Leadership in Athletics: Self-Management

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Talent isn’t enough. It helps, but talent alone will not make you a winner or a champion. No matter what you do in life, you must have self-discipline to go along with your talent. Self-discipline or self-management is a core element of emotional intelligence. Self-management has an outward focus and is a personal competence that focuses on a leader’s ability to subdue impulsive reactions.

Athletic competitions can impose a lot of pressure and stress on athletes. The competitive nature of athletes incites a lot of emotions and passion. Managing these are critical, especially as a leader, who sets the tone for the team.

A leader without self-discipline looks like the octopus in the quote above; you never know which way they are going.

With self-management, there are two key skills for leaders to consider:

Provide energy – Leaders need to use their emotions to provide energy to their team mates. To paraphrase former NFL linebacker Anthony Schlegel, a leader has to bring the “juice” and sometimes they have to juice others up when they are down. This self-management can greatly help raise the energy and improve a team’s performance.

Subdue impulsive emotional responses – Impulsive emotional reactions seldom go well. They can result in a fragrant foul, a yellow card or an unsportsmanlike penalty. These always hurt the team. Leaders need to be able to manage their emotions so they don’t make stupid mistakes at inopportune times and cost their team the game.

As author Napoleon Hill said, “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.”

Don’t be an octopus; leaders need to have self-management so they can control their emotions. You can develop yours by practicing these two skills.

In closing, retired football coach Lou Holtz may have stated it best when he said; “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.”

Photo Credit: Keith Allison