Leadership Strategies: Developing a Leadership Council

Jerome Learman was a high school coach for 20 years and 13 as a head coach. He received his doctorate in 2005 from Michigan State in Kinesiology. Learman is currently teaching at both Michigan State and Central Michigan University. While coaching, Learman developed a leadership council for juniors and seniors who received leadership training to become captains. American Football Monthly spoke to Coach Learman about his leadership council.

After taking over for Craig Bohl, North Dakota State’s Chris Klieman – in his first year
as head coach – utilized leadership among a senior class that went 58-3 over the four year period. NDSU went 15-1 last fall, winning their fourth straight FCS title. 

Why did you start the leadership council?
 
It was because, as a new coach at the school, I felt like I didn’t have any leaders on the field or kids I thought may lead the right way. In my first three years as head coach at Lake Michigan Catholic High school, we lost two key players each year for brawling at the school and violating the school’s drug and alcohol policy.

A few of the players were captains or in line to be captain and I had to remove them. The mission was simple - to teach kids what it means to lead the right way as opposed to what they have seen on television. From this, it gave us a pool of people that would become captains.
 
How did players become a part of the leadership council?
 
To be accepted on the council, a player had to write a letter of application and submit two letters of recommendation from other teachers at the school. I was trying to emphasize the importance of creating a good impression in class and that you couldn’t be a jack of all trades to all of your teachers and expect them to do nice things for you. Plus, what is going to happen when you apply to college? Who is going to recommend you? After completing all of this, I recommended the purchase of the ‘Jeff Janssen Team Leadership Manual.’
 
Why the Jeff Janssen Leadership Manual?

I found it was a good, in-depth teaching tool for our athletes.

It has 10 chapters, all dealing with leadership. What is a leader? What types of leaders are there? Each chapter has questions and assignments. One deals with who do you look up to as a leader? Then, after a series of additional questions, everyone is rated on their commitment level. It also has examples of leaders being the hardest workers, first at practice and last to leave.

It would take about 30 minutes to read a chapter and an hour to answer the questions and assignments. One example would be an interview of a captain from another sport that you look up to. We would then meet for an hour discussing the questions and how they applied to life as well as football. I have found the premise to be true that sometimes a person has to follow before he can lead.

I would often assign a player a different part of the book and have them read that and then report to the team what the topic was, what they had learned from it and how it applied to them. Once the training was complete we would still meet once a week to discuss any issues that were major discipline violations. The leadership council would meet to hear the case and then determine if any punishment was warranted.
 
What was the criteria to be able to become a captain?
 
You had to do three things:
 
1.     Be a member of the leadership council.
2.     Be in good standing with the head coach; that is, no major discipline violations.
3.     Make 75% of summer weightlifting sessions.
 
The first week of practice everyone eligible had a day to serve as captain and then, at the end of the week, all the players voted. I had as few as one or as many as four captains. There was a captain of the week based on performance on and off the field. Off the field performance included maintaining good grades and doing well with our weekly manual assignments.
 
What about the specifics of the manual as it relates to leadership?
 
Part of the manual includes a ‘Team Captain’s Leadership’ section. It includes a 10 module leadership development program. The concept is that emerging and established leaders can learn how to be more vocal, hold their teammates accountable, manage team conflict and set the tone for the program on and off the field. There is also an online leadership development resource:
teamcaptainnetwork.com.

One of the chapters discusses a ‘Commitment Contract.’ It is understood that the entire team will sign the ‘Commitment Contract.’ It also establishes rules and goals for the team with the understanding that everyone must be committed to each and every goal.

Another section of the manual is entitled, “The Teammate Mental Game Assessment.” It’s a series of situations in which, as a leader, you are counted on to help your teammates. You learn about your teammates – each one being different – through simulated situations. You are taught how to deal with controversial issues as well as how to motivate your teammates.

I found the manual very effective. 

This is our team:  Dr. William Eickhoff, founding member of the John Maxwell Team, certified coach, trainer and speaker in the field of leadership development.  •  Paul Herfurth, Executive Advisor, The Pacific Institute.  •  Chet Tart, Radio Executive, Talent Coach.  •  AFM Editorial Staff.  •  Football community leaders and coaches throughout the nation.