Educator, with experience in both Lithuanian and foreign organisations, looks deeper into the issues of education system management and leadership, works with the leaders of various organisations. Gintautas manages to work not only in the academic but also in the private sector. He has been the vice-president of the men’s football club Žalgiris since 2018. Since the 2009-2010 season until now is a scientific consultant of Kaunas Žalgiris: he works with Žalgiris basketball players, develops their leadership qualities.
Are leaders born or made?
A person can become a leader, all the qualities of leadership are developed. It’s sometimes said that children are leaders. From an early age. This happens because, for some children, the environment allows such qualities to develop from childhood, while for others such opportunities are suppressed. These days, when there are so many opportunities for improvement in various fields, leadership can certainly be leamed. Temperament is innate, but leadership is not. Phlegmatics, cholerics, melancholics, or sanguines – everyone could be leaders. All people have characteristics of a leader, just not everyone knows how to bring them out and enjoy what they are doing. The most important thing is that a person does not acquire a complex that they can’t do something because of the pressure from the environment.
Tell us about the management side of Žalgiris. What kind of leadership there is in basketball?
The organization Zalgiris is constantly improving its activities, every day its members try to be a little better than they were yesterday. I also work with former Zalgiris basketball players, who play in other countries: Mantas Kalnietis and Mindaugas Kuzminskas play in Russia, Artūras Gudaitis plays in Italy. Backup players of Žalgiris also have to be trained. Leadership is not a finite process, it’s constant work with yourself, new levels and layers are continually opening up. Basketball players are like soldiers and every match is like a battle There are two armies and they fight for 40 minutes for victory: coaches, like generals, adjust tactics and the composition of their team as if in a real battle. In basketball, leadership is different than in other sports or life situations. In general, leadership heavily depends on the environment in which it is exposed. The team needs one leader, the school needs another. I’m fascinated by an environment where there is more certainty. When you gather ambitious people, who are not afraid to stand up for themselves, then you can come to a battle and win against the best. Forming a real team, discovering synergies is not that simple. The same team relationships prevail on and off the basketball court. They are one force, one body, they would sacrifice themselves for one another. A tearn is like a puzzle, they can’t try to overcome one another, they can only complete one another and be a piece of that puzzle.
What kind of students do you work with?
I don’t divide youth into generations, X, Y, Z, or any other. All generations are great. Yes, they grow up in different environments, but they are all cool, interesting. I’m very open, I interact with students in extracurricular activities as well. They consult on both career and life issues; I try to advise all of them, as much as I can. If they come to me, it means they need it. The most important values of young people are having a goal, knowing what they want. persistence to achieve that goal knowing how to learn because if you know how – you can learn a lot. And, of course, humanity, the relationship with other people. People are too into competing with one another. Eventually, it starts to weigh down. It’s best to improve by competing with yourself. Compete with yourself to be a little better today than you were yesterday, and tomorrow be better than you are today.
To meet the other faculty members please visit: fssah.ktu.edu/teachers
