On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS December 2, 2013 #465 Up next…”What’s the “C” stand for?”
After further review…Recently the teenage son of one of our “On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS” subscribers emailed me, saying that he had just been elected captain of his T*E*A*M. He asked what advice I could give him in order to be successful. Good question.
Firstly, the “C”in the word captain is important. The “C” represents the word charge as in, “You are in charge!” That means it starts with you; the old saw says the “buck stops here” and it’s you it has in mind! Let’s look at a few C’s that may help define the success for you and your T*E*A*M.
Credibility is synonymous with believability, which is marked by trust. Trust starts with you trusting yourself and your good judgment. Good judgment is doing the right thing every time. Your integrity must be transparent. No one typifies that word more my lifelong friend and NFL colleague Art McNally. The NFL recently honored Art by naming its officiating department’s Command Center after him. I wrote many years ago that “I would play poker over the phone with Art McNally”. That’s a goal we all must achieve!
Another C word is courage. It takes “guts” to step up and be a leader, and that’s what you are as captain – a leader! At times you may have fear in-your-belly, and that’s normal. But you must fight through that fear. In the movie “Nobody’s Fool,” Sully, played by the late actor Paul Newman, asked his fearful grandson “Can you be strong for just one minute?” In the face of a fearful situation, be strong for one minute—at a time!
C also invokes companionship. You can’t be a leader by yourself. Steve Young, the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback, once told me “If you play alone, you’ll be alone!” For any quarterback to be successful he must have good running backs, strong offensive linemen, as well as a corps of competent receivers. The same is true for any baseball pitcher, who must have great fielders and hitters to complement his pitching prowess. You need them as much as they need you to be their leader.
And finally, the word quit, (different letter, same sound), something you should never do. The suggestion here is not to give up on others too soon, especially when they have a negative performance. That’s the very minute when you, the leader, need to step up and boost their courage and strength. Please remember that you lead by example, not just by your words!
Will you step up with your strengths when granted the “captain’s” role?
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email him at jim@jimtunney.com.
