Understanding Leadership

Expectations – For Athletes

Be respectful of the person speaking

Engage in the class

Ask questions and ask your mentor for help if you need it

Minimize distractions (put the phone away!)

 Expectations – For Mentors

Be attentive.

Be prepared to assist athletes if they ask for it.

Do not speak for athletes; give help only if the athlete is

asking for help.

Do not just step in and assume they need help.

Be energetic and positive.

Minimize distractions.
 Expectations – For Facilitators

Be prepared to teach and try to meet the needs of all athletes

Challenge participants to learn something new about themselves

and others

Provide opportunities for each athlete to be successful and grow

Support and engage in discussion and questioning that leads to

learning

Treat athletes and mentors with respect and care

 Module Overview

Lesson 1: Leadership Basics: We will discuss the definition of leadership and

share examples of great leaders we know.

Lesson 2: Behaviors of Great Leaders: We will discuss behaviors of great

leaders.

Lesson 3: Leadership Skills: We will discuss 6 basic leadership skills.

Lesson 4: Leadership Journey: We will discuss our personal leadership

journey and work on the action plan.
Lesson 1: Leadership Basics

In this lesson we will:

Review the definition of leadership

Talk about leaders we know
 Definition of Leadership

The Special Olympics Leadership Academy definition of

leadership

Leadership is a relationship where one person influences the

behaviors or actions of other people to achieve goals.

Leadership is the ability to guide, direct, or influence people.

 Everyday Leaders

Think about a leader you know.

It can be someone in Special Olympics or

your community.

Who are they? Ask yourself what makes

them such a good leader.
Lesson 2: Behaviors of Great Leaders

In this lesson we will:

Discuss the behaviors of great leaders we know

Learn 5 basic behaviors of good leaders
 Everyday Leaders

Think about the behaviors or actions of the leader you named earlier.
1. What inspires people to follow that person?
2. Be ready to share one behavior of why you think they are a good leader.
3. Be ready to share one behavior that this person does that makes you think they
are a good leader.
 5 behaviors of great leaders

Model the Way Inspire the Challenge the

Shared Vision Process

Encourage the Heart Enable Others

to Act
 Your behaviors as a Leader

In breakout groups, each person will take turns answering these questions about the
behavior that was assigned to their group:
1. How have you shown this behavior as a leader?
2. How have you seen other leaders show this behavior?
3. Is this behavior hard to show sometimes? If so, how is it hard to always show
this behavior?
Lesson 3: Basic Leadership
Skills
In this lesson we will:

Discuss 6 basic leadership skills

 Lesson 3: Basic Leadership Skills

Six skills that every leader needs to be successful:

1. Communication
2. Decision Making
3. Adaptability
4. Relationship Building
5. Goal Oriented
6. Continuous Improvement
 Communication

It is a leader’s responsibility to inspire and motivate the team.

Good communication is not just about YOU sharing your
message; it is about listening to and understanding other
people’s messages as well.
As a leader, make sure your message is easy to understand.
 Adaptability

As a leader you need to know what is going well and what is

not going well. Then you can change the plan if needed.
An important skill for a leader is to adapt and help people use
their skills and talents to help the team.
Sometimes you need to be flexible and let people do their tasks
in a way that works for them.
 Decision Making
Leaders listen to ideas from other people, get input, and make
decisions.
A good leader is someone who makes the decision that makes the
most sense at the time, not the decision that is the easiest.
Remember to communicate the decision and your reasoning. Not
everyone will agree with the decision, but by explaining your
thinking they may come to respect it.
 Goal Oriented

Stay focused on the goal to help guide your team.

Distractions can be one of the biggest obstacles to meeting a
goal.
Create an environment that helps you and your team focus.
 Relationship Building

Good relationships help you work better together and respect

each other.

Build healthy relationships to have a strong team that works

together and trusts one another.
 Always Improving

Strong and confident leaders realize that change can be a

good thing and make things better.
A leader takes note of things, and asks for input and feedback
to improve the project or event for the next time.
A good leader wants to grow and improve as a leader.
Lesson 4: Your Leadership
Journey
Lesson Objectives:
Think about your leadership journey
Determine next steps in your leadership journey with a specific
action plan
Your Leadership Journey
 Action Plan
Personal Mission Statement:
Who are the What training What What are
people who do I need? challenges solutions to
can help me? might I face? those
challenges?
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