Frank’s New Release- The Art of Exceeding: Building High Performance Athletes
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The following post is an excerpt from The Art of Exceeding
Leaders vs. Managers
In high-performance “anything,” leadership shapes the trajectory of your career. It’s important to distinguish between leaders and managers, as these roles play distinct yet complementary parts in your journey from being a champion athlete to an actual leader years from now.
1 Defining Leadership
Leadership is not just your role; it’s a state of being—influencing others through inspiration and guidance. To understand leadership, let’s first explore how it differs from management.
Leadership versus Management:
Inspiration: Leaders inspire and motivate those around them. They foster a sense of purpose and passion for the game.
Visionary: Leaders apply exposure, not avoidance, to any deficiencies in their game. They set long-term goals and work collaboratively to achieve them.
Empowerment: Leaders empower their parents and coaches to make decisions and take ownership of their roles. They trust in their team’s abilities.
Management Control: Managers are nurtured to oversee their day-to-day training schedule and ensure their tasks are completed efficiently.
Task-Oriented: Managers focus on the specifics of getting things done. They take a proactive rather than reactive approach to the week’s training block.
Accountability: Managers are responsible for organizing their equipment, nutrition, and hydration each day.
2. Sports IQ: A Leadership Trait
One common aspect is the “Sports IQ” concept- a player’s deep understanding of the competitive game, including their mental and emotional requirements. Leaders possess a high Sports IQ, which enables them to manage present-time awareness:
- Strategize: They plan for competition. Their decisions are based on understanding how meticulously they prepare for battle.
- Adapt: They can adapt their game plan on the fly, responding to their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Anticipate: They anticipate their opponent’s moves, reading cues and patterns that give them a competitive edge.
3 Emotional Aptitude: Navigating the Human Element
Leaders excel not only in understanding the biomechanics and strategies of the game but also in managing their emotions. This emotional aptitude enables them to:
Remain Composed: They maintain their composure in high-pressure situations. They know if they don’t choke or panic, the opponent likely will.
Motivate: They gauge the emotional state of their parents at events. Their present-moment awareness helps to keep their folks from speculating about future outcome desires.
Resilience: They understand that losses come almost every weekend. They bounce back from setbacks, showing strength and resilience.
4 Sports: Leadership in Action
To illustrate the concept of leadership in your sport, we can look at Jake and Katie, who embodied these traits. They consistently demonstrated a combination of a high tennis IQ and emotional intelligence.
If you feel that being a leader is within you, we’ll continue our exploration. Prepare to dive deeper into emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, and the power of optimism.
YOUR TAKEAWAY CHALLENGE
As you know, leadership and management are different skill sets. A leader influences others’ attitudes, and a manager organizes. Both leadership and management require exceptional emotional aptitude, which is your ability to navigate the human elements—plan on being both.
