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097 - LOUD ≠ Leadership
113 Plays15 days ago
Being the loudest voice on the field doesn’t make you a leader—it makes you noise. Tex breaks down why loud does not equal leadership and introduce a simple, powerful framework every team captain needs: The 3 T’s of Team Communication—Tone, Target, and Timing.
You’ll learn how great captains hold teammates accountable without disrespect, communicate with clarity instead of volume, and lead in the moment, not just when things go wrong. This episode gives captains practical “daily reps” they can apply immediately in practice and games to earn trust, improve performance, and raise the standard of the entire team.
If you’re a team leader who wants to be heard—and actually make your teammates better—this one’s for you.
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Transcript
Introduction to Leadership Misconceptions
00:00:00
Speaker
Action. Loud does not equal leadership. Welcome to the Captains and Coaches podcast. We explore the art and science of leadership through the lens of athletics and beyond. i want to be very clear about something right away.
00:00:12
Speaker
Being the loudest voice on the field, on the court, in the weight room does not make you a leader. It might make you noticeable. It might make you emotional. But leadership, that's different.
00:00:25
Speaker
If yelling actually made teams better, every coach would just crank up the volume all the time and call it culture.
Understanding Team Communication: The Three T's
00:00:33
Speaker
Today we're going to be talking about why loud does not equal leadership and how great captains actually can communicate successfully.
00:00:43
Speaker
We're going to explore lesson one of eight week lessons that I hand off to my team once a week. We're right in the middle of season, so we're going to be learning alongside my team captains. I got a nice little folder for them, and we go through these lessons once a week with some practical guidance.
00:01:00
Speaker
Today's lesson, lesson number one, the three T's of team communication. The problem I see with captains, entry-level leaders, guys taking responsibility for their team for the first time at any level, is that when pressure rises, volume goes up and clarity goes down.
00:01:20
Speaker
Teammates don't need more noise. They need direction. They don't need hype. They need help. Leadership isn't about getting attention. It's about improving performance.
The Importance of Tone in Leadership
00:01:32
Speaker
And that's where the three T's come in.
00:01:35
Speaker
Tone, target, and timing. T1. How you're heard. Starting with tone, that is how your teammates experience your message. You can say the right words and still lose the locker room.
00:01:51
Speaker
Great tone is accountability without disrespect, urgency without panic, authority without arrogance. Think about the impact of your message.
00:02:02
Speaker
You have your intention that you're trying to get the message across to your team, But what is the impact? Does your intent match the impact? Usually that disconnect comes down to tone and how I'm delivering that message.
00:02:17
Speaker
So here's the question every captain has to ask before they're speaking. Will this help my team grow? Will this help them grow as an individual or shut them down?
Message Intent vs. Impact
00:02:27
Speaker
or have the team resent and turn against me, or simply just comply, but then I have to increase the volume next time to get them to repeat the behavior because they're not buying in to who I am or who my team and culture is.
00:02:42
Speaker
My intent did not match my impact. Because once teammates feel attacked, they stop listening. Even if you're right on paper, how are you delivering that message?
00:02:54
Speaker
And leadership, it it doesn't mean soft. ah Adjusting my tone down does not mean I'm soft. It means I'm controlled, I'm composed, and I'm making an effort to be connected with my teammates so that way we can continue to push each other towards our shared goal.
Clarity Over Volume in Communication
00:03:14
Speaker
Now moving on, T2, judgment day. Target, what you're saying. This is where most captains miss the mark. Clarity beats volume. Great captains don't talk louder, they talk clear.
00:03:28
Speaker
We wanna replace height talk. Wake up, do work. with leadership talk. Communicate earlier. Stay inside leverage. Finish through the line.
00:03:39
Speaker
We're playing inside out. You missed that. Next time we see that, I need you to accomplish that. So one creates noise, the other creates action. And that's the word that I want you to hold on to. Am I being loud for loud's sake? Am I yelling at them because I'm upset?
00:03:56
Speaker
Or am I talking to them, leading them to action and correcting mistakes on the field for the next time they come up? Am I trying to change behavior and build buy-in Or am I venting for my own personal frustrations?
00:04:13
Speaker
Key questions ask yourself. If your teammate cannot repeat your message back to you, it wasn't leadership. It was unclear or overly emotional.
00:04:24
Speaker
Then T3, Rise of the Machines, very underrated
Timely Interventions in Leadership
00:04:28
Speaker
movie. This is timing, when you speak. Leadership happens in real time. Great captains, they don't wait to correct problems. If they see something, they say something.
00:04:40
Speaker
Or bust tail to get ahead of problems and they anticipate that. That's kind of why like multi-year captains. They can base and build experience one year and then aim to get ahead of problems the following year.
