I’m hoping every athlete who picks up this week’s paper or reads online takes note of Anthony Killick’s approach to leadership.
When it’s all said and done, that kid’s going to have logged almost 1,000 miles on foot and bike in these past two summers combined. That takes a lot of dedication with or without the fact he’s also trying to encourage his PCHS cross country teammates to join whenever they want to. That’s what good leadership looks like, which is why he’s about to be the school’s first two-time captain in his sports in at least the last seven years.
If you’ve ever been a part of a team, you know the kind of person you’d rather play or work with. I’m sure everyone has that person in mind. It’s someone you can count on to get down in the trenches and do the dirty work with you, or you at least know without a doubt they would if they could. It’s someone you can trust because they’ve put in the work and know exactly what you’re going through. It’s someone who doesn’t need to constantly remind you that they’d jump out of the frying pan and into the fire for their team’s sake because they’ve already proved it through their actions.
Heck, they may not even need to say much at all. I’m of the opinion that there’s nothing in life where the phrase “actions speak louder than words” hits home more than it does in the sports world. Even if you’re not great at speaking in front of a room, showing your team you’re really about that life will get them to rally for you.
It’s so much easier to give your best effort at that person’s urging than to do it for someone in a position of power or whatever who let that get to their head and can’t be bothered to walk (or run, or bike) a mile in your shoes.
Everyone who plays sports and wants to take it to the next level would do well to take Killick’s approach. When you make an honest effort to be that kind of person, people notice. Your team plays better. Your teammates work hard for you. Your coaches speak highly of you to the right people (and believe me, if you want to boost your chances of becoming a college athlete, you want them to describe you as “one of those kids you never want to graduate”). Even if you’re not trying to play college or pro sports, getting into that mindset of leading by example will totally help you in the workplace.
This isn’t to say you should try to be perfect. No one needs to go for that because no one’s ever going to be a perfect person. It’s all about trying to be the best teammate you can, about being the kind of person you yourself would want to play or work with.
Getting too comfortable with a leadership position might be the biggest mistake people can make. Maybe it doesn’t sound so bad, but you’ve got to look at it as a gateway to a slew of other problems that pop up because of it. You can’t insulate yourself just because you were given an opportunity others weren’t, or because you no longer have to worry about certain problems the rest of your team does. In a roundabout way, one of the best things you can do is act like you never got that promotion. Don’t forget where you came from, you know?