Leadership refers to the art of motivating people within an organization or group to work as a single unit to achieve a common objective. All aspects of life require a leadership figure, be it in a social, economic, or political setting. The must always someone or a group of people to map the path and offer direction to the rest lest the whole group ends up inharmonious conflict-filled. Leadership is presided by a leader whose intent is to help others do the right thing. This article, however, is going to talk about the dynamics of leadership in the sports arena. Sports leadership has a diverse scale of understanding. It ranges from captains on the playing field, coaches on the stands, team managers, executive leaders of sports teams and clubs, and federation presidents. However, this essay's objectivity will be to talk about coaches and captains, pinpoint some notable sports leaders, and how they inspired their players, their teammates, and the whole organization. Preceding this discussion will be a holistic insight into what leadership is, qualities of an excellent leader, to mention a few. The final bit will discuss how I would formulate a vision and implement it as a coach and or administrator for the next two years based on how the year 2020 has revolutionized significant sporting activities.
As mentioned in the introductory part, leadership is presided over by a leader whose sole responsibility is to guide team members. He or she is the custodian of directives meant to help a group work as a single block toward a common interest. How do leaders come to be? Are they born or made? You may have come across people who seem to be naturally endowed with the qualities to lead others. However, this is neither the ultimatum nor threshold for one to become a leader. Leadership skills can be learned as long as one is interested and has the drive to gain more knowledge across the spheres of becoming a leader and improve on particular skills that will make one stand out. History is the best reference, and it has shown that many people have ascended the leadership leader despite their lacking of previous leadership experiences. A breakthrough for such individuals has been their proactivity to step out during crises and convinced other people to follow their opinions. Key to note, one must not earn a position for him or her to be declared a leader. Even without a title, one can always be used as the icon for guidance in whatever situation.
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Leadership takes four different forms, and it is upon an excellent leader to adopt not only one but all. These leadership styles include; delegate, support, coach, and direct (Leighort, 2020). Talking about directing style of leadership, this is a practice that involves telling other persons what they have to do, how they have to do it and the time that they have to it. From a critical perspective, this is more of a managerial tool than a leadership tool. This style works best when dealing with a group on a sort contract. When you have the instructions of any given task or gig, you will most probably use a telling style to address your subjects. However, this style does not suit a team because it will impede the development of the latter.
The coaching style of leadership best suits visionary leaders who guide their subjects into achieving the set vision. For any leader to implement this leadership style, he or she must engage persons involved by communicating the objectives and excitingly delivering the message and motivating members to embrace the vision gracefully (Leighort, 2020). A supporting leadership style, on the other hand, is all about collaboration. A collaborative team shares ideas and makes suggestions meant to solve problems, but the leader always has the final say after analyzing the suggestions. This leadership style is inspiring since it enhances the inclusivity of all members who play a role in making decisions. Individual characters working under this leadership model get the rarest opportunity to prove their capability but are not held accountable for a negative outcome. This style is essential when a task has to be carried out without the leader's initial involvement until the decision-making process. Supporting leadership is best suited for forums involving a team of directors or managers.
The last leadership style is delegating, which is also applicable when leading a group of directors or managers. In this case, the leader gives his or her team members the authority to make the final decision. It is essential when the leader trusts his team because of their emotional maturity and experience.
A good leader has to possess the following qualities to ensure that he or she functions effectively. Leaders must exhibit clarity of vision and have a swell-outline course what the team has to accomplish. They also have to be decisive in the sense that once they make up their minds, they frantically commit live up to the commitment. Courage is also a priceless virtue that a good leader should possess because with this trait, someone can take on the toughest challenges within a team like a duck takes to water (Economy, 2016). Peter Drucker, a renowned author, educator, and tutor, once said that management is doing things right while leadership is doing the right things. This statement goes hand-in-hand with what we expect of a good leader, a notable virtue being honesty. Being in a leadership position requires one to be passionate and diligent so that you can connect with whatever team you are working with and guide it with affection and energy. Without forgetting, a fantastic leader should cement the qualities mentioned above with humility because this is the foundation of a fabulous persona. A leader who is ready to listen to a different opinion or take advice without being offended is the darling of a prosperous institution.
The world has had innumerable sportsmen who have played key leadership roles based on their achievements, what they have done for their teams and the sporting organization at large. Some of these sporting heroes are celebrated in their living, while some are revered posthumously. This essay will highlight but a few who have made a noteworthy contribution to the sports fraternity in leadership dimensions.
Geno Auriemma is a living legend of American basketball who the world often refers to as the winning bully. His tenacity and remarkable understanding of the game helped him win 11 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles with the University of Connecticut Women’s team between 1995 and 2016. He also put up a remarkable performance when he led this team to 6 undefeated seasons. Could the other contestants be asleep or lazy? No, because Geno had mastered the art of winning, and he was not the easy type to match. Before his time, the University of Connecticut Women’s team (the Huskies) only had one winning record, but Geno came to write a new story. His performance with the Huskies made him a bitter rival to Pat Summit, another genius of the coaching business. After his 11th title with the Huskies, he broke John Wooden’s championship record of leading the UCLA men’s team to win ten titles. His achievements were not only tied to the college-level scope but also at the national level. After accepting the US women’s basketball national team head coach position in 2009, he performed his magic by leading them to the 2010 and 2014 world championships and helped the team earn gold medals in the 2010 and 2016 Olympic games. If this win-stricken story is not inspiration enough, then his leadership virtues will do (Augustyn, n.d.). Geno always insisted on taking risks in whatever endeavor his players take. If one is not in a position to take risks, then he or she may never win. This saying seemed to pump enough adrenaline into his players to make them victors day in day out.
