LEADERSHIP

BUILDING LEADERS

BUILDING WINNERS

THE

FALCON

WAY
“LEADERSHIP IS AN ART FORM THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY THORUGH STUDY,
ORGANIZATION, PLANNING, AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE TRAINING. BEFORE WE CAN
INFLUENCE THE FACTORS THAT CONTROL OTHERS’ LIVES, WE MUST BE IN
CONTROL OF THOSE SAME FACTORS IN OUR OWN LIVES.”
--EXCERPT FROM IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
by JOSEPH PACELLI

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 A CHAMPION’S PLEDGE
1. I strive for perfection.
a. Good is not enough. Only through excellence can I
achieve greatness. Excellence is contagious.

2. I pay attention to details.

a. “Take care of the little things to make big things happen.”
Jimmy Johnson

b. “No detail is too small—everything is important.” Lou Holtz

3. I constantly try to improve.

a. “He who stops being better, stops being good.” Oliver
Cromwell

b. Always search for a way to get better.

c. Success = continuous and never-ending improvement.

4. I give all that I’ve got.

a. Giving 100% every day is the surest road to success.

b. Have the mindset of EXCELLENCE, accept nothing less—it’s

contagious and habit forming.

Signature: ____________________________

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 VIOLATIONS TO THE TEAM COVENANT

Any violation of the covenant of the Team could result in dismissal

from the team.

1. Any unexcused absence from practice.

2. Any embarrassment to the team by misconduct on campus or in

in the community.

3. Any violation of the Honor Code:

Never Lie,
Never Cheat,
Never Steal.

4. Any involvement with illegal substances.

5. Repeated tardiness.

6. Any behavior not conducive to the overall well being of the

team.

The strength of an organization is based on the strength of the bonds

between members of the organization. The basis of these bonds is TRUST.
The above are violations of trust, and if we can’t trust you—we have to cut
you; and if you can’t trust us—we should quit. TRUST IS A MUST.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A WINNING ATHLETE
There are certain characteristics which are essential if one is to become a
successful athlete and leader. The following listed characteristics are found not only in
successful athletes but also are prevalent in the lives of people who are at the top of their
chosen profession.

1. DRIVE: One must develop a burning desire to win. One

must set and maintain high goals for himself and
and his team. To attain athletic excellence one
must be willing to endure and overcome difficult
and unpleasant situations if it will improve
himself and his team.

2. AGGRESSIVENESS: An athlete must be aggressive to win! One must

make aggressiveness a habit and be willing to use
force to attain ones goals. An athlete must be
willing to make an unprovoked attack upon his
opponent.
3. DETERMINATION: An athlete must be willing to practice long and
hard on skills and conditioning until exhausted.
One must be willing to work out by himself and
persevere, even in the face of great difficulty and
ridicule from fellow students.
One must be patient and unrelenting in his work
habits, and never give up on the idea of
improving and winning.
4. RESPONSIBILITY: An athlete must accept responsibility for his
performance and actions. This means at times
one must accept blame and criticism even when
not deserved.
One must be able to recognize his own
weaknesses and mistakes and accept them for
what they are (a learning experience). An athlete
accepts the fact that one must endure physical and
mental pain and be willing to play with this pain.

5. SELF-CONFIDENCE: An athlete must be confident and sure of himself

and his abilities. When armed with self-

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 confidence, one can handle unexpected situations
well, and be sure of his ability to deal with
anything and anyone.
One must also have confidence in his teammates
and coaches.

6. EMOTIONAL CONTROL: An athlete must be emotionally stable and

realistic about athletics.
An athlete cannot become upset easily or allow
ones performance to be affected by ones feelings.
A winner does not become easily depressed or
frustrated by bad breaks, bad calls, or mistakes.

