In high school, I joined plenty of groups and organizations. This ranged from class politics such as student and class office council to self-made charity clubs such as my Sports For Charity club. I would commit to any club that would help me learn any new life skills and help me build my character. There was no group, organization or team that I did during high school that taught me that more than the tennis team. I learned so much about relational leadership through our ability to be inclusive, empowering and ethical with our practice and match process.
When I first started the tennis team during my freshman year of high school, I was worried that I would go unnoticed and I would not be able to make any really connections. However, as soon as the season started, my coaches would assign me with different players of varying quality which would allow to get new playing experience but it would also give me the chance to meet new people. I have made some of my best friends through simply being assigned to them for doubles practice. There would be a level of bonding that would occur from simply trying to strategize and motivating each other to keep playing through any previous failures. The tennis team was inclusive by allowing people to play with one another without categorizing them by skill level and not allowing any new players to gain experience. Everyone had chance to interact, which gave us opportunities to bond and grow closer as a team.
Another aspect of the relational leadership model that is evident in my high school tennis team is being empowering. When match season begun, the stress and tension of the matches would rise. The aim of our team was to reach state finals and win. However, if we were going to, we would have to work on our mental state and make sure that we were in a solid headspace for each match. This is how our team came into play. The best six players on the team would play the massive tournament matches, while the rest of our team watched from the side. While we would end up winning most our matches, it was also important that we were reminded of the team’s support. This is where the cheering and the exclamations were most important. As someone who was on our top six, I can definitely attest to the fact that it was very motivation to turn to my team watching behind the fence as they yelled, “good shot, Sidd!” I wanted nothing more than to do good by me and by my team. If someone lost a match, my team would comfort them but they would also provide constructive criticism where it was necessary. They wanted me to succeed just as much as I wanted to, and that really empowered me.
In terms of ethics, my teammates and I followed strictly. We would always try to treat each other with respect and understanding. We all viewed each other as equals and treat each other as such. For example, the top six people would never lose respect for other lower-ranked teammates because there were no elitist mindsets like that. When I was on the team, I made sure to be very casual with the younger team members and not try to intimidate them or put them down. As for our coaches, they were never abusive or mean. All they wanted for us was to improve our mindsets and skills. They would always be encouraging and let us know what we had to work on in a very calm and nice manner. This made it very easy to improve and move foreward with our game.
For developing my service action proposal, I have several observations about my tennis team. It has helped me learn that people can truly strive for excellence if they have the right motivation from the people in their lives. They will not feel as if something is holding them back and they can move forward with they want to do. Another lesson is being in an inclusive group teaches one about learning to involve others who may not have a place to belong, and how they should be willing to meet new people to help them understand the value of having a safe space. The tennis team taught me a lot about life and the positives that can come with being on a team.