Skip to content
White TrueSport logo.
Search
Close this search box.
  • About
    • Ambassadors
    • Award Program
    • Media
    • Partnerships
    • True Experts
    • TrueSport Team
  • Learn and Teach
    • For Coaches
    • For Educators
    • For Parents
    • Train the Trainer
    • Mindset of a TrueSport Champion
    • Publications
    • Videos
    • TrueSport Topics
      • Sportsmanship
        • A Good Sport
        • Bullying Prevention
        • Conflict Resolution
        • Leadership
        • Respect & Accountability
        • Teamwork
      • Character Building & Life Skills
        • Decision Making
        • Goal-Setting
        • Mental Wellness
        • Performance Anxiety
        • Perseverance
        • Shortcuts
      • Clean & Healthy Performance
        • Body Image
        • Clean Sport
        • Dietary Supplements
        • Energy Drinks
        • Hydration
        • Nutrition
        • PEDs
        • Preparation & Recovery
  • Join Us
    • #ShowYourValues
    • Cohort for Change
    • TrueSport Talks
      • TrueSport Talks – RESOURCES
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Events
  • Shop TrueSport
Menu
  • About
    • Ambassadors
    • Award Program
    • Media
    • Partnerships
    • True Experts
    • TrueSport Team
  • Learn and Teach
    • For Coaches
    • For Educators
    • For Parents
    • Train the Trainer
    • Mindset of a TrueSport Champion
    • Publications
    • Videos
    • TrueSport Topics
      • Sportsmanship
        • A Good Sport
        • Bullying Prevention
        • Conflict Resolution
        • Leadership
        • Respect & Accountability
        • Teamwork
      • Character Building & Life Skills
        • Decision Making
        • Goal-Setting
        • Mental Wellness
        • Performance Anxiety
        • Perseverance
        • Shortcuts
      • Clean & Healthy Performance
        • Body Image
        • Clean Sport
        • Dietary Supplements
        • Energy Drinks
        • Hydration
        • Nutrition
        • PEDs
        • Preparation & Recovery
  • Join Us
    • #ShowYourValues
    • Cohort for Change
    • TrueSport Talks
      • TrueSport Talks – RESOURCES
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Events
  • Shop TrueSport
Search
Close this search box.
Facebook X.com Logo (formerly Twitter.) Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest

Six Strategies for Leaders to Support Change

  • September 1, 2022
  • Leadership
CoachesEducators

Dr. Deborah Gilboa headshot.In coaching, the only constant is change. Nearly every coach will eventually hit a point in a season or school year where change is coming or needed.

According to board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, “If you want to lead through change, you’re going to have to be mission-focused, you’re going to have to lean on empathy even when you disagree, and you’re going to have to have good boundaries about what behaviors, tone of voice, and timing are acceptable to you,” she says.

Here, Gilboa shares more advice on how you as a coach can help empower your students to be true leaders on the team, and navigate big and small changes.

 

Understand Your Role

Whether you think about your role as coach or the role that your team captain plays, Gilboa points out that leadership is rarely needed in the absence of change. When you ask a student to run the team through the usual warmup drills because you need to handle something else, you are not asking them to be a leader, you are asking them to serve as your proxy. Gilboa explains that leadership is about humans working to make fundamental change to the status quo. This can be on a micro level—changing the warmup drills to something different—or on a macro level—fighting to change a school policy.

 

Bring Students to the Table

Coach with young team in locker room.If you want students to support change and become true leaders, bring them to the table. That includes having conversations with your team regarding changes in school policies and bringing a student representative to leadership meetings. “This is probably one of the most powerful ways to start bringing change to a team,” says Gilboa. “When talking about leadership with a Gen Z team, which is what all coaches are doing now, it’s important to understand that this generation has been taught to advocate for themselves, and they are offended when people try to make decisions for them without their representation. You do not have to turn decision-making into a democracy by giving them a deciding vote. However, you do need to give them a voice. Bringing them to the table does that.”

