Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Servant Leadership
During a recent class, I discussed servant leadership and the qualities that make-up a servant leader. Remember that a servant leader has a desire to serve others and a servant leader considers the development of the individual first. In your experiences as an athlete, think of a coach you had that displayed and demonstrated some of the qualities of a servant leader. Describe this coach, why were they a servant leader? If you cannot think of a coach that role-modeled these qualities, then provide an example of a coach who did not possess any of these qualities and describe them for us. Finally, what style of leadership would you like to play for? Hint: look back at the notes on descriptions of leadership styles.
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The qualities of a servant leader are respect, responsibility, humility, love, compassion/empathy, commitment, and patience. One coach who I can recall that definitely fits into all those qualities was my high school volleyball coach my senior year. Coach Peden, "Coach P" for short, came into our volleyball program knowing that he was going to have to work hard to improve our program as we were one known for being one of the more mediocre teams in our league. Our first day meeting with him, he asked us to bring our parents and he came off as a hard-ass but one of the first things he reassured us was that he was going to stay committed. As for coaching a bunch of gitty and competitive high school girls, even though he was very strict when it came to practice and game time he demonstrated respect, patience, and responsibility-- to sometimes put us in our place when we weren't focusing on our task. I truly valued that he was able to laugh at himself and show humility when he made mistakes because he knew as well as all us players that we are human and things just happen. Finally his compassion and patience for our team really made my team bond and played a big factor with helping us become league champions for the first time in a long time. I would say his coaching style presented transactional leadership. It was like a negotation. He definitely had a standard of expectations and was very strict til we met those expectations. Once he saw that we were performing like he expected us to, he would reward us with constant encouragement and fun activities for the rest of practice. That's why I think our program did alot better than when I played the previous 2 years, the former coach did not set expectations for us and I feel like a big reason we weren't successful before was lack of motivation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was much younger, my dad coached my youth soccer teams. He was a servant leader! He was a servant leader because he was mostly concerned with the development of his individual players. He provided autonomy to the individual players to develop their talents and abilities. My dad was also a model for right action and right thinking and inspired his players to do the same. At the beginning of each season, he created organizational objectives for the team based upon the ever increasing development of his players’ abilities. He showed respect, responsibility, humility, love, compassion, commitment, and patience. He was the best coach ever! I would want to play for a coach who uses the servant leadership technique. This style allows the players to develop through the service of the coach. I would not want to play for a coach with authoritarian leadership because they often act too much like a dictator.
ReplyDeleteIn middle school my basketball coach for 7th and 8th grade, Coach Madigan, demonstrated many of the qualities of a servant leader. Our coach was also a humanities teacher at our school, and taught many of the kids on our team. He thought of us as his students first, and players second. He taught us the importance of taking responsibility for your schoolwork (we had an hour study session before our practices every day). He was committed to developing us as the true definition of a scholar athlete. He pushed us just as hard in the classroom as he did on the court. Our hard work translated from class to practice and come game time we outplayed our opponents mentally and physically in route to an undefeated season in 7th and 8th grade. During those two years, every player on our team greatly improved their work ethic as both a student and an athlete. The positive changes in all of us were obvious and noticed by everyone around us. Coach Madigan put the development of us as individual as his primary objective. It was his desire to serve us and make us better in more ways than just on the basketball court.
ReplyDeleteMy basketball coach in high school, Coach Shipman. He ended up being my freshman coach and varsity coach. That just in general made it great cuz we were his first varsity team and he knew us all pretty good. He really put us first and wanted all of us to succeed in life. He would discuss issues with us if we had them. He would also not make a single example out of any of us but us it as lessons for the season. He would be honest and work with us to grow on the court but also help us to grow off the court. As I said I am grateful that Coach helped us in more then one way and appreciate everything that he ever did for us. His approach of making us better people on and off the court was a great way to run the team and definitely makes him a servant leader.
ReplyDeleteI had a basketball coach my freshman year of high school that had all the qualities of a servant leader. Even though he was a tough coach and not a lot of girls liked him, I respected him to the highest degree. He was big about making sure that the girls basketball image at Mountlake Terrace High School was seen very highly. He was a guy that was all about respect. Not just respect for others, but respect for yourself as well. He wanted to make people accountable for their actions in hopes of making them better people by the time they were out of the program. Even though he wanted us to succeed at a high level, he was more about making us succeed as individuals as well. Making sure our grades are the best that they can be, and he really made people acocuntable for their actions. He took another position at Tumwater High School after my sophomore season. Even though many of the girls were happy about his move, I was devastated. I feel like he helped me grow into a mature individual and I will always thank him for that. When I am eventually coaching when I graduate college, I want to be the type of coach just like he was. I want to be a servant leader where the kids learn a lot about themselves before the actual sport.
