Leadership in Practice
Leadership is not limited to the practice field, the game field or the locker room. Leadership is something that must be demonstrated in all aspects of life, from the top of an organization to the bottom. This is because leadership is not a part time job, or even a full time job, but rather a state of mind and a way of being.
In big time collegiate athletics, there is always the faint temptation to color outside the lines in terms of player discipline and recruiting. To let something small go, for the team's benefit, is something that many programs get away with. The problems arise when something small becomes something larger, until the program is altogether dirty. Leadership ensures that this process doesn't occur, because leadership begins at the top and filters downwards.
The essay linked below addresses how quality leadership is defined at Michigan State University.