“Everything I know, I’ve learned from coaching teenage girls. In this election cycle, I thought I’d share their criteria for a good team captain.

– A captain should really WANT to be a captain.

– She does not have to be the best player, but she does have to be a REALLY HARD WORKER.

– She should LISTEN CLOSELY but she should not necessarily act on everything she hears.

– She has to be “up” even when, ESPECIALLY when, others are down.

– She has to be able to say the things that we MIGHT NOT WANT TO HEAR.

– But most importantly, these 8th and 9th graders recognized that in order for a leader to be successful, she also had to have REALLY GOOD FOLLOWERS.

That is the tricky part for all of us, isn’t it? How do we support our leaders, even ones we did not vote for, even when we disagree?

Here’s to hoping that we all have the strength to be good followers, no matter what the outcome of this election.

– Missy Park, Founder