ReplyDeleteI think that the video we watched in class about Pete Carroll's coaching technique was fantastic. I feel that if a coach can give constructive criticism and complement his players without bringing them down. Pete Carroll said that he never will tell players they are bad or doing bad things just that they can improve on things. He also cares about his community; Carroll goes out and speaks at the projects to underprivileged teens and young adults about staying away from gang violence. He tries and teaches them lessons to better their lives. He even is generous enough to allow the young adults he talks to on the streets to come to USC practices. I feel that Carroll is one of the most dedicated coaches of all time, at this point in his career he is still young but eventually I believe he will be one of the greatest coaches of all time.
ReplyDeleteA coach that in used to have back in the early years of high school was called Mr Wilson and he was a great rugby coach. i truely believe he was a man that had his priorities right. He knew education was primary and especially being at such an age when good development was so significant, he really helped each player to try and develop as a person. The qualities of a servant leader are respect, responsibility, humility, love, compassion/empathy, commitment, and patience. i believe Mr Wilson presented most of these qualities. He did his best to meet our every needs and worked hard to build us up as men with morals and respect.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 12 years old I met a softball coach that was, at first, very intimidating to me. His name was Mike Richdale. He had passion for the game of softball and knew the game inside and out. He took the game very seriously and expected you to perform at your highest level at all times. Being 12 years old this was a little daunting at first. But I grew to respect and love him as a coach. He was able to teach me almost everything I know about softball today. He made me into a slapper (aka bats left handed and runs towards first base...) and because of it a was very successful on the field. He expected a lot from a player like hard work, dedication, respect and responsibility. Yes, he did have a little temper when you could not execute your job but years later I realized that that was just his way of telling you he knows you are better than that. I grew a lot as a softball player and as a person on his team. I was on his select team for almost 5 years and through all the blood, sweat and tears I thank him for his respect, compassion for the game and team, commitment, patience and above all love. He pushed me to be the best I could be. When he passed away a little over a year ago from a brain tumor I was forced to reflect about our time together. Mike was a very opinionated person but he could back it up. He loved the game but most of all his team. He wanted to see them succeed and would do anything for them. Without Mike I would not be the person I am today and I will forever be thankful.
ReplyDeleteIn high school, my first tennis coach was not even a coach at all. He did not even give us any criticism to how we played. He rarely watched us play our tennis matches. He seemed to only want the pay check at the end of the month, but he did seem to care when we didn’t win. Unfortunately, that was a regular thing for us. When telling us what we were doing wrong, he would just say that it was wrong. He didn’t specify whether it was our grip, swing, or timing, and he didn’t show us how to fix or improve the mistake. After he got fired, our new head coach was a better fit for the team in leading us to two winning seasons at the end of my high school career. The best thing he did was ensuring that the girls on the team respected him and each other. We all had a responsibility to the team and to ourselves, and by fulfilling our responsibilities; we would be able to succeed. Also, he stressed individual ability and development. He helped each player improve his or her skills as well as be aware of what needs improvement or work on. Basically, he was a likeable and well-respected coach. Overall, I appreciate a servant leader. They stress individual ability as much as team ability. And with a servant qualities that are used off the field and you also build self-confidence in your capabilities. It always good to have a coach that cares about you because it leads to self-worth and qualities that go a long way.
ReplyDeleteI had a track coach, Mr. Suttich, who definitely was not a servant leader. He would always soay "well I'm not going to do that for you." However, he was every bit of a transformational leader, always trying to be inspiring and trying to build a relationship with us. He did care about us, but I think he had a little bit of his own agenda and so he doesn't fit the servant leader qualifications. I've played for a lot of coaches, and I think the only one who was close to a servant leader was my dad. He treated athletes as ends and they always came first. I liked playing for both styles of coaches, but I don't think I would choose transformational because as great as those coaches were, one built up such a strong relationship with me that he thought it would be ok to cut me from the team. That was messed up!
