All about that bass or that QUALITY?

"A quality captain strives to improve themselves and their team" shorturl.at/cgrvz

You are more than a leader when you are a captain. You obtain all these qualities that you yourself are not even aware of. From my experience of being a captain, I did not know I had all these qualities, until I sat down and reflected on my role. I would like to share with you all these qualities. 

The 8 qualities a captain is:

1. Friend
2. Teacher
3. Optimist
4. Realist
5. Encourager
6. Trainer
7. Player
8. Worker

Being a friend means, "You are approachable and available. Team members aren't afraid to come to you with questions". It also means that they can trust you with anything other than dance. Still till this day, I have former team members who call me and tell me things they know I'll keep my word on. This proves to show that as a captain, I was their friend. And they knew they had a friend in me

As a teacher, "Your teammates value your authority and don't take advantage of you". Not only are you their captain but you are also a teacher. Not only do you teach choreography but you teach them to set an example. When I was a captain, I always told my teammates to value others and to always respect people.

You are also an optimist, "You see potential in every individual". As a member of the team, you set goals for your peers that you know they cam achieve. For instance, one of the girls on my team could not do this particular dance move. And I set time aside with her and we practiced until she got it.

A realist, "You realize that academics and family come first". One of the major concepts as a captain that I always went by was my teammates knowing that they had to have their grades higher than a "C". If they had anything below, they would be on probation and will not be able to participate for a whole month. I always made sure that their school work was their priority outside of dance. And understanding that family emergencies are needed to be handled no matter what. 

When you are an encourager, "You praise them when they have done something great". Similar as an optimist, but as an encourager you recognize their strengths. All the girls and boy on my team were all at different paces. Not everyone has the same technique, so as captain you push everyone to be there best.

You are also a trainer, "You push your team to step outside of their comfort zone". Giving constructive criticism, is the base of a team. And as a captain, you can not let your team settle for being just "okay".

Not only are you a teammate, you are a player. "Your energy is contagious and you create an enjoyable environment", positive energy radiates and negative energy radiates! 

Finally, being a worker means being a leader. "You are on time and always prepared". Always having a plan and being ready to go is part of being a captain. I always walked into my practice knowing what I was going to get done that day. 

No captain is perfect, but finding a balance is key!