“A PERSON CAN’T BROOD OVER ONE MISTAKE, OR WASTE TIME FEELING

SORRY FOR HIMSELF, OR TAKE ON ANY SORT OF PERSECUTION COMPLEX.
TODAY I REALIZE THAT ONCE YOU HAVE MADE A MISTAKE, YOU MUST
ACCEPT IT, PROFIT BY IT, AND THEN TOTALLY DISMISS IT FROM YOUR MIND.”
Bart Starr—Quarterback—Green Bay Packers

7. SELFLESSNESS: An athlete must be willing to sublimate ones

individuality for that of the team!
One must be totally committed to the team and
the team’s victory. The newspaper will read
“INDIANS WIN” or “INDIANS LOSE.”
An athlete wins or loses with his team. IF WE
PLAN ON WINNING, WE HAD BETTER
PLAN ON WINNING TOGETHER. Remember,
“WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE TEAM HAS TO
BE GOOD FOR ME, AND WHAT IS GOOD
FOR ME HAS TO BE GOOD FOR THE
TEAM!”

8. MENTAL TOUGHNESS: An athlete must accept strong criticism without

feeling hurt. One must not become easily upset
when losing or losing playing badly.

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 A winner must be able to bounce back quickly
after facing adversity.

9. COACHABILITY: A winning athlete must respect coaches and the

coaching process. One must be receptive to
coaches criticism, advice, and instruction.
An athlete only improves when he responds and
makes an honest effort to correct mistakes
pointed out by the coach.

10.TRUST: An athlete must accept people at face value. A

winner believes what the coach and teammates
say, and he does not look for ulterior motives
behind their words or actions.
An athlete must be free of jealous tendencies,
and attempt to get along with teammates.

YOU CAN TRUST YOUR COACHES

1. To be loyal to you in all areas.

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2. To be totally honest.

3. To provide the leadership and training necessary to achieve our goals.

4. To work you harder than you have ever been worked before.

5. To assist you in anyway possible, now and after you graduate.

6. To treat you as a man.

7. To love and respect you.

8. To make all decisions based on what is best for the team, and then what is best for
the individual.

9. To do everything possible to make this the best place to go to school and play sports.

10. To help you mature and grow as a man.

11. To help you reach your goals.

WE COACHES TRUST ATHLETES TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS

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 ACADEMICALLY

ATHLETICALLY

SOCIALLY

1. We expect you to do something worthwhile with your life.

2. We expect you to have great expectations:

ANTICIPATE HAVING: A GREAT DAY!

A GREAT PRACTICE!
A GREAT SEASON!
A GREAT LIFE!

3. We expect you to:

a. Get an education
b. Give your total effort
c. Make the most of what you have
d. Love your teammates unselfishly
e. Respect your teammates
f. Practice to the best of your ability
g. Be totally honest in all your dealings
h. Be extremely loyal to your school, teaches, coaches, teammates, families, and
friends
i. Be prompt
j. Be courteous
k. Always encourage
l. Be emotional and enthusiastic

TYPES OF ATHLETIC LEADERSHIP

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1. ACTION: Is you attitude toward work and the manner in
which you work.
Good or bad, someone will copy you. Right now
you have a chance to display this by working on
your own.

2. DEMONSTRATION: Is using your skills to show other players how to

execute certain techniques.
Coaches will call on you from time to time to
demonstrate drills.
You should also do this on your own to help
individuals improve themselves.

3. LISTENING: Is paying close attention to all times a coach who

is talking or demonstrating.
This is an area where most athletes fall down.
It takes courage to pay close attention when you
are tired.
There are also players who are not interested and
talk to others while an explanation is being made.
You could be one of the most important leaders
on our squad by being a good listener and making
it clear that you will not condone inattentive
actions by other players.

4. VERBAL EXPRESSION: Is expressing your feelings to others verbally.

This is good. However, you must speak frankly
and be sincere about what you say. You must
never be embarrassed by being “gung ho”.
Lip service not backed by action on your part is
very harmful.
You must practice what you say or it becomes
obvious you don’t really believe what you say.
(Practice What You Preach)

LEADERSHIP GUIDE

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 There are many people who are capable of offering leadership but don’t because
they aren’t sure what to do or how to do it. We should remember that there are many
different ways of exerting leadership. Regardless of what type of personality you have
you can be a leader on our team if you really want to.