ReplyDeleteMy junior varsity basketball coach in high school was a great example of a servant leader. We were probably the worst team in our league and often lost by more than 20 points each game. However, beyond the losing season was one of the most developmental times of my life. He taught us to be gentlemen in every act of life. We would dress up on game days and show respect to teachers and faculty. He invested every bit of his interest in our academic lives and our overall development as young men. Perhaps the reason we lost so much was because he placed more emphasis on our character development than the importance of winning. He might not have been the best basketball coach as far as skill development, but he made a difference in the lives of everyone on that team.
ReplyDeleteFreshman through Junior year varsity basketball I had a coach who was a mix of transactional, transformational, and a authoritarian coach. We had to do it his way and when he was lenient rewards were given out like lack of running or get to leave practice early. He put passion and energy into everything. He cared about you and want you to succeed while doing it his way. Senior year our coach was new to coaching boys and didn't have a distinguishable leadership style the players (Seniors) led by example which help the new coach determine his coaching values. I would like to play for a servant leader coach mixed in with a transformational leader because a coach needs to be passionate and want you to succeed, and you want the coach to lead by example in his teaching values. I think just being one type of leader is detrimental to the development of your players. you need to be authoritative, transformational, servant leader and transactional.
ReplyDeleteBack in high school when I played tennis, I would definately describe my coach as a servant leader. He would always do what was best for the player. Even if we were having a dissapointing season, he would still be upbeat and would do everything he could in order to make sure we were having fun and still competing to the best of our abilities. He would try to cater to our needs the best he could because he knew that as long as he actually did his job in teaching us the skills of tennis, that we would be just fine. The qualities of a servant leader are respect, responsibility, humility, love, compassion/empathy, commitment, and patience. I believe that my tennis coach had all of these traits. I would much rather have a servant leader than someone who is just going to boss me around and not make any kind of attempt to truly help me.
ReplyDeleteAs we have learn in the class, Servant leadership is great leaders who have a belief system that every person is important to the group and has something to offer and acting what they believe. Also, the qualities of a servant leader are respect, responsibility, humility, love, compassion/ empathy, commitment, and patience. There was my junior high soccer coach. He was a kind of servant leader. He was very strict to players during practices and games. He respected players, and showed patience, and responsibilities. He was trying to develop team's qualities and individual stats.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about, I don't think I had a coach that possessed servant leaderships qualities. In grade school, we had a basketball that showed commitiment to our team because he was a parent at our school. Other than that, he had trouble with our team because we had a really bad team! And then in high school, our high school tennis coach did show qualities of being responsibile and respectful towards us and others. We were always considered an elite team in high school and he would always keep his composure. Ideally, I would like to play for my high school coach's style of leadership. Many people will go far in this world if you are considered responsible at heart. Even if you show effort to prospective atheltes that want to play for you. It's key to be maintained and loyal to your athletes.
ReplyDeleteI experienced the same thing as Spencer, can't recall any of my coaches ever being of the servant leadership type. My baseball coach carried more of a transational leadership role. He provided contingent rewards when his standards were met, which were usually his two sons, and led by a concept of management by exeption. Like playing his sons friends when they weren't the best players at that position or on the team. I have had a couple bowling coaches as well but none of which really put themselves as servants first, they always seemed to have some other motive for their efforts. Looking back I think a lot of my coaches would argue my assessment of them, but none of them were of the servant leadership clasification. If I were to have a coach, I would want them to carry the humility, passion, love, and commitment that I have. I would want a servant leader because that's how I would lead.
ReplyDeleteMy high school golf coach, I feel was a servant leader. He had the utmost respect, and compassion for all of the kids on the team. And while other teams were cutting players to keep only the best on the team, Coach kept everyone that tried out. His reasoning for keep all the kids was simple, he said "Id rather have a bunch of crazy wild kids here goofing off at the golf course, than out some where doing drugs or home alone make bad decisions". He felt he had to take responsibility to insure our safety, and do what he could to help us in our lives. He had the commitment and the patience to help everyone on the team, including the C teamers, so that when they because juniors and seniors, they would have a very good chance to play varsity, no matter how good or bad they were.
