Leveraging Student-Athlete Development Through Technology
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
While the last 18 months have brought lots of change and uncertainty to collegiate sports, Lehigh Athletics remains steadfast in its commitment to student-athlete development and continues to find opportunities for learning, growing and leading.
This year, Lehigh Athletics is excited to leverage the strength of its High Performance Development Team through a variety of technology platforms. Two of these companies with whom the department will partner, The Zone and GamePlan (who recently merged with InXAthlete), are founded by former student-athletes. Both encourage ownership by the individual of their learning and growth, a central tenet of Lehigh Athletics' developmental framework.
While these platforms can make learning more accessible, the technology won't replace face-to-face leadership development. In fact, it should actually make a greater depth of learning possible in-person.
"We believe in our approach to student-athlete development and are thrilled to be able to support the daily efforts of our staff and coaches with technology that may enhance the breadth and depth of our work with student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Leadership Development Julie Ammary.
"Ownership is the key to our model of development," she continued. "When student-athletes take responsibility for becoming their best selves, and when they learn to think independently, to identify resources and action steps that support their intended growth (for the good of the team), they emerge as more competent, more confident and in the process, inspire others to do the same…
"That's transformational leadership."
There are many different ways to demonstrate and practice leadership, and Lehigh Athletics' intention is to provide the guidance and framework to help student-athletes embrace their potential to make a difference. The growth process begins with a strong understanding and leadership of self, followed by a recognition and appreciation of others ("self and others"). It then evolves to the ability to collaborate with others ("self with others") and ultimately leads to servant leadership ("self for others").
Different student-athletes will lead in different ways throughout their careers, and that's okay. Lehigh Athletics staff members work to maximize student-athletes' leadership potential, which doesn't only benefit athletics. Most importantly, it prepares them for a lifetime of leadership post-graduation.
How does growth happen?
By design, Lehigh student-athletes have opportunities for experiential learning in four cornerstone areas: intellectual development, physical development, social development and mental/emotional/psychological development. This learning happens both inside and outside of their sports.
Through those experiences, Lehigh Athletics encourages learning and growth in the Five Pillars of Athletics Leadership: Self-Awareness, Integrity, Competitiveness, Toughness and a Team-First Mentality (which were carefully identified by coaches through a collaborative process to define "leadership effectiveness").
The essence of the model is summed up in the tagline "Better Me, Better We."
Lehigh Athletics has been a pioneer in the area of leadership development, but isn't satisfied with common language and understanding. The partnerships with Game Plan and The Zone are ways to embrace technology, meeting the student-athletes where they are (in a technology-filled word), and to inspire action that makes a difference.
Game Plan will provide digestible educational content primarily within Lehigh's "Social Cornerstone" of development (social justice and inclusion, hazing prevention, healthy relationships, etc.) while The Zone offers a great tool for building self-awareness in the "Mental, Emotional & Psychological Cornerstone" area (through things like a mood tracker).
By putting opportunities to learn, reflect, evaluate and plan in their hands, student-athletes can drive their own developmental journey and invite others along for the ride.
"Having added educational and reflection resources at the fingertips of our athletes helps engage them in ways they find to be familiar," said Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett. "We are excited about the opportunities presented by these partnerships."
As Assistant Director for Athletics Leadership Development Cait Gillard shared, self-awareness is the foundation of the student-athlete development experience.
"We believe that the technological support we can offer with these platforms will allow our students to own and individualize their journeys," she said.
Just think of these new technologies as enhancing the strong work that's already being done, connecting with student-athletes in even more meaningful ways.
"The Zone leverages mobile technology to empower students to be mindful of their well-being and personal development in a way that fits seamlessly into their daily lives," said Assistant Director of Technology Julie Oltman. "We've essentially put a life coach in their pockets, one that can provide guidance or resources at the very moment it's needed."
Head Softball Coach Fran Troyan monitors bank accounts, medical records, sleep recovery and mental fitness all from his phone.
"If I am doing this, our student-athletes are using technology platforms even more," he said. "The more we can meet student-athletes where they are, the better we can serve them, the better they can help themselves and the better we all are.
"Technology platforms for student-athlete development are a must if we truly want to embrace Better Me, Better We."
Gloss