In the world of basketball, I think I will be prejudiced, not to mention the legendary Michael Jordan. The individual accomplishments and accolades that Michael Jordan earned during his career include ten record scoring titles, six N.B.A. Finals Most Valuable Player (M.V.P.) Awards, First Team designations, 14 N.B.A. All-Star Game selections, to mention a few. His remarkable contributions also helped the Bulls win a total of 6 N.B.A. championships between 1991 and 1998. How exceptional was Jordan? Harry Edwards, a renowned sociologist, once described Jordan as a representation of the apex of human achievement that could only equal Einstein's, Gandhi, and Michelangelo. Michael lifted his level of quality in the basketball beyond unseen heights. His drivers were borderline sociopathy and relentlessness. His tenacity translated into a much-envied style of leadership that he used to as doctrine to his teammates. Jordan had a vital psychological impact on his teammates, which added to his legendary achievements (Boudinet, n.d.). The void he left was hard to fill that Scottie-Pippen, his fellow all-time basketball great, failed terribly to live in Jordan's shadow. Jordan's unique leadership skills were built around healthy respect and fear in equal measure. Michael Jordan not only influenced his team's success but also played a significant role in changing the image of basketball. With his knack of marketing and endorsements and superior athletic capabilities, he also helped the sporting world evolve businesswise (Vaux, 2010). His playing expertise helped put basketball on a new level of popularity and garnered the world's attention. The trademark aerobatics that he displayed to the world of basketball put him on the much-coveted list of 'Greatest of all Time,' G.O.A.T.
It will be almost a criminal offense this article fails to talk about Pat Summit. Who was she? Celebrated in her days as well as posthumously, Pat Summit was a college basketball coach who won more games than any other coach in the history of that game. His legendary accomplishments never went unnoticed as he led her Tennessee Lady Vols team to win 1098 games and eight national titles. In nearly 40 years, Pat never had a losing team and became the first college basketball coach ever to win 1000 games. Due to her almost impeccable performance in this game, she was a hall of fame inductee on five different occasions and won an Olympic gold medal. Her industry and determination not only brought her the enviable accolades but also inspired assistant coaches and players she had worked with during her award-ridden career to become team coaches. To be precise, 19 made it to become coaches for different teams (Evans, 2016). During her reign, she helped all players present on the Lady Vols team to play at least in one of the most revered Final Four games. Pat was a die-hard basketball coach who was not just after inspiring victory but instilling important virtue in her players. She made them learn how to make wise priorities in life. For example, she would tell them the game came after academics, and the latter should be taken seriously. Her saying this meant that she understood the dynamics of success and the need not to carry your eggs in one basket. She made it a norm to ensure that all the students she coached took the front three rows while in class to maximize their concentration because that was a priority. Truth be said, Pat was a gem for the all the players she coached and may her soul rest in power.
The year 2020 has been very transformative in many ways. However, the most dominant turn-around event is the COVI-19 pandemic that has brought the whole world to an almost coincidental standstill. Every corner of the globe went into lockdown to observe social distancing rules that WHO had set to help curb the spread of the pandemic. This outcome directly affected the world, which saw most football, basketball, tennis leagues, and championships, to mention a few, suspended. For the better part of April and June, no player could visit training complexes to train or play in the numerous stadiums. Currently, sporting events have resumed, but fans have been banned from attending matches in the sporting arenas, be it in football pitches or basketball courts. This occurrence has largely impacted the coaching staff and administrators who have to take the responsibility of formulating a vision that will be used in the next two years based on how COVI-19 has shaped the world of sports.
As a scenario coach, I would formulate the vision for the sporting arena in the following way. The first would be, "To create commit ourselves during individual training so that we stay athletically fit." In explanation, the future appears bleak now that we do not know how long it will take for COVID-19 to lessen its devastation on the human race. Most countries have lessened the lockdown, which led to the resumption of most sporting activities. However, statistics show that the number of new infections is on the rise after most countries. This means that the globe may be headed into another lockdown, and the "stay at home, stay safe" cycle may repeat. If such a thing happens, all players have to create a training schedule which they have to follow to the latter, lest the athletic fitness goes down the drain. Various trainers will virtually follow up on players' progress to ensure that these schedules are being followed.
Another mission statement would be, "To learn to play without physically present fans." Now that fans' return to stadiums is unpredictable, players have to cope with playing in empty stadiums without the influence of the professional psyche from fans (Psychology Educator, 2013). Players have no choice but to have an inward motivation to perform on the field rather than depending on external forces to liven them up when things are maybe going south. Crowd cheers may not be coming soon, and we have to live with that. The implementation of this strategy would be to continually remind players during breaks or training that they are their own psyche-givers.
Finally, I recommend a mission statement that goes, "To strive and adapt to the disrupted sporting calendar." In a long time, most sporting leagues like football and basketball complete their competitions in early May. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disoriented the harmony of the sporting season. As of now, most leagues are ending the season. The sporting fraternity may not know the verdict of sporting federations on when to resume play for the next season and if it means that players may not have a break in between, so be it. Every player has no choice but to go by the set standards and new implementations. Word of mouth and constant reminders, I think, would work best, encouraging players to adapt to change fast.
In conclusion, leadership is the crucial definitive factor or how an organization approaches success, and critical leadership characters like humility and clarity of mind play a significant role in molding a good leader. The sporting world has had an impeccable example of formidable leadership characters like Pat Summit and Michael Jordan, who have graced the scene. These individuals have shaped the entire sporting world by attracting a lucrative fan base and inspiring fellow teammates to strive for the apex. Starting the year 2020, the sporting arena has undergone dramatic changes that call for flexibility and quick adaptability to wade through the hard times that seem unpredictable. The vision statements exhibit these very initiatives that most coaching staff members and administrators need to adopt.
References
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