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ReplyDeleteI recall only one coach, my 7th grade baseball, who closely resembled a servant leader. He was approachable, compassionate, and always tried to reach out to the individual athletes. Although we were 3-7 for the year, he didn't seem to care as much about winning as nurturing the growth of our talents. I look back and appreciate that more than the coaches I had while winning league championships, who did not possess those same servant leadership qualities. I play hardest for the coaches who treat me with respect and an end within myself rather than an end to winning. There aren't enough servant type leaders in coaching these days.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 7th grade I think, I had a coach that was coaching as his senior project for high school. I knew his little brother, so I already knew who he was, but he was the type of guy that, especially because he had alot of his little brothers friends on his team, made sure that we were his first priority. He would have us over to his house to hang out and stuff the night before a game, he was really good about team unity. He was a great coach, and that year we went undefeated so he must of been doing something right. The coaching style that i appreciate is someone who has his players first but can also get on some one when they arent doing something right, sometimes it takes that to get someone to change.
ReplyDeleteThe one coach that sticks out in my mind is my riding trainer, Michele. Not only was she an incredibly knowledgeable and talented trainer she also really cared about her students and their growth. Of course she wanted us to win, but it was more important to her that we learned and developed as both riders and people. There was no such thing as cutting corners at our barn. She was very passionate about all her riders and horses. She loved all her students as her own family and would always listen to our problems and opinions. I will not lie and say she never got angry with us, but not because we had a bad ride or did not win. The times I really saw her angry is when we acted immaturely, were not good winners or losers, when we failed to take proper care of our horses, or when we simply were just behaving like brats. She was empathetic to and patient with our weaknesses and was so committed to helping us improve. Every year she had us set goals for that year's season then made it her responsibility to develop steps and training methods that would help us to succeed. I could always count on her to shape my lessons to meet my needs. She took so much time and care to make us into good riders and even better people and we all owe her for that. Michele is a great example of a servant leader because she always put us first.
ReplyDeleteLast year I was the assistant coach of a freshman basketball team. The head coach demonstrated a great amount of respect, compassion, humility, commitment, and patience, so I would definitely say that she was a good example of a servant leader. She did all that she could to develop the players on the team and often gave them the opportunity to assume leadership roles. In many years of working with sports I have also seen coaches that lacked many of these qualities. It seems to happen the most often when the coach has a child or a favorite on the team. That player receives the coach's focus while the other players struggle due to a lack of attention. I would definitely prefer to have a coach who understands what it means to be a servant leader.
ReplyDeleteMy baseball coach freshman year of high school was coached with a servant leadership style. He cared about all of us individually, and never stressed winning. When the game started, he of course tried to win, but ensuring everyone enjoyed playing was his first priority. Before every game, he wouldn't give us a pep talk to pump us up and focus us - instead, he led a prayer and gave thanks for our health and the good weather we were experiencing. He demonstrated values of humility, patience, compassion, respect, and love. Ultimately, I definitely enjoyed playing for this coach more than others and it gave me a very different perspective to playing sport.
ReplyDeleteMy linebacker coach in high school demonstrated the characteristics of a servant leader perfectly. He played 6 seasons in the NFL and graduated from Stanford. He was a very smart man and coach. He demonstrated characteristics that you wouldn't think an NFL linebacker would have. The first day I met him he was very intimidating because he is 6'5 and a monster, but once I played for him and got to know him he was a caring coach who gave his all to teach us the right way of doing things both on and off the field. His main objective was to see us grow as young men both on and off the field. He had us over to his house for dinners and film sessions. He was a genuine guy that understood that we were young men that didn't always to the right things, but with his patients and understanding he taught us how to succeed. He knew when though to be strict and to push us to our brink. He is one of the biggest inspirations in my life and has become a second father to me. We still communicate and he gives me lots of advice on how to live me life to the fullest. He was a servant leader to our whole team he chose us a bunch of high school kids he didn’t know and made us better because of it.
ReplyDeleteThe one coach who stands out from my playng career is my high school basball coach from senior year. It was his first year in the program and he was the best hire that couldve been made. Upon arrival, he did his best to get to know all of us. He didn't come in and act like he owned us. What made him so great was that nothing went unnoticed with him. He recognized and rewarded those who worked hard and gave everyone an equal and fair chance. He stressed the fundamentals and took an interest in us off the diamond. Finally, he did all of this while having an emphasis on winning. From the beginning of the year we all talked about winning state. But he never let that get in the way of his coaching style. We wanted to win and we wanted to win for coach. Ultimately, that season turned out to be the most fun I've ever had in my life, no exaggeration. And I know a lot of that can be contributed to coach B.
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