What Good Leaders Do

Millions of Americans watched the women's NCAA Final Four basketball game between UConn and Iowa on Friday, April 5, 2024. With seconds on the clock and UConn behind by one point and making a run at going ahead with a game-winning bucket, a referee stopped the game with a whistle and called an offensive foul on UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards.

Many sports pundits questioned the call immediately after the game. At UConn's postgame press conference, reporters asked Aaliyah Edwards and UConn star guard Paige Bueckers about the controversial call. This is when Paige Bueckers demonstrated what good leaders do.

Paige answered the question by explaining that one play does not win or lose a game. She then took responsibility for the loss, saying she made her share of mistakes during the game and if she played better the game would not have been close enough for that call by the referee to make a difference.

That is what good leaders do. They do not make excuses. They take ownership of outcomes. They admit mistakes. Leaders lift up their teammates rather than putting them down. All leaders can learn from the class Paige displayed in addressing the reporter's questions. You can view Paige's response about four minutes into the press conference at this link: UConn Postgame Press Conference.