roles of a captain

so my coach made all the seniors write about what we think a captain should be in order for us to be considered for the role. I worked pretty hard on my response, so I figure i should post it so my follower....s (hi chantal!) can read it. well heck at least its out there on the internet so someone might stumble upon it...

Captain.
In order to be a good leader I feel like one has to bring a lot to the table. For a successful captain there is a unique mixture of accountability, openness, extroversion, intelligence, and a general self-efficacy. That being said I will go into a little more depth about what I mean. I feel like accountability is such a key asset in a captain. Not only should one hold her teammates accountable for their actions, but also herself as a leader and a role model. This means not necessarily being the best on the team at all the fitness tests or on the erg (even though that is ultimately always the goal), but rather pushing yourself, as a captain and individual, and your teammates to compete at your/their highest level ever day, thus elevating the team towards our goals. So examples would be improving on every erg test, increasing speed on runs, doing cross fits faster every time, and when there is a setback, working even harder the next time to get back on track. Captains also have to be good with openness. There is a level of communication that is necessary between the captains and the team, and the athletes and the coaches. The captain has to bridge both of those gaps. The team has to feel the captain is approachable and capable so they can come to them with issues and suggestions. The captain can deal with them to the best of their ability and keep the coaches updated on what they need to know. This leads me to the extroversion. The more approachable a captain is in general, makes them easier for the teammates to come to them as a friend. It keeps the lines of communication open, but also encourages the team to be outgoing as well. Chemistry within the team is a necessity of success and I feel extroversion in leadership helps that. Intelligence is also extremely important. The leader has to know what to do in situations when they cannot always go to the coaches. In general, I feel that intelligence is common on our team, but it definitely adds to any good leader. Self-efficacy is the final piece to the proverbial puzzle. With our concrete goals in mind of being top four in the conference, a leader must be able to believe in our abilities to achieve this goal. The belief should be shown in all aspects, such as helping prepare the team for the future. The freshmen and novice now are the building blocks to 2013 when the team can get a bid from the conference. Recruitment is essential to this, and always working towards this common goal is what it will take. Overall, the five characteristics I listed above are the keys to the success of a captain on this team. Having all of those characteristics can add up to a leader who exemplifies the mission statement and thus understands, accepts, and implements what is required of the team.