Lead Like a Buckeye Series Kicks Off
9/5/2019 2:01:42 PM | General
Wednesday evening in Ohio Stadium, more than 100 student-athletes gathered for the first session of Lead Like a Buckeye for 2019-20.
The mission of the program, designed for captains and team leaders from all programs throughout the department of athletics, is to create leaders of character who are effective within their teams. The selected student-athletes are exposed to different styles of leadership through one-hour monthly sessions throughout the year.
Student-athletes packed the room tonight to learn the value of leadership from @CoachUrbanMeyer. #GoBucks | #BuckeyesLead pic.twitter.com/tsYzV798a6
— The Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute (@EDSLInstitute) September 5, 2019
The lessons shared were impactful for student-athletes in attendance.
Austin Pooley, men’s hockey junior
“Lead Like a Buckeye was a great opportunity for me to collaborate with other leaders here at Ohio State. Urban Meyer delivered an insightful message about the importance of leadership, along with key qualities of a great leader. I am looking forward to taking the concepts I learned and applying them to my everyday life and our culture.”
Claire Nicholson, softball junior
“I learned that in order to be a good leader, you first have to gain the trust of every single teammate. Leading by example and sticking to your word will help you gain respect. I’m excited for the rest of the sessions and I really want to be ‘the one’ for my team.”
Jonathon Cooper, football senior
“One of the key things I learned is that when being a leader, you have to put the benefit of the team before your own or even your friends. When you’re a captain or leader, that’s your job and people are expecting you to make the best decisions for the team.”
Shiori Fukuda, women’s tennis junior
“I really like the program. It’s intense and we have to pay attention to every single word because otherwise it’s waste of our time and Coach’s time. It’s also a great opportunity to discuss with other athletes and absorb their thoughts. Since we are a young team, it’s good to teach them how to be a great leader starting in their freshman/sophomore years.”
