October 2023
“That’s how I think we change the world, is by making those educational investments in the student-athletes we have.”
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Leading thought
In our current landscape, we are all searching for a winning edge—not just in competition, but also with NIL, facilities, the transfer portal, and media exposure. Most advantages gained can be fleeting as others match or exceed our investment. What opportunities do we have for a truly sustainable advantage? If leadership is what best positions us for success, and we can develop it in a way that is uniquely ours, then it can truly be a sustained competitive advantage.
Leadership cannot be scouted; there is no film to be studied, and there is no in-competition strategy to neutralize it. It is unique to an organization, the development of leaders is within our control, and the resources required to develop leaders are minimal. You can spend a lot of money, but greater spend doesn’t mean greater leadership. Leadership quickly becomes a differentiator when an intentional development model is implemented. Wins are never guaranteed, but if leadership provides an edge, why not put as much emphasis on that as you would on other elements?
Read more here in our Leadership White Paper series that explains our leadership development ethos. TL;DR: we believe leadership development is possible for all teams, and we aim to make it so – without the nonsense and empty inspiration in much of our space today.
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What we’re reading
Legacy by James Kerr – Exceptional perspective on building a player-led culture within a team; pairs well with The Culture Code (last month’s good read) and can be a great team read.
Pair with: This episode of the Hoop Heads podcast where Matthew Goldsmith, Men’s Basketball Coach at TCNJ, discusses a host of good things, including culture and how to recruit committed, resilient student-athletes.
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In case you missed it
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Lots of good stuff like even more podcast and book recommendations.
Our latest blog post on preparing our student-athletes for life post-graduation.
It’s always a good time to think about leadership development, whether you’re a high school, college, or pro coach. Don’t forget about our free resources page, we’re always updating!
Finally, speaking of always updating: new offerings are in the works.
Soon, our Athlete Personality Test and Team Network Analysis will be available.
Many thanks to our friend and new colleague Eric Gladstone for indispensable help with the latter.
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Where are we?
We’re not really traveling this month, alas. However, if you’re nearby Baltimore or DC, let us know. We’d (still) love to get a coffee and talk leadership in athletics, anytime.
As always, we are available to talk with any group (e.g., your SAAC, a specific team, coaches, etc.) on leadership, no strings attached. Leadership is our passion and our goal is to provide as much valuable insights and information to as many people as we can.
Contact us anytime: info@developingathleteleaders.com, we’re here for you.
– Evan Bruno and Jen Baker
www.developingathleteleaders.com
