Kid President - http://youtu.be/l-gQLqv9f4o.  Pass this video along!

So your first assignment as a Vocal Leader is to talk to your coach, get some feedback and then start using your leadership to build your team up. 

A team ebbs and flows during the season. What can you do to keep the team afloat and racing towards success?

Have a great break and I look forward to seeing you in January.

Just a reminder the next session of the Loyola Greyhounds Leadership Academy is Sunday January 25 in the afternoon.

Oh – and since we are talking about

Best wishes,

Dave Gerrity

Associate Athletic Director

PS – Kid President mentioned Robert Frost so I thought I would throw this in –

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.