00:04:52
Speaker
So we're not waiting to correct problems. We don't wait to reinforce effort and attitude in all the intangibles, the expectations we have for our teammates.
00:05:03
Speaker
And we catch teammates when they're also doing the right thing. We reinforce the behavior and continue to to build a culture and help highlight the guys that are doing things right.
00:05:16
Speaker
So being a captain is not just being a negative person, grabbing onto people and correcting them all the time. It's also publicly praising your teammates that are doing the right thing.
00:05:28
Speaker
Calling them out, hooting and hollering and doing the right thing. Doing the old, yep. when they get praise and do something correct on the field. Celebrating the teammate that did an amazing thing on the field, on the court, and making sure the rest of the team celebrates them as well.
00:05:46
Speaker
The trap with timing is if captains only speak when things go wrong, leadership starts to feel like punishment. And I've seen this too many times with males at the high school level where they think that being authority is just punishing others, is calling people out for the mistakes that they're made.
00:06:08
Speaker
And then they don't wanna do that because they don't like being that punishing force So then they just start to get quiet or boil up this resentment and not say anything until it erupts at a church picnic.
00:06:22
Speaker
Not a good place to be. So correction without encouragement creates resentment. But when accountability and praise show up together, teammates start to trust you as a leader, as a captain of your team.
Practical Steps for Leadership Enhancement
00:06:38
Speaker
So daily reps, these are actionable steps, tools that I hand off to my team captains. This isn't just theory, this is training. This is shaping behavior, gaining their confidence as individuals, which then builds confidence from their teammates in them, and we create this momentum and this positive culture as a team.
00:06:59
Speaker
So rep number one, tone check. We got five captains, they got accountability buddies across the board, and they're always listening to each other and how the message is expressed.
00:07:10
Speaker
So before speaking, am I asking support or attack? I also have a feedback loop. I'm there listening, but we also want the teammates to call each other out. Their co-captains call each other out for their tone checks.
00:07:24
Speaker
Rep two, target clarity. Give specific leaders specific directions at every practice. I aim to one, help their super strengths be super strong.
00:07:37
Speaker
So then put them in positions and speaking opportunities at certain points of practice, whether it's counting reps or leading huddles, and then listening to the message they have to say.
00:07:48
Speaker
So I'm starting out in that point, but eventually I'm going to fade away. But teaching them in this weekly meeting helps because we have games as our true test, our check-in, and seeing if people are meeting their responsibilities create a strong feedback loop.
00:08:04
Speaker
And are we clear on the message? am I clear on my message? that's That's also an important feedback loop to have. So no fate vague hype talk.
00:08:15
Speaker
That doesn't count. Being loud does not mean they're leading. How clear are they on correcting and directing their teammates? Rep two, and this is every single practice, I encourage them to have two positive reinforcements and then one accountability conversation.
00:08:32
Speaker
understanding that one accountability conversation a week is a difficult thing and they need encouragement to then step up and call out versus yell at yell out something for them so the goal is going to be one accountability conversation a practice but we're working there just like anybody else confrontation conflict is a difficult thing That's why praise, that's easier for them to compliment, highlight, shout out.
00:09:05
Speaker
So we're also starting there as well. And then reflection. This is part of our weekly goal. I have questions built into the lessons for them to take home, think about, ponder, and answer.
00:09:17
Speaker
After practice, I hope this is a daily practice. Did the teammates receive my message? Was I clear or overly emotional? Did I lead early or wait too long before I stepped in?
Conclusion: Effective Leadership vs. Loudness
00:09:31
Speaker
Good things here. So closing it down, this this is the captain's standard at all times. Say the right thing the right way at the right time. Remember, leadership is not about talking more. Leadership is about helping teammates perform better.
00:09:46
Speaker
Loud doesn't win championships.
Resources and Sponsor Acknowledgment
00:09:49
Speaker
Leadership does. That does it for the show today. If you want these show notes, follow along with our our weekly leadership lessons. Sign up for my newsletter at newsletter.captainsandcoaches.com. If you want some swag, I got some sweet gear here.
00:10:06
Speaker
head to shop.captainsandcoaches.com. And if you want the science and practice of building confidence and connection with your team, I got an awesome online course there. And the first lesson is available to you for free at listen.captainsandcoaches.com.
00:10:23
Speaker
Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to like, subscribe, rate, and review, all that good stuff. And lastly, shout out to our sponsor, Train Heroic. I put all of my strength and conditioning on there, whether it's the stuff I'm doing for the lacrosse team or doing for myself.
00:10:40
Speaker
So if you're looking for strength training program built around leadership lessons daily, Check that stuff out. There's going to links in the show notes. And shout out Trainer Rogue Sponsor.
00:10:51
Speaker
Cool. That does it for the show. Thank you for tuning in and helping us raise the game. See you next week. And see you.