From Gridiron to General Manager: Nurturing Leadership Skills in Sports and Education - Free Essay

Vince Lombardi, a former American football coach and executive in the NFL, once said that "leaders are made, they are not born." With this famous quote, Lombardi meant that persistent hard work is the only price that everyone needs to pay to achieve a goal that they consider worthwhile. This quote has always been my motivation in both my studies and life as a footballer. I come from Selma, Alabama, state, and my biggest goal is to become a general manager of a professional sports team. Hence, becoming a successful general manager is mainly based on practical experience and hard work. I major in available studies and minor in communication/ psychology. By the time I graduate at the end of the semester, I believe I will have honed all the right skills I will need for my future job.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

My course will help me acquire excellent communication skills, which is a requisite of a great leader. As a general studies student, I write a lot, including essays, and articles, and engage in student journalism. Writing has helped to improve my written communication. Besides writing, my course has improved my ability to interact physically with people from diverse backgrounds. At the university, I have gradually developed my verbal communication skills by delivering presentations and public speaking. The ability to communicate well has enhanced my ability to resolve or manage conflict both at school and outside. I have learned how to be humble, and as a result, I am easy to talk to, authentic, and open to different ideas. Therefore, I believe that my communication skills will be invaluable once I become a general manager of a sports team in the future.

My life has also revolved around working in teams and influencing others to pull together towards a common goal. As a former footballer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), I always motivated my team to do what we were tasked to do. Besides, I have ever taken on leadership roles and devised techniques that help me work well with other people. Playing football while studying at the same time has dramatically influenced my time-management skills as well as organization skills. I have had to break from the habit of procrastination by juggling between school assignments and football. In the end, I always find myself delivering high-quality results on time. Furthermore, my organizational skills have vastly developed. Over time, I created a system that helped me manage project deadlines and multiple meetings, hence keeping track of my obligations.

I have successfully demonstrated that I am responsible and trustworthy. I have learned to budget and manage my money by paying utility bills and rent. I also budget for my food and drinks. I have also shown responsible behavior by handling large sums of cash at student groups by serving a treasurer's role. Hence, my excellent money management experience will help me demonstrate responsibility in a general manager's position even if it does not require me to handle money.

A great leader learns from other people and accepts constructive criticism. My work in the field and class has not always been perfect, and countless times, I have received plenty of constructive criticism from my peers and tutors. Criticism has helped to improve my work at school and in the field. As a result, I have learned how to keep a positive attitude toward tasks and display the same attitude with my peers and tutors at school. Creativity has always been a part of me. I come up with new ideas and solutions to problems each time I face challenges. I approach issues from different angles, think outside the box, and conduct research to overcome challenging issues. Besides, my course entails numerous research tasks and projects where I am required to deploy analytical skills to collect, analyze, assess, and apply research information.

I have developed the accumulated knowledge, skills, and attitudes to attain a general manager position in a sports team once I graduate from my studies. I exhibit discipline, communication, interpersonal, and responsible behavior. I am also strong and fearless and possess a strong ability to take the good with the bad while remaining motivated. Moreover, I have an excellent knowledge base and therefore understand sports management. Psychology has dramatically developed my understanding of the human mind, including physical education and social movement. I also have extensive training, which I have acquired through accumulated experience. My time as a footballer has given me the opportunity to be the head coach of a football team at the university. Thus, I have gained experience and received hands-on training through a head coach's volunteer work or taking part in officiating local athletics.

A degree in general studies will also help me get ahead. My course will allow me to secure strong professional connections and form firm foundations of knowledge. Additionally, a degree in general studies will enable me to take more additional courses that focus on sports and become a potentially successful available sports team manager after my studies.

Conclusion

My course, accompanied by experience and zeal to excel, will allow me to become a great leader in the future. My education has helped to develop my soft skills, including communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. On the other hand, my experience as a football player and leader of a football team has helped me develop my hard skills, including time and money management skills. Each day I work toward becoming a better leader through hard work, persistence, and motivation. I am still developing some of my skills through my studies, and by the end of my course, I will have acquired all the necessary skills I need to be a great leader in the future. Becoming a general manager of a professional sports team is my biggest goal. This degree serves as a stepping stone to help land the position of a team’s general manager.

My skills

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Team-player
• Problem-solving
• Creative
• Organization skills
• Time management
• Money management
• Accepting constructive criticism
• Flexible