All leaders display common traits: discipline, obligation, commitment, emotion and charisma. Some characteristics of leaders include intelligence, dependability, emotional stability, and communication skills. A general conclusion from analysis of these characteristics is that ‘leaders are made, not born,’ since the only inherited or partly inherited trait is intelligence and the relationship to this quality to a leader is low. Therefore it is within the power of most people to develop the essential qualities for strong leadership.
There are different examples of leadership in sport like: Captain, senior player, Coach, Selector, and Administrator. Main role of a Coach is to help members improve performance levels. This is done by: developing skills, improving fitness, mental preparation, developing techniques, this hopefully leads to success and enjoyment. For a coach to carry this out they should: specialise in one sport, be knowledgeable about the sport, motivate performers, be aware of performers individual needs, plan training programmes, be aware of problems within competitive sport (eg. Drug use), analyse performance and monitor progress. Role of a Coach or a Manager is to set long term targets associated with various aspects of performance and to assist with strategic planning with regard to meeting targets.
There is more than one way of becoming a leader. Here are two ways, which leaders develop: Prescribed Leaders is somebody who has been put in position by an outside body, not selected by team or group, examples: A manager is employed to lead team but does not consult team. Emergent Leaders emerge naturally from within the team or group as a result of having the appropriate skills, knowledge, or expertise that the group members need or value. To be successful, both types should be flexible in their approach varying their leadership style depending on: Personal characteristics- experience, ability, age and personality, Group characteristics- size, age and experience, Situational demands- task complexity, goals and available resources.
There are a variety of leadership styles (the method adopted by an individual to lead a group), which depends on the nature of the group and the situations, including: Autocratic-leaders, Democratic-leaders and Laissez-faire leaders. Leadership style can be identified into two different types: Task-orientated- this type of leader concentrates on completing the task, setting goals, getting the job done and performance. The other person-orientated- this type of leader concentrates on developing interpersonal relationships within the group. Authoritarian leaders are more likely to be effective in team sports, with greater number of performances, effective when making decisions have to made quickly, better with clear, impersonal goals, personal authority of leader stressed, task-orientated associated wit performance of specific tasks or elements of play, better in most and least favourable situations. Democratic leaders are person centred. They are better in moderately positions, and is better making decisions when not made quickly, this kind of leader is set in the context of the team effort. Laissez-faire leader does not involve leading. This kind of leader makes no decisions, the group determines the work to be done and the pace of it. This leader acts as a consultant.
Sir Alex Ferguson is a good example of a leader. ‘ As manager of Manchester United Football Club, for fourteen years, Sir Alex Ferguson is probably one of the best known sports leaders around. When he arrived in 1986, there were 30 people working full time for Manchester United and he got to know them all. Sir Alex is held in high regard by the staff due to mixture of warmth and awed respect. It is clear that the majority of the players feel the same. He believes that the players are brought up to succeed, which is fostered by the nurturing of young players at the club. Sir Alex believes that part of his success as a manager is due to time, control and control giving authority. He believes that players respect the fact that they know he will still be their manager tomorrow, thus enabling him to keep a careful control over his player.’ (Adapted from ‘FourFourTwo’ November 1999)
Styles of leadership changes when involved: in team, individual and racket sports. In a team sport autocratic, task-oriented is most successful style because it’s a best team motivation. The leader can lead the team because of the understanding of the task, knowledge and experience. Example: A coach shouts instructions during a game. In an individual sport democratic, person-oriented is most successful leader because it gets best out of each individual rather than concentrating on just completing the task. In a racket sport democratic is the most successful style as it suits best for individual performers who are highly skilled, its also an co-operative approach allows performer input into decision making. Example: Team coach who asks the opinions of his team members so that collective decisions can be made.
Leadership can be defined in numerous ways, leaders can employ distinctly democratic or autocratic concepts in leading, but to be a good leader needs a balance of the two. To be successful in leading you need to be in the middle have a mixture of both. In my opinion a good leader continually examines and tries to improve their conduct and performance. Also self-identification and honest attempts at self-improvement of a good leader. A good leader will from time-to-time step back and critically examine themselves and their performance. The identification of shortcomings and the honest endeavour to overcome them are most important leadership qualities.
