Spider Leadership Initiative Leaders Of The Week Presented By CapTech
9/30/2020
John Walsh
Junior
Men's Tennis
Champion Leader
Sophia DiCenso
Sophomore
Women's Lacrosse
Rising Leader
How does it feel to be seen as a leader on your team and in our department?
Being seen as a leader in the eyes of my team and the department as a whole makes me feel grateful towards many of the upperclassmen and teammates from previous years who have shown me what it takes to be a good leader. Additionally, it feels great to have the opportunity to lead such a talented team with a world-class coaching staff to go along with it.
How does it feel to be seen as a leader on your team and in our department?
It is an honor to be seen as a leader as I look up to other role models on my team that I have been able to learn from during my time at Richmond. It is rewarding to know that I am respected by my teammates and by Richmond Athletics.
What qualities do you think makes a good leader?
I think there are an endless amount of qualities that good leaders possess. However, from my experience I think the three best qualities to have boil down to communication, accountability, and resilience. Especially in college tennis the ability to have these qualities show every day make a huge difference throughout the season.
What qualities do you think makes a good leader?
Qualities of a good leader includes being respected by your teammates, leading by example, and carrying a tremendous positive attitude. I think it is important to have a competitive mindset to encourage teammates to work towards our common goal of winning.
What are you hoping to work on yourself to become a better leader?
In terms of my personal development, I need to keep working on being a more vocal leader. Especially in college tennis, team energy makes such a difference. If I can continue to bring more energy in practice and be more vocal with my concerns, I think it will set a good standard for our team in the future.
What are you hoping to work on yourself to become a better leader?
I am hoping to continue to build relationships with my teammates. In addition, I hope to work on my ability to encourage others to be committed to getting better every day to reach our goals.
What are some challenges you have as a leader in different times like we have now with COVID-19?
In these challenging times, I think it is imperative more now than ever to keep setting goals. With the outlook of our spring season unknown, it can be easy to lose sight of what we are working towards. What I, and other team members, have kept trying to emphasize is to keep working towards our team goals and our personal goals. If we can come together and put forth all the effort we have, I think only good things can happen. Overall, the biggest challenge we are faced with right now is dealing with the uncertainty of what's to come. However, as I said before, as long as we keep our goals in mind and give our all to reach them, only good things will come.
What are some challenges you have as a leader in different times like we have now with COVID-19?
Some challenges I have found during this difficult time is the lack of togetherness with my team. Having rules preventing us from being all together has made it more challenging to create the close bonds our team usually never lacks. However, we are all adapting to our new norm and are being creative in the ways that we connect with each other!
