Why a Captain > a Coach
When it comes to leading a team, there’s a fundamental choice in how one leads. Some people adopt a coach’s mindset that is top down and based on the power of their title. Other leaders adopt a captain’s mindset, which is based on earning the respect of each teammate, developing relationships with those teammates, and constantly soliciting feedback to make decisions that benefit the team. For those and many more reasons, a captain > a coach.
This equation is very personal to me because as a competitive youth and college soccer player, I’ve seen what a great captain can do – whether they are the best player on the team or not getting the most playing time – the captain is the heartbeat of that team’s culture.
Whether you lead a large organization or a small team, the mentality of a captain is, “I am going to earn the respect of my peers,” compared to that of a coach mentality of, “My teammates are going to do what I say because I am in charge,” is the fundamental difference.
So how can you be a captain and not a coach? Here are a few mindset shifts and behaviors to adopt:
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And lastly, remember that a captain knows they are no better than anyone else on the team. Do they have a position of importance? Absolutely. But you don’t take that position of importance for granted because you have to earn the respect of your peers every single day.
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Sam Walker, author of The Captain Class, wrote a book about the impact of captains and how the best captains were the driving force behind the best teams in sports. There’s a lot we can learn from how those captains connected and motivated their teammates.
Here’s more on why a Captain > Coach.
Founder | Consultant | Coach | Podcaster | Speaker | Developing 1 Million Leaders! 🚀
3yGreat insights. Also reminds me a great audiobook I’m listening to by Sam Walker called The Captain Class
Management Consultant with expertise in Leadership, Strategy, and Counseling
3yThere are risks associated with being a captain. When you are working to build trust and relationships, you may/will fail. While performing tasks with your team, you will need to humble yourself and ask for help. You may face the reality that you may not know everything about the project/mission and have to place a lot of trust on your members whom you’re leading. All too often, I’ve seen people afraid to humble themselves and admit they aren’t perfect; to ask for help; to delegate authority. That’s when that person becomes neither a captain or coach. They become another reason why good people leave to go somewhere else. This occurs when people are too busy, scared, or prideful to acclimate to the collective norms of the team and understand that their role isn’t static but ever changing depending on the needs of the situation. For example, have you ever seen Sidney Crosby play hockey? Feel free to ask about that example. Cheers, NC
Senior Director, Portfolio Sales | MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy
3yIncredible content and insight! Thank you for sharing, Dan Helfrich!
Human Capital Consulting
3yMatthew Rohr
cuz a caption is out there facing not the coach . like in football or any sports . you see caption is one that makes the move and I guess thats what matters.. but coach is impo because it sees every move to every player out there which will eventually help in focusing In their weaknesses