Introduction
According to psychology, leadership is the capacity of an individual or group to exert social influence, which enables the leader to win over other community members to accomplish shared objectives. The exercise of leadership is a complicated process that combines the process of managing people with the acquisition and confirmation of a leadership position (Dugan, 2017). Any social activity that requires the application of teamwork to obtain goals requires leaders. In order to reduce expenses and boost operational effectiveness, it is an essential component of the management system. Not surprisingly, strong leaders are also required in team sports and training so that athletes can achieve high athletic goals. Thus, the role of a leader in sports is critical to fulfilling the overall team mission of uniting, motivating players, and coordinating actions and communications between team members.
Types of Leadership
Different leadership philosophies are appropriate for various contexts, communication styles, and professional domains. For instance, the rigidity of hierarchy and style of military leadership will not be the same as that of managing a group of artists. The leader must feel the nature of the team, its members’ personal characteristics, and the environment’s specifics (Dugan, 2017). Otherwise, the manager will lose their authority and be unable to properly influence their team, which would only discourage the participants.
The style of management differs between democratic and autocratic leadership. The leader always makes the final decision, but the nature of the discussion, the collection of opinions, and their consideration vary (Dugan, 2017). In a democratic management style, team members are dedicated to the goals, mission, and objectives of the job, have access to strategically important information, and can influence decision-making by having a voice (Dugan, 2017). As a rule, in such teams, there is more autonomy and involvement of performers in work processes. Autocratic leaders expect others to stick to their decisions and not challenge them (Dugan, 2017). Such management is often used in crisis situations or rigid hierarchical structures where quick decision-making is required.
Based on the process management style, strategic, transformational, and transactional leadership is distinguished. Strategic leaders are the bridge between management (or customers) and employees (Dugan, 2017). They ensure that the interests of all parties are observed in the process of achieving common goals. Transformational leaders are appointed to carry out reform processes within a team or company (Dugan, 2017). They aim to transform and improve features and capabilities and are growth-oriented. Transactional leadership is becoming popular nowadays based on the action-reward concept (Dugan, 2017). Employees receive a transparent bonus scheme for achieving goals set by the company.
When the environment for the implementation of teamwork has serious specifics, a unique, specific type of leadership is developed for this area. For example, bureaucratic leadership is based on laws and regulations to a greater extent, so it is as formalized as possible (Dugan, 2017). Coaching leadership focuses on personal growth by encouraging individual team members to focus on their strengths and talents (Turnnidge & Côté, 2018). This style combines strategic and democratic leadership styles but pays more attention to the individual and their personality development.
Leadership theories
As the importance of leadership for society was realized, interest in this topic grew, and many concepts appeared that explained the nature of leadership. Researchers were interested in various questions, including the difference between leaders and followers, basic skills, ways to form leadership, etc. The explanation of leadership is reflected in many theories, the main ones being situational, functional, behavioral, and integral (Dugan, 2017). There are many other concepts, but they instead consider more particular aspects of this phenomenon. For instance, “Great Man” and Trait theories focus on great leaders’ innate and learned qualities (Mango, 2018). These approaches study the issues of personal qualities that help a person obtain, retain, and use social authority.
Situational theories suggest that, based on the situation, influential leaders must choose the best course of action. They base their judgments on all variables, including situational ones. Leaders choose the best course of action based on situational variables. This leadership style is suitable for flexible business processes where people need to adapt quickly, as in the IT field (Dugan, 2017). Moreover, the leader himself chooses leadership styles in each case. If the leader is the most knowledgeable and experienced member of the group in a particular situation, then an authoritarian style may be most appropriate. In other cases, when group members are experienced experts, a democratic style will be more effective.
The functional leadership theory promotes the concept of a leader who provides the team with everything necessary for practical work. The most important task of a leader is to provide resources and opportunities, as well as the environment for their implementation (Dugan, 2017). In this theory, leadership does not depend on one person; it recognizes the influence on the work of the team from many non-following leaders who are engaged in their areas of competence. Management is based on the sequence of actions of the group rather than on the personal decisions of one person.
Behavioral leadership theories are considered the flip side of the great man theory and are based on the belief that effective leaders are made, not born. The main focus of this approach is on the actions and not on personal qualities or internal states. (Dugan, 2017). According to this theory, each person has the potential to become a leader through learning and practicing a specific range of skills.
Integral leadership is one of the most modern theories listed, as it aims to meet the needs of a modern, rapidly changing society. Integral leaders must be able to navigate their field of activity in related fields and be aware of all the prospects that arise at any moment (Dugan, 2017). They can collect the opinions of various colleagues, objective data, and trends and build development strategies, that is, integrate them from a variety of others. In integral leadership, the diversity of cultures, views, approaches, and formations is especially valued, as it gives an advantage in analyzing the situation.
Changes in Leadership over the Years
Technological and social changes of the last decade could not affect leadership. Back in the late 20th century, autocratic leadership was considered the norm; leaders made decisions without the participation of employees. No one thought that employees could actively and creatively participate in management, decision-making, and strategic planning. Initiating employees into information about the work and development of the company seemed not only useless but also harmful, as it only compromised confidential data (Mango, 2018). Moreover, many workers need to be qualified and highly educated to delve into processes unrelated to their duties (Mango, 2018). Leadership tactics often lean toward directive process management and micromanagement.
