The Leadership Blog

Most of us can remember people and experiences that early in our lives taught us valuable leadership lessons. Often it was special teacher, a scoutmaster, a part-time job, and for many it was playing sports, and a particular coach.

Last Saturday night I had the opportunity observe a very special coach as he gave to his team a very valuable lesson in leadership and with it impacted everyone who was in attendance. You are most likely expecting me to tell you about a hard fought game, or a player who made the difference between winning and losing, or about how the team dealt with the victory, or the loss. But the experience came close to a month before the team will play its first game under this new coach.

Since the sport he coaches will never bring him a lot of prominence, I thought I should share with you why and how he made such an impact. His name is Rich Case and this will be his first season coaching the girl’s lacrosse team at Westerville North High School. Months ago, when he first met the girls that would make up his team, he shared with them his views about playing a sport, any sports, and leadership. What he believes was clearly stated in the event program.

“We expect our players to excel as athletes, to practice and play hard, to learn new skills and build upon their playing experience, to approach the game of lacrosse with passion, dedication, and commitment, and win or lose, to always stand together as a team. We also expect our players to excel in the classroom, and to vigorously strive for success in all aspects of their lives away from the lacrosse field.”

Good words, but at this point you may be thinking how does that differ significantly from other coaches? Consider the next paragraph in the program.

“To become a leader, though, requires more than improving one’s self. Becoming a leader requires one person to inspire another, to motivate them to change, grow, or push them through their own adversities. It requires that one person help another person find in him or herself something they did not know they possessed, and to help guide that person in a way that allows them to inspire, motivate, and change others. Furthermore, being a leader requires one person to share in all his or her authority and responsibility, extending tremendous amounts of trust to and belief in those around them.”

Still not convinced of the difference? Let me tell you the name of the event, Wheels 4-Kelly, and what this special team accomplished. When told by their coach months ago they needed to be leaders in their community if they wanted to play lacrosse for him, to adopt a cause and commit to it, they selected a special need, surely not knowing where it would lead them.

Kelly, a friend of one of the members of the team, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type II and was in great need of a van to replace the one that for the last couple of years has been in and out of the repair shop. As her only form of transportation, when the van goes down, she is stuck at home. Kelly graduated from Westerville North in 2005 and is now attending Otterbein College. To aid in Kelly’s cause, the Westerville North Girl’s Lacrosse Club (Lady Warriors) set an initial goal of $5,000 and not only weren’t sure they could raise it, but had no real idea how to do it. But (in their own words),

“This experience has been about more than fund raising or community service for our team. This experience has taught all of us involved how to lead. As we began, one person pushed herself to help in any way possible. That work motivated another to get more involved. Then another, and then a couple more. Eventually all members of the lacrosse team were involved, and their work inspired others to get involved as well.”

Why was I, along with hundreds of others, at the event? Because my granddaughter, Kaitlyn Kropf, is a member of the team and I could not be more proud of what she, her teammates, and her coach accomplished and the leadership each and every one of them displayed. Just being part of the event has taught me valuable leadership lessons.

And, yes they raised $43,000 in total. More than enough for new Wheels 4-Kelly. Someone asked me after everyone, including Kelly, spoke to the group assembled (with tears in our eyes), why didn’t Coach Case say anything? My answer, he didn’t have to – his team said it all!

Do you have a similar story of great leadership?