To become a team leader one must be committed to the team. Commitment

means to “BIND TOGETHER FOR STRENGTH”. It is the glue that allows new
seniors to take on important leadership roles and all other ask. “WHAT CAN I DO FOR
THIS TEAM”?

COMMITMENT

1. Will cost you.

2. Only counts in tough times.
3. You will know if you are really committed on
decisions you make while all alone.
4. The rewards for total commitment do not come
instantaneously, but the rewards come after a lot
of sacrifice, effort, disappointment, and heartache,
and the real rewards for total commitment will
last a lifetime.

HOW TO BE A LEADER

The only real requirement you must have is a sincere DESIRE TO BE OF HELP
TO YOUR TEAMMATES. A false effort will immediately be recognized as such. This
type effort will have a more harmful effect than helpful. Sincerity and enthusiasm are
contagious.

AREAS OF LEADERSHIP

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 The following information is given in order for you to be familiar with the many
places your actions and attitude will have a bearing on our team.

OFF THE FIELD

1. CLASSROOM: Your intelligence is not a factor in the type leadership

you may show in the classroom. The things that
determine teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward
athletes are not based on intelligence. You are
expected to be on time, be courteous, be attentive, and
make an honest effort in class work. Also, don’t our
athletes in your class to have a negative effect on the
classroom environment.

2. COMMUNITY: Because you are an athlete, you will be watched more

closely by the public than an ordinary student. Your
actions will be the guideline for what people think of
athletes, not just you. We will hear much more about
our worst than our best. Therefore, our worst athlete’s
behavior must be good. Points to watch are:
DRIVING—abide by all laws, do not “hot rod”.
COURTESY—be polite to all you come in
contact with.
LANGUATE—do not use profanity.

3. FAMILY: Your parents will be pleased for you to be an athlete if

you do not use practice or athletic activities as an
excuse for not doing your share of work at home. Invite
them to attend booster club meetings, games, and
practice sessions. Don’t use athletics as an excuse for
not making good grades. Make your parents a part of
the thrill of athletics.

4. CHURCH: You can truly influence the lives of young people if you
become active in church work. Take advantage of the
opportunity to join the “Fellowship of Christian
Athletes”. Remember your reputation is the same as
those you socialize with.
DRESSING ROOM BEHAVIOR

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1. PRIDE IN FACILITIES: You must visibly and verbally show that you are proud
of our facilities and expect all people using them to take
proper care. The equipment you wear is the best money
can buy. Proper use and care of the equipment will
insure the same by our younger players.

2. CONDUCT: The dressing room is a place to change clothes, shower,

store equipment, and receive treatment for injuries. It is
not a place for “horseplay”. Make our dressing room a
relaxed and pleasant environment.

PRACTICE TIME

1. PUNCTUALITY: Always be on time for the start of practice and drills. A

senior should be the first all of the time.

2. COACHABILITY: Attempt to do exactly as your coach tells you.

Unnecessary questions or a poor attitude toward a
coach’s corrections or criticisms will cost valuable time
as well as create dissension on the squad.

3. HELPFULNESS: Be ready to help other players with techniques they do

not do well. Do this before practice, after practice, or at
times when you may do so without distracting from a
drill.

4. EXTRA EFFORT:
Ask for help on weak points before and after practice.
No matter how good you are, you will never stop
improving. Extra effort also means never complaining,
learning more than one position, or generally doing a bit
more than the minimum.

TRAINING HABITS

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1. ABSTINENCE: You must never smoke or drink alcoholic
beverages. You may fool the coaches
temporarily, but you cannot fool yourself or your
teammates at all.
FAILURE ON THIS POINT OF LEADERSHIP
WILL RESULT IN POOR TEAM MORALE
FASTER THAN ANY OTHER THING.

2. CORRECT VIOLATERS: It is your responsibility to inform any player

violating rules, regardless of who he is, that he
must discontinue what he is doing.

3. REPORT TO COACH: You should report any violator who is guilty of

his second violation to the head coach. We
cannot have anyone on our squad who will not
pay the price of training.

