Below are six points from a story about Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand, who is "THE LEADER" of the team according to teammates.
1. Players recognize other players who've paid the price: "Nobody in this game deserves respect," Rowand said. "You have to earn it." Said one of Rowand's teammates: "He talks the talk, but then he does it on the field." Rowand arrived early to training camp and helped establish the clubhouse rules for the season. Said Rowand: "I'm not better than anybody else in this clubhouse. I don't think anybody else puts himself on a pedestal. We're all equals."
2. By nature of their experience, veterans should lead: All the veterans should lead. Either you're a vocal leader or you lead by example or you do a little bit of both. At some point in the season, you need everybody to step up and pull his own weight. It's up to the older guys on the team to help the younger guys out, to mentor, to police, to be the guys who are responsible for bringing everyone together for one common goal, to win ballgames together as a unit.
3. Leaders aren't necessarily the most popular players on the team: Being a leader, you've got to not be afraid to call people out, not be afraid to ruffle some feathers. A good leader isn't somebody whom everybody likes, but somebody everyone respects.
4. Coaches rely on players who can "lead from within": On every club, you need guys to take on that role because the players are the ones spending the majority of the time with each other.
5. With leadership, comes responsibility: A lot of people want the title of being the leader but don’t want to do the stuff that a leader has to do. It’s easy to talk the talk but can you back it up.
6. The ability to manage strong emotions is important for a leader: Panic and anger are not good examples to set for someone who views himself as a leader. You have to know when to keep everybody together and when to get on someone.
