FILLING THE LEADERSHIP VOID: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERS

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FILLING THE LEADERSHIP VOID DEVELOPING
EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERS

• Damon Burton -- University of Idaho
• Cougar Coaches Brown Bag Seminar

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LEADERSHIP DEFINED

• Leadership is knowing how to chart a course and
  give others direction by having a vision of what
  can be and then creating a social and
  psychological team culture that allows that
  vision to be translated into reality.

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HOW DO LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DIFFER?

• Management consists of performing such
  managerial functions as planning, organizing,
  staffing and recruiting, scheduling, budgeting
  and public relations.
• Leadership is determining the direction a team
  will pursue and then marshalling the resources
  within the organization to attain that vision and
  make it a reality.

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INTERPERSONAL NATURE OF LEADERSHIP IN SPORT

• According to Tom Peters and Nancy Austin in A
  Passion for Excellence, Coaching is face-to-face
  leadership that pulls together people with
  diverse backgrounds, talents, experiences and
  interest, encourages them to step up to
  responsibility and continued achievement, and
  treats them as full-scale partners and
  contributors. Coaching is not about memorizing
  techniques or devising the perfect game plan. It
  is about really paying attention to peoplereally
  believing them, really caring about them, really
  involving them (1985, p. 326).

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TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP DEFINED

• Identifying team needs and adjusting ones
  behavior to build trust and a common identity
  that will help the team achieve its goals by
  empowering staff and players so that they . . .
• are more likely to feel they are making a
  difference and contributing to team goals,
• learn new skills that enhance their physical and
  psychological performance, and
• experience more enjoyment from participation.

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Leaders Qualities
Effective Leadership
Leadership Styles
Situational Factors
Follower Qualities
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GREAT-MAN THEORY OF LEADERSHIP

• Research has failed to find any set of
  personality criteria that great leaders have in
  common.
• Great leaders have a variety of personalities,
  styles, and strategies.
• The secret seems to be to match the qualities of
  the leaders with the needs of that sport and
  competitive situation.

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PREFERRED QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS

• unintelligent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . . . intelligent
• assertive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . . . . . passive
• self-confident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . . . . diffident
• persuasive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . unpersuasive
• rigid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . . . . . . . flexible
• intrinsically motivated . . . . extrinsically
  motivated
• externally controlled . . . . . . . internally
  controlled
• high awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  low awareness
• optimistic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  . . . . . pessimistic
• motivated to succeed . . . motivated to avoid
  failure

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EFFECTIVE LEADERS ARE GREAT COMMUNICATORS

• Leaders are highly empathic so that they
  understand how others think and feel.
• Leaders see listening as the foundation of
  effective communication.
• Leaders are flexible and can use a variety of
  strategies to get their point across.
• Leaders use active listening skills to ensure
  understanding.

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OTHER QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS

• They act like leaders not one of the boys.
• They are not only problem-solvers, but
  problem-finders.
• They develop trust in others by being reliable.
• The have self-control.
• They constantly strive to develop and improve
  their own skills.
• They help others feel good about themselves.
• They are flexible and pragmatic.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

• Do team leaders have to be highly skilled?
• Do leaders have to play extensively?
• Do leaders have to be upper class members?
• Do leaders have to be vocal?
• Do leaders have to be in formal leadership
  positions?
• Do teams need different types of leaders? If so,
  what are they?

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Leaders Qualities
Effective Leadership
Leadership Styles
Situational Factors
Follower Qualities
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TYPES OF LEADERSHIP STYLES

• Autocratic (Bob Knight)
• win-centered
• command style
• product-oriented
• sends messages only
• conserves time
• manipulates followers
• less commitment.

• Democratic (John Wooden)
• athlete-centered
• cooperative style
• process-oriented
• communication emphasized
• time intensive
• empowers followers
• high commitment.

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LEADERSHIP STYLE CONTINUUM

• developing
  planning last
• team rules
  second shot
• democratic
  autocratic

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Leaders Qualities
Effective Leadership
Leadership Styles
Situational Factors
Follower Qualities
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MULTIDIMENSIONAL MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

• Team confidence and performance are determined by
  three factors
• actual behaviors exhibited by the leader,
• the type of leader behavior preferred by the
  team, and
• the type of leader behavior appropriate for the
  situation.

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SITUATIONAL FACTORS IMPACTING LEADERSHIP

• team versus individual sports,
• players skill level,
• players sport experience,
• size of team,
• previous leadership experience,
• available time, and
• number and ability of assistants.

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Leaders Qualities
Effective Leadership
Leadership Styles
Situational Factors
Follower Qualities
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FOLLOWER CHARACTERISTICS

• receptivity of players,
• need for structure,
• level of independence,
• commitment to team goals, and
• knowledge and skill of players.

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DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM CULTURE

• Team Culture is the way things are done on a
  team--the social architecture that builds the
  climate for success.
• Team culture is about developing a winning
  attitude, instilling commitment, inculcating
  pride, and building team spirit.
• Team culture is concerned with how rewards are
  given, communication patterns, practice
  procedures, game protocols, acceptable attitudes
  about winning and losing, dress codes, team
  mottos, and on-going traditions.

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LEADERSHIP ROLE IN HAWTHORNE EFFECTS

• When leaders . . .
• showed interest in each members achievement.
• demonstrated pride in the accomplishments of the
  group.
• helped the group work together,
• regularly posted performance feedback, and
• consulted workers before changes were made.

• Team members . . .
• took pride in their own achievement,
• felt satisfaction from the interest shown towards
  their work,
• did not feel pressured to change, and
• developed a sense of confidence and candor.

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LEE IACOCCAS THREE CULTURE-BUILDING STEPS

• build commitment,
• reward competence, and
• maintain consistency.

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HOW COACHES CAN BUILD COMMITMENT

• involve players in defining team goals,
• recognize that team goals must be compatible with
  individual goals,
• give players responsibilities that they can
  handle successfully,
• demonstrate superior skills and knowledge about
  your sport, and
• treat each player with respect.

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HOW COACHES CAN REWARD COMPETENCE

• take time to notice superior performance,
• reward it promptly,
• reward excellent performance and effort, not
  outcomes that are beyond athletes control, and
• teach players to reward each other.

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HOW COACHES CAN MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY

• develop a sound coaching philosophy,
• take a long-term rather than a short-term
  perspective, and
• stick with a well-thought-out plan when adversity
  occurs

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DEVELOPING A LEARNING CLIMATE ON YOUR TEAM . . .

• is based on the belief that performers can
  continue to learn, grow and improve throughout
  their career,
• places higher priority on process rather than
  product,
• motivates athletes to set higher goals,
• stimulates higher, more consistent effort,
• promotes greater persistence in the face of
  failure and adversity.

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FINAL LEADERSHIP ISSUES

• recruit for leadership,
• develop a leadership pool,
• develop a peer leadership mentoring program,
• cant wait until players are seniors to start
  developing leadership qualities, and
• allow each athlete to lead in their own way.