Becoming a good leader on the field requires many skills, but one of the most important is creating a positive environment where your teammates can succeed. A good leader will maintain a positive attitude, even when situations become challenging. Part of maintaining that positive attitude requires motivating your teammates and keeping them focused on the goals in front of them, even when moments of adversity or challenges arise. So how can you bring a positive attitude during challenging times?
- Focus on Solutions: Failure will often come in baseball. It can become very easy to dwell on what went wrong. We often tend to spiral into figuring out how and why it went wrong. Instead, focus on finding solutions and ways to move forward. When you’re around your teammates, don’t dwell on the failures of individuals, but instead, focus on ways that everyone can improve to help achieve the team’s goals. This will help you keep a positive attitude and keep your mind from focusing on the negative.
- Practice Gratitude: Baseball is a game of combined individuals coming together to be successful in their roles to help the team. Show your teammates that you care. Take time to acknowledge things when they are going well and express gratitude for the individual contributions that each team member brings to the field every day. Practicing gratitude will not only help shift your mindset to positivity but will also do the same for those around you.
- Communicate Effectively: Communication always goes a long way. Make sure you are clear and concise when you communicate with your teammates. Along with that, actively listen. Acknowledging their concerns and ideas will help build trust. When you build trust with those around you, you foster a positive team dynamic.
- Lead by Example: We talk about this often, but always remember someone is watching. The attitude and behavior you bring to the field can impact your team positively or negatively, depending on how you carry yourself. Be a model of what a positive attitude is. Be a model of a strong work ethic. This will go a long way to help you feed into others. It is often said you get what you give out.
- Take Care of Yourself: As a leader, we always want to pour into others, but we must remember to pour into ourselves. Prioritizing self-care is extremely important to helping you maintain a positive attitude. Taking care of yourself enables you to keep the energy and focus on leading and helping those around you. Take time for meditation, long walks in nature, or other passions you may have to make sure you are filling up your cup so you can pour into others when you get to the field.
Maintaining a positive attitude can be challenging. We can quickly get wrapped up in negativity, whether it is because of the people we have around us, external factors, or internal thoughts. Know that it is okay to have negative thoughts, but be aware of them. The more aware you are, the easier it becomes to address them. This will allow you to go out there to be the best version of yourself and help motivate your teammates to achieve the goals you all set out.
