Choose to Lead: Building Tomorrow's Leaders Through Youth Sports - Part 1

 

Episode Overview

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Jason Ronai shares his expertise on leadership development for athletes at every level. The discussion focuses on how true leadership isn't about titles, but about influence, and provides practical tools that athletes can implement immediately - whether they're team captains or not.

Hosts:

• Kortney Harmon - Former Division 1 College Softball Pitcher turned high-performance business coach
• Julie Jones - Hall of Fame coach with over 20 years of D1 softball coaching experience and certified mental performance specialist

Guest:

Dr. Jason Ronai - Expert in athlete leadership development and author of "Endless Teachable Moments"

Key Topics & Timestamps Leadership Philosophy & Foundation (00:00 - 10:00)

• Dr. Ronai's comprehensive leadership philosophy from his doctorate program
• The most important word in leadership: "CHOOSE"
• Breaking down complex leadership concepts for youth athletes
• The "Two Beasts" concept: Growth-oriented vs. Poison beast

The Mountain Climbing Metaphor (10:00 - 15:00)

• Leadership as climbing a mountain toward "competitive greatness"
• Choosing conscientiousness and working hard daily
• Building habits of overcoming obstacles
• The importance of "figuring it out" and applying self-knowledge

Age-Appropriate Leadership Development (15:00 - 20:00)

• Why young athletes shouldn't be pressured to be "leaders" immediately
• Starting with being a "good helper" and taking personal responsibility
• Building standards of behavior, communication, and body language
• The progression from helper → great teammate → positive influencer → leader

The Six E's Framework (20:00 - 30:00)

• Effort: Complete focus and articulation of concentration
• Energy: Positive body language that shows readiness
• Enthusiasm: Excitement for the success of others
• Encouragement: Having courage to give and receive feedback
• Execution: Conscientiousness in all actions and movements
• Elimination: Removing DEBTS (Distraction, Embarrassment, Taunting, Sarcasm, Self-pity)

The Value of Failure & Teachable Moments (30:00 - 40:00)

• Why high achievers often struggle more with failure
• The endless teachable moments available through sports
• How team sports create opportunities to overcome both success and failure
• Building habits of resilience through athletic experiences

Embracing Failure & Building Toughness (40:00 - 45:00)

• Painting realistic pictures of what will happen in sports
• The two core values: Poise (proactive mindset) and Toughness (reactive habits)
• Preparing athletes mentally for inevitable mistakes and adversity
• Building trust through consistent responses to failure

Modern Challenges: Social Media & External Pressures (45:00 - End)

• Navigating increased distractions and external pressures
• Helping athletes develop personal core values
• Strategies for dealing with social media negativity
• The importance of focusing on internal standards vs. external opinions

Key Quotes

"Great leaders are honest, competent, inspiring, forward looking individuals and choose to be poised, growth oriented, conscientious competitors who positively impact people and organizations in order to achieve mission driven results that exceed expectations."

"The most important word in leadership is 'choose' - we choose our core values, our standards of behavior, our standards of body language, and our standards of communication."

"Leadership is just a constant growth and awareness process in which you aim to be positive and an empowering influence on others through your habits, values, words, skills and actions."