Two items today. First, I forgot to include a link to the article in yesterday’s post. It profiles a high school football team that has made a commitment to “go for it!,” and never punts or attempts a field goal.

And here is a link to one of the research papers that suggests the team’s strategy is the correct one.

Second, many thanks to Jim Luttrell, who passes along updates from the Positive Coaching Alliance. This particular message comes from 1987 Final Four hero Keith Smart, now an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Smart discusses leadership, not as a vehicle for self-promotion but instead as a way of acting that makes others want to follow.
I’ve seen more than one young athlete campaign for the position of team captain. Some have worked out well, and others seem to lose interest the moment they get elected.

One very successful coach I know never has a captain on her team. Game by game, she picks the person who has been a leader at practice.

On our team, we have more than one leader. One leads by example, another with her outgoing personality. We are happy to have both of them.