The Captains Ballot

The first Thursday of every season we vote on team captains.

The process was simple - players listed three names on a 3x5 notecard at the end of practice. I tabulated the results and announced the selections the following day. 

For the first 15 years of my career - the captains held a ceremonial position. Someone had to attend the pregame meeting with the officials. It was an honor to be chosen to represent the team, but they had very little responsibility beyond that.

As you can imagine, our elections were little more than popularity contests. Seniors felt entitled to the position, and came to expect it as a rite of passage. On occasion when a senior wasn’t selected, a rift quickly formed in the locker room often followed by backlash from expectant parents. More often than I’d like to admit, our season started with self-inflicted division spurred by the captains ballot.

Once the dust settled, we hoped that by bestowing the title of Captain, they would magically transform into effective leaders. Sometimes they did, most often they did not, and who could blame them? We provided no expectations for the role and did nothing to nurture their growth.

However, we did get mad at them when the team suffered from a lack of leadership. I just didn’t understand at the time it was my lack of leadership that was doing the most harm.

Fast forward 20 years, and I can proudly say we do things differently. When it comes to the captains ballot… 

We Hire For the Job 

Our ballot procedure has changed significantly over the years. We no longer pick three people to be anointed as the team leaders. Instead, we describe the three vital responsibilities of the captains and ask players to list the top three people that they believe best fit that job description. Rather than directly voting for a person - they match a teammate to a particular role. 

Team Mom - Who is our best encourager? Who picks you up when you feel down or would be the person you would talk to if you had a question, concern, problem, or frustration on or off the court?

The first role of the team captain is to serve as a social-emotional leader. We expect our captains to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, and to be intentional in caring for them. They should help to facilitate connections between teammates, at times organizing informal team gatherings during the season. They show initiative by checking in with teammates periodically, and making themselves available when others have questions or concerns. 

Not every person does this naturally, and we will devote some time during our captains meetings to exploring how to express care. In some ways, this may be the product of personality, we also believe it can be learned and practiced.

I want to uncover who is well connected with their teammates so that I can equip those individuals to leverage their influence to help manage the team’s well-being.

The Diplomat - Who do you trust to represent the team in the coaching staff’s decision-making process?

Bob Knight famously said, “I let them decide anything I didn't care about.”

We have taken a different approach. I want player input on the things I care about the most. Knight might let the players decide what time to practice, or where to eat after the game. Those things are of little consequence to what really matters. Our decisions about playing style, culture, and expectations are of critical importance, and to get greater buy-in, we include our captains in those conversations throughout the year. 

Part of the captain’s responsibility is to meet weekly with me on Saturday mornings. During this time we discuss any drama / issues and plan the week ahead. We explain to the team that the council has an enormous amount of input into our decision-making process. In fact, over the past few years, I can’t think of a decision, large or small, that wasn’t first vetted by the captains. We do this for two reasons.

First, while I have a general feel for the team vibe, I don’t always know what’s being said behind the scenes. I don’t always understand how my decisions are perceived by the players. I want to know what they think about everything we do so that we can work together to co-create the best experience possible. I cannot do this without their perspective. 

Vince Lombardi once described superior captains as those that identify with the group and support it at all times, “even at the risk of displeasing superiors.” These are the kinds of voices we want in our weekly meetings - those that will actively participate in the decision process. We are not looking for yes-men.

Second, the team has grown accustomed to coming to the captains with questions. The more the captains understand why we do what we do, the better they can explain our course of action to others. The captains are also more likely to buy-in and lead the way forward when they have had a say in the decisions being made.

Heart & Soul - Who best embodies the culture of Gratitude, Effort & Love we are trying to create in the Mount Vernon Girls Basketball program?

When Jill Ellis took over the women’s national soccer team her first decision was to name veterans Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn as team captains. “They are two extremely professional players in both game and training environments and they embody the DNA of this program.”

In describing this role, we ask players to imagine a stranger coming to observe our practice. If they were to ask me, “What is your program all about?” Who would I direct them to watch? Who best exemplifies our values of Gratitude, Effort, and Love?

This has been an informative question for me as my perceptions are somewhat limited to what we see during basketball. We quickly learn who has earned the team’s respect both on and off the court.

The captains are responsible for representing our program and bringing our values to life. During our weekly meetings we will discuss what they are doing to demonstrate those values, and how they impact the way that we lead. 

The Captains Ballot

On Thursday of the first week of practice our players will now list in rank order three individuals that they believe best matches each of these criteria. We tabulate the votes in each category by giving the first person listed three points, the second person two points, and the third person one point. The number of captains varies from year-to-year depending on where the natural break occurs in the results, and how many players we have on the team. 

Since restructuring our ballot in this way we have taken the entitlement out of the equation. Seniors may be more experienced to lead in these ways, but it is no longer a defining characteristic. Last season our council consisted of one sophomore, one junior, and one senior. We had three seniors that were not selected, and none of them raised an issue.

We carefully explain the process of selecting captains to players and parents in our preseason meetings so that they understand our process before the voting takes place. The captains also understand that with great power comes great responsibility. They know this is not merely a ceremonial position, nor is it a rite of passage. 

If you’ve been a victim of popularity contests in the past, give careful thought to what specifically you expect from your captains. Consider drafting a job description and allowing that to inform your selection process. Everyone will be glad you did. 

Food for thought.

For more insight into using a Leadership Council, checkout JP’s online course HERE.

-Nate Sanderson