Many people want to be a better leader. In your field of play, how you carry yourself can directly impact the outcome of your game. Yes, things will happen that are outside your control, and not every call may be fair, or seem right. But, if it’s something that is outside of your control, brush it off and think about what you can do. If it was a mistake that was in your control, take a second and decide what you are going to learn from it. Then move on. Really let that sink in. Every mistake you make on or off the surface of play is an opportunity to learn and improve. But only if you let it. It would only be considered a true mistake or failure if you didn’t learn from it. There is one thing that will prevent you from doing this – your mindset.
It’s About Mindset
Having a mindset that searches for opportunities to improve, grow, and learn is directly tied to your ability to progress. When you play the victim or dwell on your mistakes or the shortcomings of others, the only thing you are doing is inhibiting yourself from developing as an athlete and as a team. Everyone knows when they make a mistake. How you react to it will impact you in more ways than just the outcome of your game.
What Leaders Do
Teams seek out athletes that elevate everyone’s play around them, or at least they should. If you are the person pointing out the mistakes of others and not offering a way to help them grow, you are preventing your team from succeeding. Look at any high-level athlete that is constantly a part of a winning team. Why do you think that is? Most of the time, they are athletically gifted and driven, but something that’s even more important is that they know how to elevate everyone’s game around them. They want to help others grow and develop, not only themselves. If you make a mistake, be a leader and own up to it and see how you can learn and improve from it. If someone else around you makes a mistake, be a leader, and help them develop into the potential that they have by showing them how they can improve. There is a lot of dormant talent out there. Fear of making mistakes and being too focused on others’ faults is preventing a lot of athletes from developing into all that they could be.
A Leader Pursues Excellence
The feeling follows the action that you repeat over and over, not the other way around. Missed an easy goal? Don’t hang your head. Your teammate made a sloppy pass? Don’t ream them out. The actions you choose now, directly affect future outcomes. Be the change that helps your teammates develop into the potential they have been given.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle