Ten Character Traits Every Athlete Needs

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Compassion: the ability to feel sympathy and sorrow for a teammate who has a misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to help them.

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Honesty: upright, sincere, fair. Honesty is not often stressed, but the trust factor depends on it and trust is huge in developing a strong team culture.

 

Leadership: Leadership is not a title; it is influence and every single athlete can work to be a positive influencer both by actions and words.

 

Responsibility for actions: the ability to admit mistakes and learn from them will help in growth and success achievement. Denial will stunt that growth.

 

Reliability: showing up on time, remembering all their equipment, and following through with duties are simple ways to learn how to be reliable.

 

Persistence: endurance, grit, constancy—these all embody the ability to keep on keeping on, through thick and thin. Any athlete that learns this early in life has learned a very valuable life lesson.

 

Humility: the ability for an athlete to be good without being arrogant, to be courteously respectful of teammates, opponents, officials, and coaches will earn them respect from all sides.

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Hardworking: sports teach how to have a good work ethic.

 

Adaptability: the ability to adjust readily to different situations not only makes them easier to get along with, but it will also help them internalize less stress.

 

Team Player: a person who willingly works in cooperation with others understands that success is a team effort.