Welcome to

Chapter 7

Encourager-Confidence Builder

How to inspire your teammates.

Verses From Playbook of Life

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

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Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear

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The Team Captain’s Leadership Model

Encourager

LEADER BY EXAMPLE

Commitment

Confidence

Composure

Character

VOCAL LEADER

Enforcer

Leader by Example

1. Commitment
2. Confidence
3. Composure
4. Character

Vocal Leader

1. Commitment
2. Confidence
3. Composure
4. Character
5. Encourager
6. Enforcer

Being an Encourager

• Servant Leaders
• Putting your teammates first.
• Confidence Builder
• How to Inspire Your Teammates

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How to Inspire Your Teammates

“You have to create an environment where everybody feels good about themselves and what they can do.”

Marty Schottenheimer, NFL Football Coach

How to Inspire Your Teammates

Being an Encourager means that you are also a Confidence-Builder for your teammates. Confidence fluctuates up and down. Because your teammates’ confidence will not always be where it should be, you will have to provide a great deal of encouragement and stability for them.

Lift One Another Up!!!

1. Develop a Relationship with Each Teammate

• You need to invest the time to get to know each of your teammates so you know how to best communicate with them.
• You must understand both what fires them up and what frustrates them.

“Almost everything in leadership comes back to relationships. The only way you can possibly lead people is to understand people. And the best way to do that is to get to know them better.”

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Men’s Basketball

2. Take a Mental Game Assessment of Each Teammate

• The answers to these questions provide valuable insights on how you should communicate with each of your teammates.
• Of course you will want to keep this highly confidential.

Take a Mental Game Assessment of Each Teammate

• If you have a large team as in football or even baseball, you can divide up your teammates between yourselves if you have more than one captain/team leader. Each of you can take the primary responsibility for getting to know certain teammates.
• Combine Your Insights with Your Coaches

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

As a Vocal Leader, not only do you have to pump yourself up to perform, but you also need to make sure your teammates are in a confident mindset.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

1. Accentuate the Positive and the Progress
1. Call attention to the positive strides your teammates make.
• You need to not only acknowledge the successes they have but also the effort they display.
• One of the best ways to do this is to use the phrase, “I see you…” For example, “I see you working hard in the weight room. That’s going to pay off for you and this team.” Or, “I see you making the extra effort on that play…Keep doing that and you’ll get it next time.”

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

“Great leaders inflate the people around them. Poor leaders deflate the people around them.”

Rick Pitino, Louisville Men’s Basketball

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

2. Let Them Know What to Expect
• Your job as a leader is to quell their uncertainty and confusion when possible. Let your new teammates know what to expect in terms of practices, school, travel, tournaments, playoffs, etc.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

3. Remind Them of Their Strengths
• For example, “Greg, you are one of this team’s best defenders because of your quickness and anticipation. Get in there and shut him down.”
• Or, “Cammie, there is no one in this conference who has a better change-up than you do-use it to your advantage.” It’s your job to remind them where they excel and to encourage them to go to battle with it.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

4. Remind Them of Their Past Successes
• Reminding people of their past successes provides them with a tangible example of their ability to be successful.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

5. Remind Them of Their Preparation and Hard Work
• Remind them that they have paid the price of success through their training, weight lifting, conditioning, diet, etc.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

6. “Justify” Their Thinking
• Keeping it simple kept her confident. Some golfers will remind themselves to “just put a good roll on it”. Encourage your teammates to keep it simple by “justifying” their thinking.

How to Motivate Your Teammates by Building Their Confidence

7. Show and Tell Teammates You Believe in Them
• Tell your teammates you believe in them. Sometimes they need you to show them more confidence than you actually feel.
• People will often perform up to your expectations as long as you give them the proper support and encouragement.

Chapter 7 Summary

• Ultimately building confidence in your teammates is all about reminding them why they deserve to be successful.
• You must focus them on the strengths they have going for them and help them minimize their doubts and fears.
• Keep the game simple and manageable.
• Help them get their minds in a position where they can be successful.

Chapter 7 Summary

“I’m one of the leaders on the team and I feel my attitude sets the tone. It’s my job to magnify my teammates’ strengths and to hide their weaknesses. I put people in position to do their thing.”

Dawn Staley, USA Women’s Basketball