4. TRAINING RULES: All rules.

GAME PREPARATION

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1. TEAM MEETINGS: Be on time for all meetings. Study your
scouting report carefully and discuss it
with other players. Be critical of your
play in films and look of ways to improve
yourself. NEVER miss a meeting.

2. MENTAL PREPARATION: Football is a contact sport that relies

heavily on morale. Although each person
prepares himself slightly differently,
general team preparation will be as
follows:

Monday through Wednesday—Mental

preparation during this time entails only
good practice work and learning your
opponents thoroughly.

Thursday through Friday—The practice

work is over. You should know what to
expect from the opponent and how to play
against him. These two days we must
prepare our team for physical contact.
Each player must prepare himself, but the
following are factors that must be present
for this preparation to take place:

a. Be serious when talking about the game.

b. Be sure all social activities are off the
night before a game.
c. From the pre-game meal until game
time, cut all conversation to a minimum
and let each player have those four
hours to himself. Silence allows you to
to think.

TEAM MORALE

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 This is the area where senior leaders make or break us. Your actions in this area
must be right. Morale is a constantly changing thing. It will either get better or worse.
It will not remain the same.

You will either be a player who plays in every game or you will be a back-up.
There are few great players who do not have good back-ups behind them to push them
for their position. This means that we will probably have only as good a team as our
back-ups. As head coach, I can assure you that no first team player will keep his
position on the basis of ability to play. Players will be picked by effort and playing to
their full capabilities. A loafer will never play, regardless of how great his ability or
potential may be.

Our Junior Varsity team will be composed of mostly freshmen and sophomores
with maybe a few juniors. They have the job of running the opponents plays against the
varsity each week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when they don’t have a game
on those days. This is a tough job and they must do it well if we are to be well prepared.
An occasional pat on the back and a word of thanks will go a long way in making them
realize their value to the team. If they are loafing, some of our seniors should talk to
them before or after practice as a team, and encourage them to do their part.

This outline should give you an insight into the many factors involved in having a
great team. How well you use this information will determine what type of team we
will have this year. Actually, good leadership by the seniors this year will pave the way
for following years. Poor leadership will leave us in the process of starting from scratch
again next year.

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
Leaders must possess the following essential qualities:

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 LOYALTY

COURAGE

DESIRE

EMOTIONAL STAMINA

PHYSICAL STAMINA

EMPATHY

DECISIVENESS

ANTICIPATION

TIMING

COMPETITIVENESS

SELF-CONFIDENCE

ACCOUNTABILITY

RESPONSIBILITY

CREDIBILITY

TENACITY

DEPENDABILITY

STEWARDSHIP

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A LEADER

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Leaders are responsible for establishing the atmosphere in which they lead.
Leaders can and must influence and control the spirit of their peers.

By their own actions, not their words, do leaders establish the morale, integrity,
and sense of justice of the subordinates. They can not say one thing and do
another.

Leaders must establish a high spirit of mutual trust among subordinates.

Leaders must attach value to high standards of performance and have no tolerance
for the uncommitted.

Leaders must expect continual improvement in subordinates based on new

knowledge and experiences.

Leaders must encourage creativity, freedom of action, and innovation among their
subordinates as long as these efforts are consistent with the goals of the team.

Leaders must provide direction to their subordinates.

Leaders must teach their subordinates that which is expected of them.

Leaders should never misuse power.

Leaders make great personal sacrifice for the good of the team.

Leaders must encourage healthy competition among their people.

Leaders must understand that the spirit of the law is greater than its letter.

Leaders must never shed honor, morality, and dignity.

Leaders must hold a strong conviction of duty above all other ambitions.

RESPECT

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 1. Respect is an extension of a positive, optimistic attitude.

2. Respect begins with a person having respect for himself.

3. Respect for team members breeds togetherness.

4. Respect has no ethnic, racial, or social barriers.

5. A team with respect for one another, win together.

6. Respect is a two-way street between players and coaches.

7. Make no mistake—football is a team game.

8. Signs of disrespect have negative influences on a team.

9. Successful teams are a family of ONE.

10. Rule of Thumb: No one embarrasses anybody in front of

their peers or public ally.

