Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Are you a connector?

Even though you should have a unified team, in reality your team is often made up of various sub-groups.

Think about it... Each of your teammates have likely found a sub-group on your team that they feel most comfortable interacting with.

Certain teammates tend to hang out together, warm up together, sit together on road trips, etc. These sub-groups can be based on a variety of things including year in school, race, religion, shared interests, etc.

It is normal and natural for these sub-groups to occur on a team - and can be healthy as long as the various sub-groups respect each other. Cliques occur when the various sub-groups on your own team are in competition and conflict with each other.

• What are the different sub-groups on your team?

• Do the sub-groups respect each other and act in an inclusive manner rather than exclude others?

Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber helped me realize something important about good leaders - they must be connectors of the various sub-groups on the team.

In talking with Coach Weber about his leaders, he said he really thought one of his guys, Chester Frasier, was a good captain because he had the ability to connect with each of the different sub-groups on his team.

Chester had invested the time to develop solid working relationships with key people in each of the various sub-groups on the team. Because of this, he had credibility with each of his teammates, no matter what sub-group they were in.

He had the special ability to connect with each of the sub-groups and keep them all on the same page and working together as a team.

WHO DO YOU NEED TO CONNECT WITH?

As a leader, your challenge this week is to identify the various sub-groups on your team. (This would be a great discussion to have with your coaches too.) Then assess the kind of relationships you have with each of the sub-groups.

• Do you have a relationship with the freshmen on your team?

• Do you have a relationship with your teammates from a different race?

• Do you have a relationship with the sub-group who likes to socialize often?

• Do you have a relationship with the reserves who may not always agree with your coaches' decisions?

Start investing the time now to identify and develop working relationships with each of the sub-groups and their unofficial leaders. It will go a long way in managing the potential conflicts and cliques on your team. And keep you all more unified and focused on a common goal.

CAPTAINS ARE CONNECTORS! Invest the time to connect and reconnect this week!

To learn how you can become a better leader, click here for information about the Summer of 2009 Team Captain's Leadership Camps. Be sure to register by May 1st to save $100!