Modern leadership is mainly based on the integrative model, is more flexible, and strives for empowerment. Managers of the past only delegated authority to team members, and now they take on other responsibilities for mentoring, training, onboarding, developing a collaborative environment, etc. (Mango, 2018). The leader must be able to create a single space and ensure the functioning of employees in it, resolve conflicts, and build work and interpersonal relationships (Samosudova, 2017). In addition, the spread of remote work has led to a change in time management and productivity-tracking practices (Samosudova, 2017). Official reporting on the work done in such conditions only slows down the processes. Therefore, it is replaced by other methods of monitoring the implementation of tasks.
Effective Leadership in Sports
Leadership in sports is an essential element of coaching and coaching. A good coach has to become a good and effective leader for his athletes. The difference between effective and successful leadership is that a successful leader is focused only on achieving goals. Such a coach may ignore the needs of the players and the long-term prospects for their development (Cummins et al., 2017). This often results in coaches squeezing the full potential out of athletes, putting their health and long-term well-being on the line (Cummins et al., 2017). An athlete could achieve much more himself and give more to the team if the coach thought about the strategy of working with people and teams.
An effective leader is considered a coach who is acting within the framework of modern transformational leadership. It is a people and team management strategy that focuses on athletes’ inspiration, growth, development, and intellectual stimulation (Arthur et al., 2017). Coaches work not in business with a product but with a person and his range of capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, fears, and characteristics (Arthur et al., 2017). An effective leader can trade results here and now for results in the future. A temporary regression is necessary to achieve sustainable progress if a player is injured or needs to relearn some technique.
Leadership in Football Coaching
It is optional for a good football player to become an effective leader, as modern sports require many skills to manage a team. First, the football coach must become an informal writer; otherwise, the players will not listen to them. Athletes in football often see themselves as the sport’s top league, with high ambition and self-importance (Acet et al., 2017). An effective coach must work with the players’ psychology so that they do not stop in their development, see their weaknesses, and continue to train (Acet et al., 2017). Moreover, a football coach has to regulate the microclimate in the team, set up relationships between players, and successfully resolve conflicts (Acet et al., 2017). It is impossible to imagine an effective football coach without charisma and basic training in psychology.
To choose a leadership style, a coach needs to understand the team’s composition and focus on the players and the club’s culture. However, studies generally show that a democratic leadership style is more appropriate for team sports (Shehu et al., 2019). This encourages athletes to independently seek consensus within the team, building strong relationships (Shehu et al., 2019). If a football coach uses an authoritarian style, then there is a high probability that the team will not exist after him. An effective coach should delegate and encourage informal leadership within the team, as this makes the team more cohesive.
Like any sports coach, football coaches should consider their players’ development. First, it means that a leader in football must always be flexible and ready for change. A team needs a coach to experiment, try new tactics, and encourage players to look for new opportunities. Second, the leader must be able to give negative feedback adequately and combine it with development strategy planning (Shehu et al., 2019).
This means that aggression and shouting will never help to achieve results. Players want to see constructive criticism and problem-solving methods through learning new things (Acet et al., 2017). Third, the coach must create and maintain a culture within the team focused on team success, preparation, and discipline (Acet et al., 2017). Players must learn to share common values and motivate each other to succeed through light rivalry. Fourth, coaches must be able to think strategically to bring the team to peak form for important competitions (Acet et al., 2017). Often this means understanding when to overwork athletes and when to invest in their long-term development, which will take more time to give results.
Conclusion
Leadership is an important theme for the organization of any group activity in society, which is conditioned by common goals. Because they streamline procedures, expedite decision-making, and inspire collaboration, leaders are essential in all facets of life. Ideas about leadership change over time, as they are based on the practical and psychological characteristics of people and society. Over time, the leadership style in most social spheres has changed to a more democratic and transformational one. A collective or sports team member shows higher efficiency if the leader cares about their personal development, needs, and opinions.
References
Acet, M., Gumusgul, O., & Isik, U. (2017). Leadership Characteristics of Football Coaches. Online Submission. Web.
Arthur, C. A., Bastardoz, N., & Eklund, R. (2017). Transformational leadership in sport: Current status and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 78-83. Web.
Cummins, P., O’Boyle, I., & Cassidy, T. (2017). Leadership in sports coaching: A social identity approach. Routledge.
Dugan, J. P. (2017). Leadership theory: Cultivating critical perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Mango, E. (2018). Rethinking leadership theories. Open Journal of Leadership, 7(01), 57. Web.
Samosudova, N. V. (2017). Modern leadership and management methods for development organizations. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 106, p. 08062). EDP Sciences. Web.
Shehu, A., Kuriu, A., & Ikonomi, E. (2019). Coach Leadership in Football. Journal of Advances in Sports and Physical Education, 2(10), 186-192. Web.
Turnnidge, J., & Côté, J. (2018). Applying transformational leadership theory to coaching research in youth sport: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16(3), 327-342. Web.