Team Leadership

This past week in our Women and Leadership class we discussed team leadership.  Two of the principles listed to improve team effectiveness were performance (task accomplishment) and development (maintenance of team).  The discussion of team leadership was relevant to this past weekend.  Otterbein's Homecoming included various sporting events to attend.  I attended the football game versus Heidelburg and the volleyball game against Columbus State College.  As I watched these games, our discussion of what it takes to be a team leader came up in my mind.  The football team struggled with team leadership. No player seemed to know what was going on throughout the game. They made a lot of silly mistakes. I do believe, however, that Otterbein's football team will improve and learn something from every game.  The volleyball team was very efficient.  Their performance and development carried the team to victory.  Every player on the floor was a leader.  They all communicated and carried out their responsibility.  These two games gave a visual depiction of our readings from last week.  On one side, what happens when a team is not effective, and on the other, how effectiveness can help a team succeed.