What?
Ever since my senior year of high school, I have loved rugby. I have loved learning and understanding the mechanics of the game, but most importantly the manners of the game. Virginia Tech has an all-women’s rugby team. We play school from all over the state of Virginia. Here is a brief understanding of how leadership works in the field. You have the sir, all so known as the referee, your coach, and your two captains, one for the front and one for the back. When playing the game, you must be respectful of your teammates, the other team, and the sir. If you are not, you will be penalized. From rugby, I have learned many good leadership techniques and also witnessed some very bad ones
So What?
Why is rugby such a key event for me? When I stopped playing due to medical issues as well as time conflicts I came to learn of a lot of issues. Many of these issues were not surprising to me as I have witnessed them myself. The team became very cliquey. The A-side (starting side) shut out B-side. They did this by having their private lifting sessions and yelling and screaming at people on the field. I have gained word that this semester has been horrible and unfair. I learned that leadership has been slacking and being downright rude to people.
Now What?
As a leader, it floors me to see new and inexperienced people be yelled at, not allowed to play in games, and having them be excluded from certain activities. As a leader, this fires me up to be even better than the “leaders” I see in rugby and every other aspect of my life. We are all leaders, but some hone in on that skill and make the world an easier place to bear. As a leader, you should never bring someone down. If someone messes up, let them learn that lesson, help them figure out what went wrong, and help them get better and fix it. Leaders should give constructive feedback or criticism, but many use this as an outlet to let their anger out on other people.
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