Triathlon

How can you display leadership if you’re not in a leadership position?

Unleashing Leadership Potential Without the Title

Being appointed to a leadership position doesn't necessarily mean that someone innately has those leadership characteristics or qualities. And when I think about some of the amazing athletes and teammates over the years who were great leaders or other coaches that I look up to and aspired to be like the three characteristics for me were mentorship, role, modeling and inspiring. And those things are all the net sum of how someone carries himself. Day in and day out at practice and in professional environments. So the athlete who shows up ready to work, but sir work boots on. Always brings a positive attitude. Doesn't externalize any - talk or verbalize. Anything that maybe takes energy away from their teammates pushes through a pretty sad and and keeps their head down and keeps going that's, that's really inspiring as well. And then somebody who actually, It's the time to altruistic lie. Just help somebody who is up-and-coming whether that's an up-and-coming coach and in my case or an up-and-coming athlete in the case of being a great teammate and takes that time just to answer questions, make suggestions and provide just great guidance.

To be a great leader, one should show up ready to work and with a positive attitude, have a selfless attitude by helping those who are up-and-coming, and take the time to provide guidance and answer questions.

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Leadership is not limited to holding a formal leadership position. It's about displaying certain characteristics and qualities that inspire and influence others. Three key ways to demonstrate leadership, regardless of your position, are through mentorship, role modeling, and inspiring others.

Mentorship involves taking the time to guide and support others, whether they are up-and-coming teammates or colleagues. This can include answering questions, providing suggestions, and offering valuable guidance.

Role modeling is about setting a positive example through your actions and attitude. Show up ready to work, maintain a positive mindset, and avoid negative talk or behaviors that drain energy from the team. By consistently demonstrating dedication and perseverance, you inspire others to do the same.

Inspiring others involves motivating and encouraging them to reach their full potential. This can be done by consistently pushing through challenges, staying focused, and maintaining a determined mindset. By displaying resilience and determination, you inspire those around you to keep going and strive for excellence.

Remember, leadership is not solely tied to a title or position. It's about how you carry yourself day in and day out, positively impacting those around you through mentorship, role modeling, and inspiration.

Did your athletic successes always correlate to periods of happiness in your life? When did they not? 

Athlete success and happiness: A coach's perspective.

I can speak to observation of many, of the athletes that I've coached over the years. As a coach. I've always had one cliche in. That's a happy athlete is a fast athlete, and I'm always trying to create an environment where athletes can Thrive can work hard and be serious and focused but also have a little bit of fun and being a good environment and that trickles over into their life as well. But I've also seen many athletes have great success when there. Under other life. Stresses and they either have a great skill to be able to partition life stress away from practice stress and racing stress or The Angst, anger sadness gets re channeled into extra hyper-focus in training and racing. So they may not be performing from a place of personal strength, but they're able to channel That Emotion into the onto the race course.

As a coach, I have seen athletes perform well when they are happy and thrive in an environment that is enjoyable. However, some athletes have been able to channel their emotions into extra focus and use it as a motivation for success.

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In my experience as a coach, I've observed that a happy athlete tends to perform well. Creating an environment where athletes can thrive, work hard, and have fun contributes to their success. However, I've also seen athletes achieve great success despite facing challenges in other areas of their life. Some athletes have the ability to separate life stress from their performance, while others channel their emotions, such as angst or sadness, into extra focus during training and racing. This may not necessarily come from a place of personal strength, but it can still lead to strong performances on the race course.

Lance Watson answers your Triathlon questions. See all the advice Lance Watson has and get answers to your own Triathlon questions.

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Lance Watson has an extraordinary 30-year coaching career with gold medals at the Olympic, Commonwealth, and Pan American Games. He has coached over 20 IRONMAN victories and numerous World Championship podiums. He was recently inducted into the Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame and is the founder and President of LifeSport Coaching.