USP 88 P1/P2
Leadership in Sport
LO1: Know the qualities, characteristics and roles of effective sports leaders
Performing leadership is important in a sporting environment. An athlete leader in sport is defined
as an individual who holds a formal or informal leadership role within a team and influences other
group members in the pursuit of common objectives. Leaders respond to the needs and demands of
individuals and organisations. In this coursework, I will explain and analyse 4 qualities, 4
characteristics and 4 roles that every leader should adapt too. A leader must also provide a
challenging and development environment for their participants as this would lead an individual in
meeting their full potential. To achieve this, the leader must plan their sessions, time and deliver
activities ensuring that participants are given the appropriate guidance and support. This is
important as it allows individuals to develop their skills and knowledge. To improve fitness,
technique, and skill a leader uses strategies, sponsorship and events consultancies. In my research I
found a good leader named Fernando Santos. He is a Portuguese football manager and former
player who currently serves as manager of the Portugal national team. In 2009 a player name
Cristiano Ronaldo was accused of a rape allegation; being the team’s manager Fernando Santos
showed empathy towards this player’s suitable and supported him through his rough time. In my
opinion, Fernando Santos is a good role model because he performs good leadership skills such as
good communication, motivation and ethical values.
Roles of a Leader
,A leader should always perform in a leadership style. Leadership style is the way you approach
certain activities; this includes planning activities and delivering it. This
would determine how effective you are as a leader. Success as a sports
leader will be measured in terms of the team members being able to
achieve their set goals. Sports leaders have different styles. These styles
vary because of the personality of the leader and the demands and
requirements of the particular sport. There are three leadership styles,
autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire1. Autocratic does not involve
others in the division making process; it is task oriented rather than
team oriented. The advantages of autocratic leadership are, it allows a
faster decision making, it improves overall communication and productivity, it allows crisis situations
effectively and it counters team inexperience. However, the disadvantages of this leadership style is,
it often leads to micromanagement, it does not offer a sense of professional ownership, it creates a
work culture based on the leader, it also creeps a system of dependence and lack of trust 2.
Democratic style involves others in the decision making process. The advantages of this leadership
style are, it works well when trying to solve a complex concern, it encourages creativity and honestly
within the workplace, it strengthens the relationship of a team and commitment levels. However the
disadvantages of this style is, it can create negative emotions, it can lead to procrastination and take
time to reach a consensus, and offers a element of continuing uncertainty 3. Laissez-Faire acts as a
consultant rather than a decision maker. Advantages of this style is, it encourages personal growth,
innovation and allows faster decision making. However, the disadvantages of this style is lack of role
clarity, poor involvement with the the group, low accountability and passivity 4. An example of a
leader who performed good leadership style is Rex Ryan. His players like him due to his straight talk
method of communication.
One of the key roles a leader should adapt to is being very motivating. This quality rubs off on sports
performers, other leaders, members of the coaching team and spectators. The sport leader can
create a motivating and enthusiastic environment by
keeping the team members moving and creative.
Motivating performance can be very difficult at times
but there is a way a sports leader can help this process.
It includes setting challenging but realistic goals for
individuals and the team, measuring targets so that
performers know their achievement, rewarding
performers for their hard work in training and competition and providing useful feedback at
appropriate times5. All PE teachers are an example of good motivating leaders. They develop
activities that build on student's interest; they do this by getting to their students. They design a
culture which helps collaborate skills and work in a team. They also increase opportunities for self
directed learning and use task progression by setting up activities that promote success 6.
In all sporting organisations problems are created, managed and solved every day. Problem solving is
an important quality to develop and enhance by a good leader. The key to effective problem solving
in high performance sports is understanding what the problem really is and most importantly, who
should take responsibility for solving it. There are short term problems which are to be solved by
1https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/SportsStudies/BTEC/
BTECFirstSport2006/Samples/Samplematerial/BTECFirstSport2eUnit5_Pg193-206.pdf
2 https://brandongaille.com/11-autocratic-leadership-advantages-and-disadvantages/
3 https://brandongaille.com/19-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-democratic-leadership-style/
4 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-laissez-faire-leadership-2795316
5https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/SportsStudies/BTEC/BTECFirstSport2006/Samples/Samplematerial/
BTECFirstSport2eUnit5_Pg193-206.pdf
6 https://blog.advancementcourses.com/articles/pe-motivation/
, performers, these are immediate problems impacting on the current season which involves matters
such as attitude and self management. Medium term problems are to be solved by coaches, these
are problems impacting across this season and the next, including areas such as tactics and
strategies. Long term problems are to be solved by board and
executive, these are problems which continue year after year
regardless of changes in the playing and coaching areas 7. A leader
who represents this problem solving role is Carlinhos Neves. He has
earned respect from his players and community due to his problem
solving and leading skills. This allows individuals to trust him and
create an image of a problem solver.
Being a role model in sports is someone an individual can look up too. A good role model is also good
at a particular sporting activity. They make a commitment to
behaving responsible in a way that shows their personal integrity.
They also should be active in their community and encourage players
to meet their absolute potential. This allows players to be motivated
and try their best when participating; they would further look up to
the leader as a good role model. It also helps improve the leader’s
reputation. An example is, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike
Tomlin as he one of the respected coaches .
Qualities of a Leaders
Pat Summit is a good leader due his organisation characteristics and the
knowledge she has of sports; it is a valuable resource and value driver for
organizations, regions and nations8. It is very crucial for a leader to
understand their job in a sporting environment as they would need to teach
the participants the skills on how to excel. The leader would teach their
participants skills, tactics and techniques; these skills would be put into place
when participating. The leader should also make sure the participants are
aware of the rules and regulations as they may change overtime. With the help of this the players
would make accurate decisions when confronting challenges. This is very important because athletes
should always make their best effort when playing under pressure; doing this would allow them to
adapt to new roles and challenges.
7 https://wgcoaching.com/high-performance-sports-leadership/
8 https://blogs.uta.fi/leadershipforchange/2017/09/13/11-talking-points-on-knowledge-leadership-and-management/#:~:text=The
%20first%20role%20is%20knowledge,considerate%20decisions%20from%20multiple%20perspectives.
