Being a team player leads to greater success

Anwar Stewart Defensive end

Every one of us is always part of some kind of team. At home, it’s your family, with your parents or other relatives as your coaches. At school, your teachers form your coaching staff. When you get a job, you’re on a sales, manufacturing or service team, with your boss as the head coach. You’ll have greater success in everything you do if you learn how to become a good team player:

Attitude: Coach Marc Trestman won’t have anything to do with a player who doesn’t have a positive attitude. I always show up with a smile on my face, because I feel blessed: I’m doing what I love, and that’s largely because I worked hard for it.
Commitment: Find out what you have to do and then spend the time to learn how to do it well. Our best players always show up early to practice and leave late. We put in the extra time to learn all our plays inside out. We always give 100 per cent to what we do, no matter what the situation is.
Accountability: If you do what you’re supposed to do, others will trust and respect you. The worst players are just out for themselves. They don’t last. If you do your job well, it will be noticed.
Coachability: You need to be open to learning from others – like a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge you can.
Focus: Pay attention to details. It’s the little things that will make you one of the best.
Discipline: Study, train, practice. I’m always at the gym on time, even if I don’t feel like being there.
Mentorship: Look at the people whose success you admire to find out what they’re doing. See if they’re willing to help you.
Camaraderie: Encourage and help others so the whole team does its best. I always help the younger players and make them feel part of the Alouettes.

What is leadership?

Charmaine Lyn, Director, Office of Admissions, McGill University Faculty of Medicine

Leadership means taking your place in the world. It involves knowing what’s happening, taking positions on matters, and having ideas to make things better. It requires the confidence and courage to speak out and act on your beliefs.

To be a good leader, you must be able to communicate well. You have to be able to persuade others to support your ideas. This starts with being a good listener. How can you expect others to listen to your ideas if you’re unwilling to hear theirs? How can you gain support for your ideas if you won’t listen to people’s concerns or suggestions?

Leadership is the art of negotiation. If you’re reasonable with others and willing to accept your share of responsibility, you’ll be more successful in your negotiations.

A leader realizes that every decision has consequences. Leaders choose what they do from moment to moment, having thought carefully about the likely outcome.
They lead their lives rather than just let life happen to them.