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Taking Leadership to New Heights
1/13/2020 2:30:00 PM | Athletics
DURHAM, N.C.-- Over the weekend, Duke student-athletes participated in the Leadership Enrichment And Development [L.E.A.D.] Retreat at Quaker Lake Camp in Climax, N.C. Over 65 student-athletes from the field hockey, football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer and men's and women's golf teams attended the overnight Leadership Retreat facilitated by the Duke Athletics Leadership Program. For the first time, first year students were invited to participate in addition to sophomores and upperclassmen.
"I leap over tall buildings to be able to participate at LEAD. I try to to help the student athletes both perform now and achieve their hopes and dreams by sharing some wisdom and perspective I've acquired along they way. Truthfully, however, I always feel I get more than I give. I leave inspired anew by the ability, passion, and drive of these clear-eyed, young women and men. They remind me that the future is very bright." - Sue Gordon '80
The L.E.A.D. program focuses on helping leaders from each team explore and understand their leadership potential, and discuss their team's culture, through various individual and group activities. Working in groups comprised of their teammates, these young men and women had the opportunity to problem solve, communicate, discuss, and reflect on their individual roles as freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors within their various team cultures. In addition, students challenged themselves in the ways they can become better leaders and teammates by pushing their comfort zones and testing their abilities to lead, motivate, and communicate with each other. These shared peer experiences play a pivotal role in assisting the student-athletes in extending their personal leadership development to their respective teams, within Duke Athletics, on campus, and in local communities.
Reflecting on her second experience at the L.E.A.D. Retreat, field hockey junior Lexi Davidson noted, "This weekend really helped our team come together and pushed us outside of our comfort zone of sport and competition. We all left feeling closer and knowing on and off the field that we had taken a huge step forward as a group."
The keynote speaker for the weekend was Duke Alumnae and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Sue Gordon '80. Freshman Cameron Kerr of the men's soccer team commented on what stood out to him from Sue's message to the group: "One thing I found to be very noticeable while listening to Sue Gordon was her consistent perseverance and optimism throughout her career. She explained that things are always destined to change, but how you react to the changes is what makes a person successful or unsuccessful." Sue also shared with the student-athletes her journey from a Duke student-athlete to working in the intelligence community, and the values and lessons she carried with her along the way.
Junior Caitlin Cosme of the women's soccer team reflected on what she learned most from the weekend. "The biggest thing I learned from L.E.A.D. is that in order for a team to be successful, every member needs to feel valued and heard in a way that they can respond to. It is necessary to understand one another on a deeper level to create a team culture and soul that is able to handle adversity as one."
L.E.A.D. is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Heidrick Family.
#GoDuke
"I leap over tall buildings to be able to participate at LEAD. I try to to help the student athletes both perform now and achieve their hopes and dreams by sharing some wisdom and perspective I've acquired along they way. Truthfully, however, I always feel I get more than I give. I leave inspired anew by the ability, passion, and drive of these clear-eyed, young women and men. They remind me that the future is very bright." - Sue Gordon '80
The L.E.A.D. program focuses on helping leaders from each team explore and understand their leadership potential, and discuss their team's culture, through various individual and group activities. Working in groups comprised of their teammates, these young men and women had the opportunity to problem solve, communicate, discuss, and reflect on their individual roles as freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors within their various team cultures. In addition, students challenged themselves in the ways they can become better leaders and teammates by pushing their comfort zones and testing their abilities to lead, motivate, and communicate with each other. These shared peer experiences play a pivotal role in assisting the student-athletes in extending their personal leadership development to their respective teams, within Duke Athletics, on campus, and in local communities.
Reflecting on her second experience at the L.E.A.D. Retreat, field hockey junior Lexi Davidson noted, "This weekend really helped our team come together and pushed us outside of our comfort zone of sport and competition. We all left feeling closer and knowing on and off the field that we had taken a huge step forward as a group."
The keynote speaker for the weekend was Duke Alumnae and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Sue Gordon '80. Freshman Cameron Kerr of the men's soccer team commented on what stood out to him from Sue's message to the group: "One thing I found to be very noticeable while listening to Sue Gordon was her consistent perseverance and optimism throughout her career. She explained that things are always destined to change, but how you react to the changes is what makes a person successful or unsuccessful." Sue also shared with the student-athletes her journey from a Duke student-athlete to working in the intelligence community, and the values and lessons she carried with her along the way.
Junior Caitlin Cosme of the women's soccer team reflected on what she learned most from the weekend. "The biggest thing I learned from L.E.A.D. is that in order for a team to be successful, every member needs to feel valued and heard in a way that they can respond to. It is necessary to understand one another on a deeper level to create a team culture and soul that is able to handle adversity as one."
L.E.A.D. is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Heidrick Family.
#GoDuke
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