 

Set Boundaries and Expectations

As Gilboa said, you are not necessarily required to give your team full autonomy. Set expectations ahead of time. If, for example, you bring a student representative to a coaches’ meeting at the beginning of the season to discuss a new policy, you can tell your student that they will not have the opportunity to speak, or if they will have a chance to speak, they will only have a certain amount of time. “Let the students know when they’re going to have a vote, and when they’re just going to have a voice. For example, I often say to my kids, ‘This is not your decision, but I’m interested in your opinion.’” You can also set expectations around solo-interactions: If an athlete has a problem with a policy, for example, they should feel comfortable coming to you and expressing their feelings, but they also should know what actions are appropriate.

 

Define Your Team’s Mission

Coach with female youth soccer team.It is critical for leaders who want to affect change to know exactly what they stand for and why. “You and your team need to get clear: figure out where you stand on an issue, and then figure out how to express it to other people,” says Gilboa. “What’s the mission of your team? When you look at your mission, you’ll know if any specific change fits or not. For example, imagine you receive a call this month from a parent of a child who wants to do orchestra, but it conflicts with some practices. Look at your mission: Do we value the development of the whole child? Do we support mental wellness and developing an identity outside of sport? Having those values clearly established makes it easy to make decisions about changing policies or long-standing rules.”

 

Show the Action Plan

Change—especially large-scale, systemic change—is hard. It often takes incredibly arduous work to make even minor progress when fighting against the status quo. Making sure your team is aware of the blueprint for success is important. Gilboa explains that after making a decision, it’s important to share next steps with the team—and also the opportunity cost of change. “Change is rarely as simple as making the initial decision,” she says. There might be immediate and/or long-term consequences for individuals or the team as a whole.

 

Encourage Empathetic Communication

Coach talking to young male sports team on field.There is room for dissension in the ranks. “If you are going to be a leader that encourages change, one of the crucial leadership strategies is empathy without trying to fix everything immediately,” Gilboa says. “You cannot see people’s frustration or disappointment as a referendum on your leadership. If you see it that way, then you’re not going to be able to hear how they’re really feeling. And then, you’re not leading, you’re just bossing. Understand that this current generation of athletes engages through disagreement. They don’t see disagreeing with someone as a sign of disrespect; to them, it’s engagement. This is so important for older coaches to understand. This dialogue is valuable.”

_______________________

Takeaway

Being a mission-driven team helps keep decision-making simple, since every decision or change will be run through the lens of what matters to your team, whether that’s winning championships or focusing on wellness. If you’re a coach trying to make change happen in your team, your school, your district, or your state, it’s important to be clear with athletes about what’s at stake. Bring an athlete representative to the table, and while your athletes don’t always need to be able to choose what’s best for the team, they should have a voice when it comes to making the tough decisions.

Related Content

Loading...
Young man with single leg prosthetic standing on track holding a bag.

How to Use Lessons from Sport in the Real World

  • February 1, 2025
Athletes
TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, shares a few ways to make the most out of the lessons learned as a...
Read More
Female coach sitting on field with young girl soccer team.

Do You Know How to Coach Leadership Ability?

  • February 1, 2025
Coaches
Coaches have a responsibility to help athletes develop those leadership skills, and here, Deborah Gilboa, MD, shares the best ways to...
Read More
Female physical education teacher talking to girls and boys in gym.

5 Ways Language Can Lead to Better Results

  • December 1, 2024
CoachesEducators
Remember that anytime you’re giving an athlete feedback, your words may stick with them for decades, so pay careful attention...
Read More
Woman stretching with prosthetic leg.

The Growth of Women’s Sports and Why It Matters for Youth Sport

  • September 1, 2024
CoachesEducatorsParents
Olympian Kara Winger talks about how the narrative around girls in sport is changing and why professional women athletes are...
Read More
1 2 … 12 Next »

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.