I can still remember climbing in the backseat of my Aunt Sharon's light blue minivan with my cousin Rachel on a Saturday morning to head to Thompson Boling Arena for the UT vs. Connecticut women's basketball game. I can remember shouting from the 11th row as UConn players shot free throws, my Aunt Sharon keeping track of the stats on her gameday poster, and yelling encouragement to the Lady Vols as though they could actually hear what we were saying.As a native of Knoxville, I did not realize that most college sports fans do not follow women's collegiate basketball until I went away to college and learned that I was the only person watching the Women's NCAA tournament. And that speaks to the power, the leadership, and the vision of Lady Vols head coach Pat Summitt.
I've been reading the news stories about Coach Summitt's retirement over the past two weeks and watched the reactions of former players, and seen the video tributes, you cannot help but ask what made Coach Summitt so successful? What was it about her personality and her leadership that made her an iconic figure in the national sports scene and a legendary hero of the state of Tennessee who will stand by the likes of Elvis Presley and Davy Crockett?
Reflecting on this in my own context, I have been wondering what we as a church can learn about leadership from Coach Summitt? Are there lessons our own session could take from this woman to shape how we carry out our mission? I know there are a host of qualities I could mention or incorporate, but here are some of my reflections over the past two weeks (in no particular order).
1. "You can't coach effort"
If you ever listened to a Pat Summitt interview, you most likely heard her use this phrase. You might hear it in praise of her team in victory or in criticism of her team in defeat, but Coach Summitt seemed to lead with a mentality that the team who fought the hardest, who wanted the win more, often got it. Players who did not work hard did not play. Players who felt entitled were privately admonished. How might this translate into church leadership? A session and pastor can create systems and structures, they can inspire in worship, they can cast a vision for the church with goals for the future. But no amount of planning or preparation or vision can replace a body of believers willing to put forth their best effort for the glory of God. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each member of the body and in the mind and heart of each individual as to whether or not he or she will respond.
2. Set high expectations for those you lead
Coach Summitt expected nothing less than a national championship from every team she coached. She also expected all her players to attend class and sit on the front row, and her dedication to the student-athlete led to a 100% graduation rate for all players who completed their eligibility in the program. When Summitt took over as head coach of the Lady Vols at twenty-two years old, there was no precedent for the expectations she set for her team, but her relentless dedication to high standards led to unprecedented success. In the Church, we too can set high expectations of ourselves and our congregation. We should not allow programs and activities to continue out of habit alone but because of our passion for the Gospel and our desire to equip disciples for ministry in the world. Without being oppressive or totalitarian, we must strive after nothing less than the example set before us by Jesus himself and not settle for anything less.
3. Set even higher standards for yourself as a leader
Summitt also taught her players and the public that your example as a leader communicates far more than what you say. If a session and pastor, therefore, want to initiate new mission projects or increase participation in education events, they must be ready to lead and participate in them as well. If they are seeking a deeper spirituality among the congregation, they must personally egage in devotional practices and prayer. Integrity may be the most important component of effective leadership, and that involves who you are in the spotlight and who you are in the privacy of your home. When others see that the high expectations you have for others are exceeded by the standards you set for yourself, everyone grows.
4. Remember who you are
Ever humble, Coach Summitt remembered why she coached basketball and who was ultimately responsible for the continued success of her program. It was never the "Pat Summitt show" on the basketball court, but instead her job was to represent the University of Tennessee, the fans who cheered for her team, and the state as a whole. How many times did you hear Coach Summitt thank the wonderful Lady Vol fans in her interviews? How many recorded locker room speeches did you hear where she reminded her team that they were representing an entire state on the court? As leaders in the church, we can learn from Coach Summitt that we are to remember who we ultimately serve and who we represent in our community. In our case, we are the witnesses to the power of God in Jesus Christ. That is a high calling and should make us careful with our speech, generous with our resources, compassionate toward others, grace-offering instead of merely grace-receiving. Coach Summitt can remind us as Christians that we are not "entitled" to our position, but we are beholden to a God who has called us into service, and we represent God to the world.
5. It is always "we" and never "me"
While Coach Summitt was praise individual players before the media, she would never publicly criticize one player alone. Failure was always "we," while praise could be offered individually. Correction took place in private, and we often could see from the outside when a player responded to correction by her performance on the court. This too can teach us a lot about church. It is appropriate to offer thanksgiving and praise for the faithful work of others, and we should do that often. When we have a conflict or what appears like a "failure" as a congregation, however, we address the issue individually instead of through the gossip chain or in public ridicule. This is not only an example set for us by Pat Summitt, but is a prescription for conflict set before us in scripture.
6. Risk a vision greater than anyone else is willing to imagine
All of the qualities of leadership I have seen and mentioned above ultimately stem from this final leadership trait. Pat Summitt was a visionary leader, who saw a future for women's basketball far beyond what anyone had previously thought. She committed herself to that vision, as women's basketball gained more air time on national television, as women's basketball coaching salaries began to grow closer to their male counterparts, and as the success of the women's game began to lead to future job opportunities in professional basketball or additional coaching opportunities around the country. As Christians, we too are called to a greater vision that anyone else is willing to imagine. Unlike Coach Summitt, though, we are not left to our imaginations to cast that vision. It is the Peaceable Kingdom proclaimed by Isaiah where swords are beaten to plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. It is the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and lived out by his ministry. It is a commitment to a vision of something greater that cost Jesus his life, but his resurrection has told us to put our faith in that vision and to shape our temporal lives around it now, even when others cannot imagine anything so great.
We should be grateful that we have lived in a time when we were able to experience the life of such a visionary pioneer. Coach Summitt will remain a hero to many of us and someone we can continue to learn from even as she transitions into her new phase of life. I imagine she still has lessons to teach us.
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