Effective leadership is a key ingredient for organizational success. However, being an effective leader is not easy, it takes skills, time and effort. Leadership involves application of leadership theories, leadership experiences and personal characteristics to inspire others to work towards the attainment of goals. This paper explores the leadership styles of different leaders in the sports department. It is a synthesis of the interview and observation results. The two individuals that were interviewed are the athletics director and the recreation and leisure studies professor. Despite, the slight differences in their leadership styles, they both work hard towards attaining the organization’s mission.
Observation
Observation is an important tool for understanding the team dynamics in sports. Through observation, one can understand how coaches and supervisors interact with students/players during a sports activity. Observation offers more insight about the actual sporting event.
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I observed the school’s basketball team between 3.00-4.00 pm. When the team arrived in the basketball pitch, they started engaging in warm up exercises even before the supervisor arrived. The team members ran around the basketball pitch five times, before engaging in stretching exercises. After a 15 minute warm up session, some team members started dribbling the basketball and challenging each other. When the supervisor arrived, he ordered the team to do more exercises. The basketball coach also participated in the exercise to motivate the team members. After the exercises, the coach led the team in practicing basketball shooting drills.
I observed that the basketball coach was an enigmatic leader, his presence was easily felt when he arrived at the basketball pitch. The basketball coach was very loud, and he engaged with the team members throughout the entire session. This was not the case for the volleyball coach, who watched the team from the sidelines.
I also observed the volleyball team between 4.00-5.00 pm. The team quickly started on warm up exercises once they arrived at the pitch. They engaged in jogging, stretching and push ups before starting the volleyball practice session. When the coach arrived, he watched the team practice for a while without interrupting. Nonetheless, the team appeared very disciplined, which shows that the coach’s hands off approach was working for this team.
Through observation, I realized that sports leaders have different leadership approaches. Some leaders employ a participative and relationship oriented leadership style, while others give instructions and expect the players to implement the instructions (Baghurst, 2014). Different leadership styles work for different sporting activities because each team has unique players.
Interviews
The interview with the athletic director took place at his office between 12.00-1.00 pm at his office on 25th Nov. 2016. From the interview, it became evident that an athletics director has a lot of roles because he acts as the manager of the entire sports department. Coaches and team captains kept barging into the office to make requests.
The first interview question explored the typical day of an athletic director. The interviewee responded that he started his day at 6a. m and ended his day at 6 p.m., though middays are not quite busy. He arrived at school at 6 to ensure that teams that train in the morning get the necessary resources they need and the support from their coaches. The interviewee prides himself as a hands-on leader, and he reviews the activities of all coaches and sports teams regularly.
Another interview question explored the qualifications of an athletics director. The interviewee responded that he has 15 years experience working in the sports department, as well as a masters degree in physical education. The athletic coach added that experience do not cut, as further education gives one the important managerial skills to manage coaches, supervisors and various sporting teams. Some of the responsibilities of the athletic director include: sharing resources among teams, meeting with various coaches to ensure that they are working towards the attainment of the department’s mission of inspiring students to be the best. The athletic director has a background in sports, and though he did not become a professional football player, he knew he wanted to be a coach from an early age. He has worked as a coach’s assistant and a coach for various institutions, before assuming the present role.
Despite his busy schedule, the athletic director insisted on the need to take time to inspire athletes. He made it his priority to address any issue affecting athletes. He solved issues regarding training, competition, and other personal issues that could affect the performance of the team. Huang (2011) notes that the role of a trainer extends beyond management and training, it involves counseling and offering emotional and interpersonal support to coaches and athletes.
The second interview with the recreation and leisure studies professor was also enlightening. The interview took place at her office between 3.00-4.00 p.m. on 25th Nov.2016. She started the interview by citing the increasing importance of sports in today’s society. Sports has the potential to bring people together despite their differences. Sports is an important aspect of student life, hence it should be incorporated in the curriculum. The interviewee stated that she also participated in track in high school and college, and pursued education in recreation and leisure studies.
The professor starts her day at 8.00 a.m., and ends at 5.00 p.m. The interviewee stated that the number of students taking recreation & leisure studies are on the rise, hence, planning lessons for the students can be challenging. The lessons integrate philosophy, psychology, sociology and health studies to help the learners understand sports and recreation behaviors. The interviewee noted that the theoretical nature of recreation & leisure studies sometimes makes it hard for the students to apply the concepts they learn. However, she liaises with other professors and coaches to give the students more practical experience.
The professor stated that her role was to provide comprehensive education that would enable students to attain successful careers as coaches, sports presenters, recreation facility owners, sports agents, among other careers in the sports and leisure sector. Her responsibilities go beyond planning and delivering lectures, as she goes and extra mile to help students secure internships and practical skills that will help them attain good careers.
Both the interviewees have some similarities in their leadership styles. Both of them go an extra mile to help students/athletes. However, the athletic director is more involved in the practical aspects of sports, while the recreation & leisure studies professor deals with the theoretical aspects.
Conclusion
From the interview/ observation, leadership is a complex concept. There is no single approach to be a good leader, nonetheless, there are great leaders who have mastered the art. From the interview, great leaders in sports are those that go an extra mile to help others. Great leaders also have the right education, personal experiences, attitudes and beliefs that define their leadership styles.
References
Baghurst, T., Murray Jr, E., Jayne, C., & Carter, D. (2014). Leadership and Management Skills of Junior College Athletic Directors 7. The Sport Journal , 17 .
Huang, F. J. (2011). Exploring Leadership Strategies of Athletic Coaching through the Theory of Play. Journal of International Management Studies , 6 (3), 1.
