Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.
Facebook Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest

Is There More to Leadership Than Popularity?

AthletesCoaches

Dr. Deborah Gilboa headshot.If you have ever volunteered or been elected captain of your team, you likely already know that leadership does not just mean being the most well-liked or popular person on the roster. Leadership, even if your primary job is simply moving your team through warmup drills, is about much more than if your teammates like you.

Board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, unpacks exactly what it means to be a true leader.

 

Respect, Not Popularity

“When you’re in high school, popularity and leadership may feel like exactly the same thing … or at least, it does until you’re put in a position of leadership,” says Gilboa. “Imagine you’re in charge of younger kids at a summer camp. When you’re in charge of them, at first you may want them to like you or think you’re cool, because then they’ll listen to you. But that’s not true. They have to respect you, or they won’t listen to you.”

She adds, “There’s a difference between popularity and respect. Popularity is doing what people want, and respect is doing what people need.” Picture yourself at practice, leading the team through warmup drills. Your team might like you if you say, “Sure, we can skip sprints today.” But what they need to perform at their best is to do those drills to the best of their abilities. So even though sprints may not be what the team wants, sprints are what the team needs.

 

Think Back to Leaders You Remember

“Try to remember a teacher, coach, or team leader who made a positive impression on you or who made you a better athlete or student. You probably didn’t always like them, but you really respected them,” says Gilboa. “They probably made you work on things that you needed to but were not the most fun to focus on. But they never asked you to do something they wouldn’t do.”

Ask yourself, how did that person lead? What did they do?

 

Leadership Is for Many Types of People

A captain's band being placed on an athlete's arm.When you picture a team leader, you may automatically picture the movie star version of a team captain: the popular, extroverted person who is incredibly skilled in the sport and is willing to push their team to its furthest limits to win the state championship. But any personality type or skill level can make a great leader. “It’s not only about being tough. You don’t even have to be tough to be respected,” says Gilboa. “You don’t have to be extroverted or loud to be respected either. You just have to be willing to tell people what they need, even when it isn’t what they want.”

 

Practice What You Preach

While Gilboa says that leading means doing what your teammates need versus what they want, she adds that the critical difference between a good and bad leader is the willingness to do those things yourself. “If you’re asking some of your players to do drills that are boring or painful, you need to be in there doing them alongside your teammates,” says Gilboa. “You shouldn’t ask anyone to do something that you wouldn’t.”

 

Be Mission-Oriented

Teenage girls in a huddle.If you are the team leader, learn your team’s values and objectives for the year. “Start off by asking your team why they’re there,” Gilboa suggests. “Get your team to create their mission for this season. One team’s mission might be to crush finals; one team’s might be to improve their record; another’s might be to be the most respected team at the school. It can vary widely. But create one unified vision for what it means to be on the team. Then, every time they’re slumping during the season, you can point back to the mission. You’re not asking them to do something because they like you, or even because they trust you; you’re asking them to do things because it will move the team closer to their mission.”

 

Stand Up for Your Team

Students, especially high schoolers, should be part of high-level decisions about athletics at their school, particularly when it pertains to their specific sport. Because of this, as team leader, part of your job is advocating for your team and demanding that seat at the table. If there is a big coaches’ meeting, student leaders should be included, says Gilboa. That may not be how your school operates now, but it is something you can discuss with your coach. A real leader does not just help the team move through drills at practice; a real leader also stands up for the team and ensures the team understands what conversations are happening and why certain decisions are made. Players will not always agree with those decisions, but they have the right to know. You are the bridge between your team and the institutions that control it.

 

Being a Leader Is Worth It

Being a leader is a lot of work. But, as Gilboa says, it also brings a lot of reward. “When there’s success, whether it’s a new record or a championship win, you have more ownership over that. And, leading a sports team will teach you how to lead in any situation. You’ll recognize what good leadership is, and you’ll be able to use those skills when you choose to.”

 

Want to be Popular? Do a Different Job.

Teenage girls laughing during soccer practice.If popularity is your goal — and that’s fine if it is! — then Gilboa says you may want to opt out of being team leader and find another role within the team. “For example, imagine you’re new to a school and you don’t know anyone, so you join the soccer team hoping to make some new friends,” Gilboa says. “Getting onto the team and taking a role as team captain might seem like the best way to meet everyone and get to know them, but it’s actually going to put a lot of pressure on you, and it may even make it difficult to make friends easily because you need to focus on what the team needs, not what you want. Instead, you can lead from behind. You can work hard for the team without claiming an official leadership role. In this capacity, you can be the person who plays a kazoo for everybody’s birthday or decorates their lockers before a big meet.”

_______________________

Takeaway

If being popular and making friends is your primary focus on a team, being a leader may not be your best option. However, if you want to help your team succeed and you’re hoping to boost your leadership skills, which will help you later in life, then being a team leader is a great way to do just that. But don’t take the position lightly: It comes with a lot of work and responsibility!

Related Content

Loading...
1 2 … 12

Join Us

Subscribe
Shop TrueSport
Host TrueSport

TrueSport logo without icon in white.

© 2025 TrueSport | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Sitemap

Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.