By Brittany Tyree '15
John Maxwell once said, “If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the person you want on the outside. People will want to follow you. And when that happens, you are to tackle anything in this world.” This is definitely true and I learned the importance of this principle in my fellowship for the school year 2012 -2013.
As a Learning Specialist for student-athletes at Ohio University, I worked as a secondary contact for three sport teams: wrestling, cross country, and track field. In working with these teams, I gained invaluable experience and learned: 1) to lead by influence; 2) to make teachable moments count and 3) to build trust through competence, connections and character.
To Lead by Influence
I assisted at risk students in developing time management skills and other student athletes in finding tutors or registering for classes. Most of the students were very cooperative, but a few lacked internal motivation to do their best. As an advisor, I had to look at ways to empower them and establish an environment for them to want to learn. This required me to really look at my leadership skills by improving both my listening skills and empathy. I learned in most cases that people just want to be listened too and understood. I am proud to say that I was able to help several of the student athletes improve academically.
To Make Teachable Moments Count
As a former student athlete, I know firsthand the difficulties that can arise when trying to balance sports and academics. It is very difficult to stay focused and to concentrate. There are numerous distractions that interfere with both athletic and academic success. Our department emphasized the importance of exercising creativity. We used goals sheets which kept student athletes focused and allowed them to visualize their objectives. This helped them look at the changes they needed to make, the lessons that they needed to apply and how it would help them with future academic challenges.
To Build Trust through Competence, Connections, and Character
Life is about relationship building and how well you connect with people. You can be an expert in your field and know everything there is in your job, but lack trustworthiness. When you work with people, you have to look at ways to build them up and help them feel good about themselves. This was critical in working with student-athletes. I connected with them because I was student athlete. I knew how it felt to compete in a sport and then have to work just as hard studying for classes. I was able to encourage/ praise them to do their best, and also confront them about areas of concern and the need to do better. “They got it,” and in the end thanked me for coaching them, telling them that they could be successful.
Overall, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that you really do need to work on the “inside” to become the leader that you want to be on the “outside.” People will follow you when you look at their needs first and consider their feelings. I am grateful to have received this opportunity.
