Captains Are a Title. A Leadership Council Is a System.
A few years ago, I was walking through the cafeteria when one of our leadership council members called out to me.
“Hey Coach, I’ll see you after school for our meeting!”
He said it with a grin and a sense of pride, like he genuinely looked forward to it.
And that’s when it hit me.
I had nothing prepared.
No plan. No objective. No structure.
Just another Wednesday leadership meeting where I’d wing it and hope we stumbled into a good conversation.
That moment stuck with me.
Because if he was taking it seriously… why wasn’t I?
That was the turning point.
I stopped treating leadership like something we talked about occasionally, and started treating it like something we train.
Yesterday, a good friend of mine—he’s won multiple state championships—asked me something simple but important:
“I’ve always had captains… but never a leadership council.
How do you select them?
How many should I have in a program of 100?
Do you include guys from each grade level?”
I told him this:
"I used to have leadership councils, too—but it wasn’t until late in my career that I developed a real system.
Back then, Wednesday would roll around, and after lunch, I’d start thinking,
‘What are we even going to talk about today?’
We’d always hit the usual:
‘How’s the locker room vibe?’
‘Is there anything going on with the team I should know about?’
Those conversations mattered—but that wasn’t leadership training.
That was checking in.
And here’s the truth: I did most of the talking.
They didn’t need more “Coach Jackson voice time.”
They needed training, tools, reps, and ownership.
I thought I was mentoring… but I was monologuing."
Build Dialogue, Not Just Monologues
If you’re still running your leadership council like a coach-led check-in, here’s a mindset shift:
Leadership training should sound like a conversation—not a press conference.
Today’s athletes don’t need more adults telling them what to do. They need adults who can listen, challenge their perspectives, and provide guidance. With constant exposure to platforms like YouTube, social media, and AI-driven information, they have unprecedented access to knowledge, yet they are craving genuine engagement.
A 2023 report from Common Sense Media reveals that teens average over 9 hours of screen time daily. They are accustomed to swiping, skipping, and scrolling, so if your meeting feels like just another lecture, expect them to mentally check out quickly.
The key to unlocking growth? Dialogue.
Real relationships—the kind that transform your team—are built through meaningful, face-to-face conversation. That means we must:
Ask real questions.
Let them wrestle with real issues.
Create space for them to lead the conversation.
A great leadership council session is one where everyone in the room talks about the same amount—not just the loudest, not just the seniors, but everyone.
Here’s your challenge:
Carve out a consistent 20–30 minute block each week.
Let your voice be one of many, not the only one.
When your athletes speak, lean in. Don’t listen to reply—listen to understand.
When you do that, leadership becomes personal, ownership increases, and your culture begins to shift from top-down control to peer-driven accountability.
Real Leadership Isn’t Just About Feedback
A lot of coaches confuse access with development.
Letting kids report on locker room vibes or share team concerns is good—it’s a start. But that’s not leadership development. That’s intel-gathering.
A real leadership council does more than ask, “What’s going on?”
It teaches your athletes how to handle what’s coming.
Because storms will come—losses, conflicts, finger-pointing, adversity.
And when they do, your captains need reps. Mental reps. Leadership reps.
Not just a title. A toolkit.
Great leadership councils do four things:
Develop identity – Who we are and what we stand for.
Train for crisis – How we respond when things go sideways, because storms are always on the horizon.
Practice communication – Speaking clearly, listening actively.
Multiply leadership – From captains to contributors.
How to Structure Your Council
If you’re ready to do more than check boxes and start training leaders, here’s a basic framework:
Team Selection and Meeting Guidelines
Size: Include 8–12 athletes, depending on the size of your program.
Selection Process: Use a combination of coach selections and team votes, with filters in place to ensure quality. Give your team the opportunity to vote so they feel ownership in the process—but make sure the final decisions are filtered by the coaching staff behind the scenes.
Representation: Start with one representative from each position group. If you have a large squad, consider including two representatives from the offensive line or other large unit groups.
Timing: Dedicate 20–30 minutes each week for meetings. Consistency helps build trust within the team.
Training Preparation: Come to each meeting prepared. Focus on teaching, discussing, reflecting, and applying what you learn.
Have Fun: Encourage vulnerability; by being open, your team members will feel more comfortable doing the same. This will deepen connections over time.
Don’t wait until something goes wrong to activate your leadership council.
Train now, so your leaders can respond when it matters.
That’s Why I Built the Blueprint Leadership Academy
I believe leadership should be trained like footwork:
Step-by-step. Rep-by-rep. With intention.
I created the Blueprint Leadership Academy—a plug-and-play leadership system with everything a coach needs to turn captains into real culture-drivers.
Here’s what’s included:
✅ 8 Core Lessons
✅ A Printed Field Manual for each council member
✅ Weekly challenges and guided discussion prompts
✅ Real-life leadership scenarios and communication reps
If you’re tired of waiting for leadership to emerge and want to start developing it, reach out. I will provide you with complete details.
Let's move beyond mere titles and a few individuals wearing a 'C' or 'LC' patch on their uniforms. Let's establish a comprehensive system to train real leaders.
— Randy Jackson
