LEADERS BY EXAMPLE
Involves 4 Main Characteristics:
1. Commitment
2. Confidence
3. Composure
4. Character
COMPOSURE: HOW TO KEEP YOUR COOL
UNDER PRESSURE
“You’ve got to be the guy who
keeps your teammates from
getting too giddy when things are
going well, and who brings them
back up when things aren’t going
your way.”
Joe Montana
COMPOSURE
 Great leaders are able to keep themselves under control and
manage their emotions during the heat of the battle.
 They ef fectively manage their emotions when ever yone and
ever ything else around them might be going crazy.
 Your teammates will more than likely mirror your composure.
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Panicked or poised?
Disappointed or determined?
Negative or optimistic?
Frustrated or focused?
Giving up or going strong?
Flat or energized?
Scared or confident?
ADVERSIT Y
 HOW WILL YOU RESPOND TO ADVERSIT Y?
 Your mindset must be “the tougher it gets, the tougher I get.”
“When things aren’t going well, it’s
not what a leader says, it’s how a
leader looks that matters.”
Coach Mike Kryzewski
TRAFFIC LIGHT ANALOGY
 Green: composed, optimistic,
confident, focused,
determined, communicating,
encouraging, positive body
language, aggressive,
energetic.
 Yellow: frustrated,
questioning, doubts, negative,
blaming/making excuses,
distant, tentative, distracted,
confused, rattled.
 Red: angry, pessimistic,
overwhelmed, out of control,
apathetic, hopeless, negative
body language, scared,
emotional , flat,
unapproachable.
DR. KEN RAVIZZA
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkv9cWXiAyU (Stop
Lights)
YOUR LIGHTS ARE CONTAGIOUS
When you lead by example,
you must realize how
contagious your light colors
are for your teammates.
The best way to get your teammates in a
green is to be in a green yourself.
HOW TO GET INTO A GREEN LIGHT
1.
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8.
Go over the game plan and/or scouting reports.
Visualize how you want to play.
Quiet reflection/prayer.
Listen to music.
Chat with teammates.
Watch highlight videos.
Take a nap or a shower before the game.
Team chant.
REMEMBER: Each person prepares dif ferently. Respect your
teammates method of preparation and do not interfere with
them.
HOW TO HANDLE YELLOWS AND TURN
THEM INTO GREENS
 Leadership ability is tested when the “stuff” hits the fan. All
eyes will be on you to see how you handle the situation.
 It’s not the situation that determines what causes you to get
into a yellow or red light. It’s your interpretation of the
situation that causes the yellow or red.
 Key: Recognize and refocus -recognize yellows and immediately
refocus your thinking on thoughts that will bring you back to
the green light.
 Traffic light reminder: Place a green dot (sticker or marker) on
your equipment or on your body.
REFOCUSING STRATEGIES
1 . Slow the pace to allow yourself time to regroup.
 Tie your shoes, untuck your shirt, get a drink, adjust your
equipment.
2. Control the controllables.
 Controllables: attitude, ef fort, commitment, focus,
confidence, diet, rest, responses to situations,
communication, body language, coachability, preparation, etc.
 If it’s controllable then you must take responsibility for
controlling it and act.
 Uncontrollables: coach’s decisions, teammates, crowd,
umpires/refs, opponents, weather, equipment problems,
travel delays, injuries/sickness, playing team, media, etc.
 If it’s uncontrollable, stop focusing on it and getting
frustrated about it because there is nothing you can do
anyway. You will need to ignore, work around, or adjust to it.
REFOCUSING STRATEGIES
3. Focus on the present.
Deep breath.
Self Talk and Cue Words: “back to work” or “amnesia”
Learn a Lesson: Convert your mistakes, errors, and losses into
lessons. Instead of dwelling on what you didn’t do right, focus
on the lesson you learned and how you plan to do it correctly
the next time.
4. Focus on the positive.
 Positive self talk
 Positive imagery.
 Performance logs.
5. Focus on the process.
 Focus on competing
 Focus on taking care of the small yet important things that
put you in position to be successful.
REFOCUSING STRATEGIES
6. Release negativity: Create a routine or gesture to let go of
negative thoughts and feelings.
7. Find a focal point: Pick a focal point in the ball park or arena
before a game begins and let this be the place you look at to
regain focus when you are faltering. It needs to be a permanent
object like a sign, flag, banner, picture, etc.
 By looking here, you are acknowledging all the hard work that
got you this far and will carry you to the next good place .
8. Carry yourself to confidence: Change your defeated body
posture to a confident stance. “Keep your head up. Lift your
sternum. Act like the most confident player you know. Think
about your greatest performance and carry yourself the way you
did that day.”
 Fake it until you make it.
SHOW THE POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
CONTROL THE NEGATIVE
Positive Emotions:
 Being composed does not mean you need to play like an
emotionless robot.
 Learning how to manage your emotions is what composure is
all about.
 Show your positive emotions. Celebrate your successes and
those of your teammates.
Negative Emotions:
 Negative emotions are ok to show from time to time but they
should never show up your teammates/coaches, distract your
teammates, or harm the success of the team in anyway
(penalty, etc).
ASSIGNMENT
1. List 3-5 major points or insights you gained from this
lesson.
2. Watch another team’s practice or competition to observe
them. During the practice/game watch to see what color
lights the captains, coaches, and athletes seem to be in
during various points in the competition.
 When was the coach in a green/yellow/red? How could you
tell?
 When was the captain(s) in a green/yellow/red ? How could
you tell?
 What seemed to lead the team into yellows and reds?
 How did they handle these yellow and ref light situations?