11. One formula for building respect is developed through an

an attitude of:
PLP = Players Love Players
CLP = Coaches Love Players
PLC = Players Love Coaches
CLC = Coaches Love Coaches

12. RESPECT must be EARNED, not assumed OR DEMANDED.

TEAMWORK
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 TEAMWORK divides the work and doubles the success.

It is the fuel that enables common people to attain uncommon results!

Being part of a team, we accomplish more, faster.

Support, compassion, and caring will inspire everyone to keep pace, and
then, lead—in spite of pressures, hardships, or fatigue.

It is a reward, a challenge, and a privilege to be a contributing member

of a team.

3 Steps to Building Your Best Team

1. Learn to care about, like, and love each other

and build personal involvement.

2. Learn to believe in each other and build

personal commitment.

3. Feel secure in the group and build a common

ground/reference ensuring a successful
“Mission Accomplished.”

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 Coming Together is a

BEGINNING
Keeping Together is

PROGRESS
Working Together is

SUCCESS
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 THE REWARD

Personal Satisfaction

The reward is to become part of a dynamic, continuously improving

team where you, as a player, is accepted, challenged, recognized,
respected, and appreciated.

You belong to a team where you are the difference.

It is the glue that allows new seniors to take an important leadership role
and all others to ask, “What can I do for this team?”

COMMITMENT

1. Will cost you.

2. Counts the most in the toughest of times.

3. You will know—if you’re really committed—on

decisions you make while all alone.

4. The rewards for Total Commitment do not

come instantaneously, but the rewards come
after a lot of sacrifice, effort, disappointment,
and heartache. However, the real rewards for
Total Commitment will last a lifetime.

Great Involvement = Great Commitment

Great Commitment = Great Success

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 THE FOUR ACES
To perform at our peak level of efficiency it is imperative
that we focus on only what we can control. To focus on anything
other than our own personal sphere of influence is a dangerous
distraction. Superstars are always focused and never distracted.
The following four areas of focus are completely under our
control:

AWARENESS: To achieve peak levels of performance you

must have awareness of every aspect of your
time. Never go through the motions—know
your assignments.

CONCENTRATION: The ability to focus on the task and technique

at hand, and be apathetic to any distraction is
the sign of a star. Play each play one at a
time.

EFFORT: Any man of success in any field knows that

HARD WORK WORKS. The greater the
effort the greater the reward.

SYNERGY: The team effort is greater than the sum of the

individual effort. Synergy occurs when
everyone on the team performs like an ACE.
The attitude of “We not me” and enhancing
your teammates’ performance are the keys to
synergy.

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SYNERGY
1+1=3

WE NOT ME

AND

EVERYBODY

IS THE KEY
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 ATTITUDE
1. More athletes fail through faulty mental attitude than in any other
way.

2. Attitudes are habits of thinking. You have it within your power to

develop the habit of thinking the thoughts that go to make up a
winning attitude.

3. The foundation for the proper attitude consists of developing the

habit of thinking positive thoughts.

4. Tell yourself constantly that you can do something and you will.
Tell yourself you can’t and your subconscious mind will find a way
for you not to do it.

5. A desire to win and a desire to prepare to win are important

ingredients of a winning attitude.

6. Before you can scale the heights of athletic greatness, you must first
learn to control yourself from within. Be your own master.
Control your emotions.

7. An athlete with a good attitude is coachable. He welcomes

criticism, constantly seeks to learn, and avoids criticizing his coach
or teammates.

8. True success depends on teamwork, and the winning attitude puts

the good of the team ahead of anything else.

9. Whether you create a winning attitude is entirely up to you.

10.What is your attitude TODAY?

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 PERFORMANCE LEVELS

ACES: The top level performance. True

Winner.

CHOKER: Wants to win but doesn’t believe he can.

MAD MAX: Wants to win but blames everyone else if

he doesn’t.

JOKER: Wants to win only if it’s easy. Avoids

challenges to protect ego. When it gets
tough, he quits.

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