Carla Overbeck, U.S. Soccer National Team Captain
Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center
How did you evolve into a leader? My freshman year at Carolina was atrocious. I was afraid to be out there, I was afraid to make a mistake. I was a wreck. I wasn't very strong. I wasn't very confident. I wanted people to like me. It's hard to start off right away competing and trying to beat people. A lot of times girls take it off the field. So I wasn't very competitive. When you're a freshman, you have all these upperclassmen around you, that have been here for years, and you don't want to say a thing to them. By the time I was a senior, Anson taught us that it was okay to be competitive. It was okay to win. I watched my teammates around me. I tried to pick out things about people that I liked; what they said and how they talked to people on the team. I saw how others led the team. And how people responded to them. And I tried to come up with my own style. There was one player who I wanted to take her competitiveness and make it a part of my leadership. But the way in which she spoke to people, I didn't want that part. Because people didn't respond to her, they got angry. Then I realized, her tone was bad. The information she was telling people was very, very good, and very helpful. But the way in which she was telling them, they didn't want to hear it.
What does it take to be a great leader by example? As a leader, you don't feel like training sometimes, but you have to act like you want to be out there every single day. You can't take a day off, as a captain, as a leader. So you have to fake it. Be prepared that people are watching you, and watching how you're responding to different situations. If they see you slacking off in fitness or if they see you not going as hard in a scrimmage, then they think that's okay. And it's not. Not if you want to be the best.
How do you know how to motivate different teammates? I prided myself on being as compassionate as I could to people but at the same time you have to get to know everyone as an individual. You have to talk to them in such a way that brings out the best in them. Some people don't like to be screamed at, while others, that motivates them. The tone is also key. If there is always a negative tone, people will shut you out, they won't listen. If you use a tone that is positive, even if they are screwing up, it is best to handle it in a positive way. You have to get a sense for each individual on your team. You must help them in a way that will benefit them and bring out the best in them. You must know your teammates, and know what motivates them, and know what doesn't motivate them.
What must a leader do off the field? We always helped each other out, carrying bags, and doing little things for each other. You set that standard and set that example and others will follow. This allows you get on people if they are not pulling their weight. I didn't have a problem doing that and I tried to do it in a positive way.
How can a leader effectively refocus her teammates? When you make a mistake, you know you feel like crap. You know you made a mistake, the 90,000 people watching you know you made a mistake. You don't need someone in your ear just screaming at you all the time. At that moment you need a lift. I wanted to be the first person to provide my teammate with that lift. For example, Brandi Chastain. We were in the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C. in the World Cup in 1999. Brandi kicked a ball into our own goal. Immediately, you could see it in her body language, she shut down. I ran over to her and I said, "B, ya you screwed up, but we need you!" She was one of the best players on the team. I wanted to make a point to get over to her first and just tell her that it was okay for one, not to worry, we still had plenty of time left in the game, and that we were going to win. She turned herself around, picked her head up, and ended up scoring the game-winner in that game. So I think being a good leader you have to help your team in a positive way.
How can you effectively confront your teammates? As a leader, you're going to do things that aren't popular with the rest of the team. Sometimes you will have teammates who complain about other teammates. You have to ask them, "Is what you are saying going to help this team, or is it going to hurt it? Because if it's going to hurt it, it's my job as a leader, as a captain on this team, to have you stop it." If you have an issue or problem with somebody, go right to that person and say, "I didn't like how you talked to so and so, or I didn't like what you said to me, let's talk about it." Don't go to your roommate, don't go to your other friend. Come to me and tell me if you have a problem with me. Then we can sort it out. That's hard to do. It's hard to seek that person out and say, "Do you have a problem with me?" It's difficult going right to the source. As a leader, you have to do that. You can't make your issue a team issue.
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