I’m a father of a 6-year-old tee-ball and flag football player and, to be honest, he has not been the star of any team he’s been on so far. Regardless, I want him to know he can bring other “talent” to the team. Before we head to the field for his practices, we talk about the importance of being a good teammate…and that being a good teammate is a talent. Whenever we have this father-son discussion I think of David Ross, backup catcher for the Chicago Cubs, who is the epitome of this lesson.

Ross, with nearly 13 years in the Major Leagues, has spent most of that time as a backup catcher. Though not glamorous, Ross has established a league-wide reputation of being a great teammate. Baseball clubs have sought after him for his locker room presence and ability to lift spirits. He’s one of those special players that teams want to have around in the good times and bad—thus adding several years to his “playing” career.

Every leader has a platform, and the greatest leaders know how to use it.

Greg Kampe, head college basketball coach of Oakland University, is as good an example of this principle as anyone I’ve ever met. Among active coaches in Division I college basketball, Kampe is the third-longest tenured head coach at any university—falling behind only Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke. Whether in sports or business, this kind of impressive continuity clearly comes by adding great value to the organization.

But just last year, Kampe’s program was rocked by back-to-back tragedies: one of his former players lost his life to cancer, and one of his current players lost a parent to the disease as well.