Leadership and Discipline at the Zou

Bobby Knight, college basketball coaching legend, said four things were essential for a real person’s dedication to discipline:

1.   Do what has to be done.

2.   When it has to be done.

3.   As well as it can be done.

4.   And do it that way all the time.

Essentially, Knight was saying do it right, or do it again, regardless of who sees it.

Discipline is done when no one is looking, yet it means being considerate of others. Good discipline, which is a form of excellence, is not an act but a habit. You must be polite, on time and take care of business with pride. To be disciplined as a team, each person must first be disciplined as an individual.

As a college football player, it is important to know what is expected of you before you can jump into disciplining yourself.

A good college football player knows the importance of being on time. He has learned the value of regular hours and good training habits from working hard in practice. He has learned that the team comes before himself. From this, his character is strengthened, as he could be called to sacrifice himself for the greater good of others.

A disciplined player knows how to take criticism, and he has learned how to take orders. By doing so, he has also learned on how to give orders. He is aware that discipline is the essence of every successful organization. Because he is a member of the team, he knows what it takes for that team to be successful, and that is solely through the enforcement of discipline.

Once an individual has made himself disciplined, he may then focus on the discipline of the team. Here is the conclusion and rubric the team should unquestionably come to and follow:

1. The team does not beat itself by mistakes.
2. The team keeps penalties at a minimum.
3. The team is always ready to play. The team’s bottom line is intensity.
4. The team has the guts and the knowhow to come back from behind.
5. The team rises above adversity.
6. Lastly and most importantly, the team never, never quits.

From discipline comes knowledge, and from knowledge comes the ability to lead. To be a good leader, a player should have a certain set of principles that he has set for himself. A player must know himself and seek self-improvement at all costs. A player must be technically and tactically proficient. He needs to develop a sense of responsibility among subordinates.

A leader must also make sound and timely decisions. By doing so, he will also naturally set the example. For success, discipline and leadership are vital.  In the end, a truly great player not only looks out for himself, but also for his teammates.