Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Princeton Holds "Rising Leaders" Seminars For Student-Athletes
May 12, 2020 | General, Princeton Tiger Performance
Leadership is vital to any organization, especially among athletic programs. Princeton Athletics convened its next generation of leaders in early May for virtual "Rising Leaders" seminars to discuss how a successful leader is developed and the impact leadership can have on a season.
Three seminars were held, one for each competition season. Led by Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan and Jason Gallucci, Director of Performance, the seminars included over 60 student-athletes across all Princeton teams as well as coaches and senior administrators from the athletic department.
"One of the most important factors in our year-to-year success as a department is that we have strong leadership from all across our group," said Gallucci. "It all starts with Mollie and our senior leadership, but they empower our coaches and administrators to lead in their own areas. We have a tremendous culture of leadership by example, and it is exciting to add our student-athletes to that movement."
The seminars began with a presentation on the importance of student-athlete leadership from Marcoux Samaan, herself a former captain while a two-sport athlete at Princeton. Following remarks from Gallucci on the characteristics of good leaders, the remainder of the seminar was focused on an open forum for the athletes to discuss leadership opportunities and philosophies as they embark on a new stage of their Princeton careers.
"We focused on educating our rising leaders on defining the vision for their remaining time with their teams," said Gallucci. "There's a good chance most people in those rooms will serve as a team captain or already have. At this level, leadership means more than a letter on a jersey or simply being 'the best player' on a team. The ultimate goal of these seminars was to find a path toward harnessing the collective leadership styles in the room and pointing them in the same direction. The teams that accomplish that goal will have put themselves in the best position for success."
Marcoux Samaan and Gallucci made it a point to showcase to the groups that the process of defining a leadership style could not be completely developed in one seminar. At the same time, those associated with Princeton Athletics have a unique opportunity to grow that leadership style with some of the best leaders in the world.
"When you looked around the screen, it was easy to understand the opportunity presented," Gallucci said. "If you want to develop your leadership abilities, doing so alongside Hall of Fame coaches, accomplished administrators and elite-caliber teammates who are all focused on the same goals you have is an attractive way to do so."
The opportunity to develop the intangible skills required to lead a team was relished by the athletes.
"It is an honor to be named a captain, but that is really just the beginning, "said rising senior Luke Keenan – a newly-elected alternate captain of the men's hockey team. "There is so much more to being a captain or leader than what people may see on a game day. How we communicate with teammates and coaches, how we listen to them, and how we help set team values can set the tone for a season. I appreciated the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with each other as we prepare for new challenges."
The uniqueness of the spring 2020 seasons has already jump-started leadership skills in the group.
"All of us have had to adjust these past few months," said rising women's lacrosse senior Kyla Sears. "Some of us had complete or partial seasons cancelled, others had opportunities for offseason team building impacted. I have been impressed with the grace and resolve shown by my fellow Tigers as we have navigated this unprecedented situation and those characteristics will serve us well as we head into the future. Opportunities such as these leadership seminars are crucial to our development, and will benefit each of us on the field and off."
The group will convene again at the conclusion of final exams. The next session will focus on strengthening communication and leadership styles in preparation for the 2020-21 school year.
Three seminars were held, one for each competition season. Led by Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan and Jason Gallucci, Director of Performance, the seminars included over 60 student-athletes across all Princeton teams as well as coaches and senior administrators from the athletic department.
"One of the most important factors in our year-to-year success as a department is that we have strong leadership from all across our group," said Gallucci. "It all starts with Mollie and our senior leadership, but they empower our coaches and administrators to lead in their own areas. We have a tremendous culture of leadership by example, and it is exciting to add our student-athletes to that movement."
The seminars began with a presentation on the importance of student-athlete leadership from Marcoux Samaan, herself a former captain while a two-sport athlete at Princeton. Following remarks from Gallucci on the characteristics of good leaders, the remainder of the seminar was focused on an open forum for the athletes to discuss leadership opportunities and philosophies as they embark on a new stage of their Princeton careers.
"We focused on educating our rising leaders on defining the vision for their remaining time with their teams," said Gallucci. "There's a good chance most people in those rooms will serve as a team captain or already have. At this level, leadership means more than a letter on a jersey or simply being 'the best player' on a team. The ultimate goal of these seminars was to find a path toward harnessing the collective leadership styles in the room and pointing them in the same direction. The teams that accomplish that goal will have put themselves in the best position for success."
Marcoux Samaan and Gallucci made it a point to showcase to the groups that the process of defining a leadership style could not be completely developed in one seminar. At the same time, those associated with Princeton Athletics have a unique opportunity to grow that leadership style with some of the best leaders in the world.
"When you looked around the screen, it was easy to understand the opportunity presented," Gallucci said. "If you want to develop your leadership abilities, doing so alongside Hall of Fame coaches, accomplished administrators and elite-caliber teammates who are all focused on the same goals you have is an attractive way to do so."
The opportunity to develop the intangible skills required to lead a team was relished by the athletes.
"It is an honor to be named a captain, but that is really just the beginning, "said rising senior Luke Keenan – a newly-elected alternate captain of the men's hockey team. "There is so much more to being a captain or leader than what people may see on a game day. How we communicate with teammates and coaches, how we listen to them, and how we help set team values can set the tone for a season. I appreciated the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with each other as we prepare for new challenges."
The uniqueness of the spring 2020 seasons has already jump-started leadership skills in the group.
"All of us have had to adjust these past few months," said rising women's lacrosse senior Kyla Sears. "Some of us had complete or partial seasons cancelled, others had opportunities for offseason team building impacted. I have been impressed with the grace and resolve shown by my fellow Tigers as we have navigated this unprecedented situation and those characteristics will serve us well as we head into the future. Opportunities such as these leadership seminars are crucial to our development, and will benefit each of us on the field and off."
The group will convene again at the conclusion of final exams. The next session will focus on strengthening communication and leadership styles in preparation for the 2020-21 school year.
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