BORN to lead.

Patrick Cripps always believed he had leadership qualities from a young age, and being the captain of the Carlton Football Club has affirmed that he's right where he belongs.

While he knew he wanted to be a leader, he didn’t always know how to go about it: speaking to one of the great football leaders of the modern era, the 27-year-old has the methodology and drive to become a better leader every day.

“The last few years - doing some self-discovery and self-education - I’ve found that my passion is trying to get the most out of people, whether it’s podcasts or reading or catching up with people in leadership positions,” Cripps said to Joel Selwood on Channel 7.

“I take a lot of notes then create my own framework around that . . . I enjoy it, but the fun along the way is the important part.”

The Brownlow Medallist has been captaining the Blues since 2019 (initially alongside Sam Docherty before solo captaincy from 2022), with Cripps relishing the chance to mould his younger teammates.

For Cripps, leading by example is the most effective method of captaincy: however, he also ensures he spends enough time on self-improvement on top of his mentoring duties.

“The best way to lead is to play good footy,” he said.

“The energy bucket – there’s things that take it out and there’s things to put in, so the back half of the week is my time to focus on performance . . . setting the tone for the group and making sure I have energy on game day.

“I get a lot of satisfaction helping a young guy coming in pretty raw, showing them the ropes and helping him build his week, build his habits and then let them go to their own devices.”

Luckily for Cripps, he landed an invaluable mentor at the end of 2021 when someone who has done it all before from a captaincy perspective arrived at IKON Park.

Speaking on his close relationship with Michael Voss, Cripps admitted he has learnt so much more about himself and the team by watching the way Voss goes about it – taking what he can from his leadership style.

“[Voss] is one of the best leaders of all time, he’s got a presence about him and the way he played was fierce with his attack on the ball,” he said.

“He’s got a great way of balancing that care, but he also has a high standard of excellence and it doesn't matter if you’re me or the 44th player on the list – he’ll tell you how it is.

“I think the best thing about him is the way he motivates his players, he’s very organised and when he gets up and talks, you walk out of meetings - especially on game day - ready to go to battle.”

Working alongside Voss, Cripps said he and his coach have the same goal: getting the best out of their players.

Conversing weekly, Cripps said the rewards for all the hard work is when he sees developing players put together a breakthrough performance.

“A lot of the time is catching up at the Club and fleshing out ideas that [Voss] feels from a coaching element and me from a player element then collaborating with a plan, basically how we can get the best out of the group,” he said.

“We know as coach and captain, we can really influence the people under us – I really enjoy it.

“When you play well and [a younger player] had a good game, it’s one of the best feelings – that’s the most rewarding part of leadership.”