Chapter 10 — Leadership

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Leadership

 influencing a group to achieve a common goal.

Leader Responsibilities

• Decision-making

• Motivation

• Feedback

• Relationship building

• Directing confidently

Prescribed

• Assigned (coach, manager)

Emergent

• Rise naturally (captain, vocal leader)

• Often more effective due to respect & acceptance

Functions of a Leader

1. Meet team goals

2. Meet member needs

Trait Approach

• “Leaders are born”

• Research: no single trait predicts leadership

Behavioral Approach

• “Leaders are made”

• John Wooden:

  • 50% instruction

  • Short, clear demonstrations

  • Hustle > winning

  • Praise & scolding used strategically

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Situational Approach

• Leadership depends on situation

• Different situations require different leaders

Interactional Approach

• Leadership = person + situation

• No one style works everywhere

• Leaders must adapt

Relationship-oriented

communication, support, positivity

Task-oriented:

• structure, goals, efficiency

Cognitive-Mediational Model

• Athlete’s perception of coach behavior determines outcomes

• Not what coach does, but how athletes interpret it

Multidimensional Model (Chelladurai)

Optimal performance when:

• Required behavior

• Actual behavior

• Preferred behavior …all match.

Antecedents of Leadership Preferences

• Age: older athletes prefer autocratic + supportive

• Gender: males prefer autocratic; females prefer democratic

• Nationality: cultural differences

• Sport type: interactive sports prefer autocratic

Satisfaction

Higher when coach is supportive, democratic, rewarding

Cohesion

High instruction + positive feedback + low autocracy = more cohesion

Performance

Losing teams need more social support to stay motivated

Effective Leadership Components

• Leader qualities (integrity, flexibility, patience)

• Member qualities (skill, gender, ability)

• Situational factors (team size, tradition)

• Leadership style (democratic vs. autocratic)