Leadership by Megan Young

Megan Young is graduated from GHS in 2011. Megan brings high energy to everything she does. She was a perfect fit for the “system”, when we pressed all over and ran up and down. No one for the Streaks has ever played any harder than Megan played. She totally “got it”, in terms of the value of team building and having a positive team culture.

People who know Megan would not be surprised to find she is presently working on her Ph.D. at University of Texas- Austin in Speech and Language Pathology. As part of her program, she is working as a pathologist, researcher, and clinical supervisor. She reports she is working with a great team of seven grad students. Here is a link to her program:

https://moody.utexas.edu/centers/lang-stuttering-institute

So here are Megan’s thoughts on leadership:

I think that playing for you provided me with a blueprint for success in terms of what to look for in an organization as well as how to find your role and contribute to the success of that organization. My hope is that your players understand that they get what they put into their basketball experience and that the skills they develop playing basketball may serve them well for the rest of their lives! I'm happy to share anything about my experience that may be helpful, and I'm sincerely honored to have the chance to give back to the program! 

“How can a player be an effective leader on their team?”

Accountability: Do you do the things that you say you will do? Do you keep promises to yourself and others? Do you show up every day ready to work with a positive attitude?  Are you consistent? Accountability is credibility and it is contagious!

Fostering connection: Are you kind and respectful to all players and coaches? Do you put forth an effort to make all players feel welcome and comfortable? Do you listen and make others feel heard? Are you patient and helpful to others?

Trust:  Do you trust in the values, goals, and plan to achieve your goals created by your team? Do you trust your coaches and teammates? Are you someone that can be trusted? Do you act in accordance with the values of the team?

Work ethic:  Are you working as hard in practice as you would in a game? Are you lifting weights and working on your skills outside of practice? Are you working hard to be a good teammate by adhering to your team’s values?

Resilience:  Do you play hard and keep your composure regardless of the score? Do you pick yourself and your teammates up after a hard loss?  Are you able to listen and absorb feedback from your coaches? Are you able to tolerate discomfort and the urge to protect your ego in order to grow as a player and teammate? Are you courageous?

Selflessness: Are you a team player or an individual? Are you able to understand and accept your role on the team? Are you a giver or a taker?

Underscoring all of these skills is the ability to have a growth mindset. The above listed competencies, along with “leadership,” are not  fixed or innate. They are skills that can be PRACTICED and improved upon just like basketball skills. You don’t need to be the best player on your team  to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be!

“What can a player do now during “stay at home,” as a leader to help their team as they work individually?”

I think that there are ways to embody the above competencies even during a challenging time like this, but I think that fostering connection is probably the most important one. Holding group zoom meetings with teammates, checking in on your teammates individually, thinking positively about the future, creating goals to be accomplished once everyone is able to play together again; these are all ways that players can stay connected and on the same page. If you are able to practice, practice! Brainstorming ideas to work out or practice skills at home, creating weekly challenges, and encouraging your teammates are all ideas to stay connected basketball-wise during this time. It doesn’t have to be basketball-related though, staying in contact and doing something fun or silly together virtually is important too!