There are many ways to approach leadership, and they all have their respective strengths. But studies have shown that the micromanaging style is one that doesn’t work as much as people would want them to. It’s one thing to be hands-on and another to be overbearing, and often micromanagement tilts heavily toward the latter. For one, it often leads employees to think that the leader likes to always get things done his or her way. In effect, the staff is left thinking that they are not being trusted enough in the workplace. The office of the micromanager will have a palpable air of undue stress and endless scrutiny. Instead of employees focusing on the work, they spend much of the time being conscious of the boss’ presence. Image source: inc.com Because of micromanagers’ perceived need for complete control, productivity and business growth are often compromised. Healthy communication isn’t fostered, and employees don’t feel safe or confident confiding with the leader. Tasks, therefore, lose their fun and even meaning, and workers often just go about doing them in a robotic manner. Worse, micromanagement leads to dependence. Because employees are expected to bring every small matter to the manager, they lose both the ability to think for themselves and their passion for the job. Because they have been conditioned that constant guidance is what they need, that spark of needed creativity is lost. All in all, micromanagement is one of the leading reasons for high turnover rates in many companies. Image source: shift.newco.co Stephen Varanko III has been active in organizational leadership positions since high school. He has behind him a storied list of academic, athletic, and leadership accomplishments from his stay in Randolph Macon Academy. More leadership reads and musings here.
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Whether you’re in the workplace or volunteering, being assigned as the leader is no easy feat. Not only must you deal with the increased workload, accountability, and supervising a group of people, you must also earn the trust of your colleagues, especially if the leadership role is permanent. So, how does a leader earn trust? Image source: openaccessbpo.com Demonstrate passion for the craft When you showcase a passion for the work you do, it shows that you are someone who is deeply involved in the job. Imagine having a leader who comes in late and just watches YouTube videos all day. When a leader is seen working tirelessly to achieve the team’s goals, everyone follows their lead. Share your knowledge A leader must not just be knowledgeable, they must also share what they know to the team. This shows your team your level of expertise in the subject matter while giving them more information that can help them. It helps give your team the idea that you know what you’re doing and builds confidence in your skills. Trust them back When you assign people tasks, trust them to follow through. Showing colleagues that you trust them that you can rely on their skills is an excellent way of earning trust. Just as much as you rely on the decisions you make, you must also give employees the opportunity to make decisions themselves and back it up. Image source: crosswalk.com Stephen Varanko III had been involved in organizational leadership since high school. An alumnus of the Randolph Macon Academy, where he ranked 12th in his graduating class, he had been an active participant in several extracurricular and humanitarian activities in leadership positions. For more insightful reads on leadership, visit this website.
There are various ways to train for a cross-country competition. But these three are considered essential by many runners. Fartleks Fartleks means “speed play” in Swedish, and it as fun to say as it is to do. It involves running hard for a predetermined amount of time or distance and then is followed by a short recovery. This is repeated at least five times. There is no structure to this workout and is typically done with running buddies. It benefits the body by building stamina and recruiting more muscle fibers even under fatigue. It also simulates races, more specifically when there is an attempt to overtake other competitors. Image source: 5kruntraining.com Tempo runs A tempo run is one of the most difficult training in cross-country workouts, especially for beginners. The workout sandwiches slower-than-normal-pace runs (thought of as a warmup and cooldown) with a run that requires slightly more effort. The run in-between should be done above the body’s anaerobic threshold or comfort zone, but not too exhausting that the runner is left gasping for air. Tempo runs help develop lactate thresholds, giving the runner more endurance during the race. Intervals While the former two focus more on building endurance or stamina, interval runs have a goal of increasing a runner’s speed. It is similar to tempo workouts, but in this routine, the hard-effort part of the run is done at a much higher intensity but a shorter period. Intervals help muscles reach their full range of motion and improve their elasticity and coordination. Image source: running.competitor.com Looking for more tips to be better at cross-country running? Follow this Stephen Varanko III Twitter page.
Today’s world of sports is centered on winning and getting the most coveted trophies, urging kids to focus on just one sport. Top athletes suffer from the same injuries time and again, and they are advised by physicians to play other sports while they are recovering. This could be the same reason kids should have more than one sport. Image source: yourteenmag.com Specializing in one sport leads to an increase in chances of injuries. Specialized athletes repeat the same movements, and they fall behind in terms of sharpening their overall athleticism. Repetitive motions using the same sets of muscles each day of the week have led to a significant increase in the requirement for reconstructive surgery of elbow ligaments and Tommy John surgery to say the least. Sports skills are transferred from one sport to another, as it should build an overall athleticism in the child. An athlete’s quickness, agility, running, jumping, throwing, and numerous other techniques are all transferable abilities. Every sport demands its own different levels of resiliency and focus. While some sports are more drawn out and need long-term attention, others require pacing and endurance. The more athletes are exposed to different conditions, the better they become. Children who play more than one sport develop a feel for any game they play. Cross-training allows athletes to have an appreciation for other sports and makes them more creative and less mechanical in their method. Tenacity, grit, and the will to compete are all characteristics that transfer across all sports, making multi-sport athletes better at being single players or teammates. Image source: vippartybus.ca Stephen Varanko III is an alumnus of the Randolph Macon Academy where he was the captain of the varsity lacrosse, cross-country, and basketball teams. For more articles like this, click here.
Varsity athletes have two tracks of training – scrimmages and strength and conditioning. Scrimmages are there for athletes to develop their game skills and learn the many plays designed by coaches. Strength and conditioning training, or fitness training, is done to build both strength and endurance, as well as speed, explosiveness, and flexibility. For the sport of basketball, fitness training is as important as scrimmages. A basketball player’s body has to be in tip-top shape to endure each and every grueling game. It doesn’t matter what position the player is playing; his body needs to be ready to go through at least 40 minutes of high-impact, fast-paced action that requires hand-eye coordination as much as explosive movement. Image source: jwbasketball.com Of course, in fitness training for basketball, emphasis is given to the lower body in the form of plyometrics. These are exercises that increase vertical leaping ability as well as explosive movement. There are also endurance exercises such as planting rice that helps improve a player’s speed and reaction time. Upper body strength is also important for a basketball player. Arm strength is needed in shooting the ball or holding off opponents when jostling for inside position. Chest and back strength is also needed with all the pushing and pulling done inside the paint. Image source: mensfitness.com Stephen Varanko III has behind him a storied list of academic, athletic, and leadership accomplishments from his high school years in Randolph Macon Academy. He currently resides in Baldwin, MD. Learn more about him here.
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