A herd of antelope is peacefully eating in the open woodlands of Africa on a warm Summer day. Amongst the blazing sun and herd of antelope, a lone lion makes its way across the woodlands and inches closer towards its anticipated prey. The lion is careful and calculated as it roams closer towards the herd that is, to this point, unassuming and enjoying themselves and their food.
As the lion gets to within striking distance of the antelope, one member of the herd instantly picks up its head and scans the horizon for danger. The lion only made a subtle noise, but it was enough to set off the danger alarm of one of an entire herd of antelope.
From there an amazing scene plays out. The herd of antelope all stop eating and look towards its member that had instinctively sensed danger ahead. Again, instinctively and without a word, the rest of the herd members begin to scan the horizon surrounding them for impending danger.
All of a sudden, a different member of the antelope herd bolts. Without hesitation, it takes off in one direction and the rest of the herd members dash along towards the leader. In the split second that the first antelope decided to bolt the hunting lion has made its own move and darted towards the pack hoping to secure dinner for the day.
After a chase that didn’t last that long in terms of pure and scientific seconds, but must have seemed like an eternity for the antelope herd, the entire pack is able to escape and outrun the lion allowing everyone the opportunity to live another day longer.
The story of the antelope and the lion showcases the ability of a group to trust each other and NOT have a single dedicated leader at the helm. Had the herd of antelope been only relying on one of its members they may not have gotten so lucky. The lion may have gotten the better of them. But because the antelope functioned as a unit that worked together and not as individuals looking out for their best interest, they were able to survive the scare from the lion and chaos was avoided.
I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that you cannot be a leader unless you are able to help others around you become leaders too. A lot of us see leadership as an opportunity to advance status, or to get a pay raise, or to improve social standing. A lot of people see leadership as a point of influence and when they reach that stage of their journey, they forget to do the very thing that is needed most. They become obsessed with advancing their own agendas, sometimes at the expense of hurting members of their team, community or family. They don’t lead – they take advantage of their circumstances.
When I was a kid I didn’t know too much about leadership. I was obsessed with sports. I wanted to play, I wanted to compete, and I wanted to win. I didn’t have any idea where leadership fit in amongst everything else. I wish I knew now what I didn’t know then. I wish I understood how important the non-physical aspect of competition was. I wish I knew that physical training was only one piece of the puzzle to compete as an athlete and that I was stunting my growth and my opportunities for success.
Now, I’m looking to make sure that student-athletes don’t make the same mistakes I did. When I was a student-athlete, had I known that my leadership qualities could help strengthen the culture of the teams I played on, I would have been more willing to try and flex those muscles. But the only muscles I knew how to flex were the physical ones. They were the only ones I thought that mattered. I was never under the impression that my abilities as a leader could have had long-lasting impacts on my athletic career as well as been influential to my transition in life after sports.
At Talent 409, we help high school and collegiate athletes discover their talent altitude through workshops and seminars while increasing their opportunities for success on and off the field. Talent altitude is the idea that player development is more than just physical. Learning traits and qualities related to leadership development will help you in competition on the field and also prepare you for life after sports. In addition to student-athletes, we work with coaches and administrators at the high school and collegiate level to enhance their education on how they can positively impact the performance of their teams and programs. Supporting the development of student-athletes should be a primary focus of coaches and administrators. It’s not all about X’s and O’s.
I believe that every one of us has the ability to be a leader. We all have the ability to influence, we all have the ability to help, and we certainly all have the ability to trust one another. If we all act as the antelope did we can develop cultures that are strong and make us feel safe and secure. Talent 409 is a resource and a guide for those in athletics looking for an education on how to enhance their leadership and build a winning culture.
The only question left to ask is: are you ready to discover your talent altitude?
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Colin Cerniglia is the founder and CEO of Talent 409. He is combining his passion for sports and his past leadership experience in sports and in the corporate world to help student-athletes, coaches and administrators find more opportunities for success on and off the field. In addition to seminar and workshops, Colin also hosts a podcast on leadership and athletics. You can follow the work of Talent 409 by connecting on Instagram @talent409, Facebook @talent409, and on LinkedIn by searching for Talent 409. You can also visit Talent 409’s website or email Colin directly to connect and learn more.
