In racket and individual sports there will be a much more personal relationship with the player and the coach. A democratic leader will be in favour more than an autocratic leader in one to one situations. However Andy Murray’s ex coach Brad Gilbert was more of an autocratic leader. This method has been proved successful in a way that Murray is the British number 1 and ranked 11th in the world. Now Murray is up there with the best and earning a great deal of money he can afford to sack his coach and pay for a leader who he will get on better with. Murray is looking for a more technical and analytical coach where he can discuss his own ideas and opinions with. This would be a democratic leader. Murray is a technical and astute thinker about the sport, so a democratic leader would enable him to have his own input. Whether this method of coaching will further enhance Murray’s ability, only time will tell.
In an individual sport such as the High Jump the athlete usually has one coach. In order to be a good leader the coach will have to know everything there is to know about the event. The coach should know what is going to improve the athlete and what could affect the levels of improvement.
Where as for a Team sport like football there will be a main manager and a group of coaching staff that are delegated to different areas. For example in the 2006/07 season at Wigan Athletic Paul Jewell was the manager. Chris Hutchings was his assistant manager and Gary Walsh was the goalkeeping coach. A manager wouldn’t know everything there is to know about every position so the club employs the coaching staff to help him out.
In Dangerous sports such as Rock climbing you will need an autocratic leader. You will just have to listen to your leader and do what the he says in order to ensure your safety. The leader would have to be experienced and be trained to know what to do in an emergency.
In Individual sports there can be a need for a laissez fair leader if the athlete is top class. In the case of Tiger Woods with 12 majors under his belt there is no need for him to acquire new skills. He already knows everything there is to know about the sport he just needs to continue to practice his swing and his short game to perfect it even more.
Roger Federer is another example of an athlete who is at the top of his sport and only requires a laissez faire leader. He has won 12 grand slams and is closing in on the record of Pete Sampras at 14 grand slams. Tony Roche is his coach and he just gives small tips and hints on how Federer can improve his already outstanding ability.
12 Majors 12 Grand Slams
In team sports it is unlikely you are going to find a laissez faire leader. There is more chance of things going wrong with more players so you may need to intervene more. There is a case to be a democratic leader in some teams because there are a lot more opinions and views to look at. However the team may not agree and if you take some peoples views and not others it is likely to cause friction with in the team.
Decision making and Problem solving is a big part of participating in sport. In rugby if a player makes the wrong decision on the pitch there is nothing the coach can do about it. When the England players in 2003 crossed the white line in Sydney, Sir Clive Woodward could do nothing. Thankfully with 26 seconds to go the players made the right decision to get the ball to Jonny Wilkinson.
Similarly in badminton once the player is on the court the coach has very little or no influence on the player. Gail Emms and Nathan Roberts are the number 1 British doubles for the sport. A successful pairing within their sport, well coached and well prepared. But once they are on the court it is down to them to do the business.
With some athletes there is less chance of wrong decision making. The shot putter just has to practice his technique and perform to the best of his ability on the day. However a distance runner can ruin years of hard work by making a break for the front to early. Timing in distance running is crucial and will be something that is worked on meticulously in training. Paula Radcliffe is one of Britain’s finest athlete’s. She is not renowned for her sprint finishes so it is important she breaks from the pack at the right time. Like all the others, on the day it is down to the athlete themselves to read the situation and act accordingly.
Leadership can involve many different strategies. There is no right or wrong way to lead. It depends completely on individuals and teams involved. Some scenarios may require the leader to be harsh and on other occasions there may be the need for a more encouraging approach. Being a leader is by no means an easy task. Often the buck lies with them for poor performances of their players. But in my eyes I believe responsibility should lie with the leaders. At the end of the day it is them who are receiving money to get the best out of the athlete. If they fail to do so then another leader should be brought in. It is a passionate job that demands a desire and a winning mentality. The want to win is what drives the leaders on and why they put them selves through so much scrutiny with in the sporting world.
Bibliography
Sky Sports
Inside Sport
Sport Monthly ( The Guardian)
Wikipedia
The Independent
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