Great leaders inspire leadership

On playing fields and sports arenas, the quality of leadership is as critical to success as it is in politics, business and education. Great captains and leaders can inspire, motivate and galvanise average players and athletes into performing like champions and winners. The role and duties of leader have to be discharged at some time by everyone — whether a businessman, professional or parent. Although theres much truth in the army adage that everyone cant be a general, its useful to assess and test your leadership style and capabilities — just in case. First, its important to determine your natural leadership style. Are you authoritarian, hands-on, or laissez-faire? Each of these styles may work for different types of people in different contexts, because there isnt any ‘right leadership style. However, there certainly are wrong styles. For example, winning teams and champions arent moulded by leaders who lead by creating fear and intimidation, or through divide et impera (divide and rule) tactics. On the other hand, good leaders though assertive, are cooperative, caring, communicative, helpful, dedicated, cool under pressure, responsible, energetic, and all-round good role models. In my opinion, based on over 40 years experience as a NBA player, coach and author, good leaders need six essential qualities — vision; ability to sell the vision; ability to build teams; learn continuously; change according to circumstances; and ability to nurture future leaders. The vision thing. All leaders need the ability to visualise. For example, as a director of the school sports teams, you need to be able to picture your team at the end of the season. What do you want them to have accomplished? How do you want them to feel about themselves and others? How do you want others to view your coaches and teams? Your vision serves to guide your actions and help accomplish your goals and objectives. Selling your vision. From the very first meeting with your coaches — when they are excited and full of enthusiasm about the future — you should be selling them the future you envision for your programme so that they assume its ownership. The best way to sell your vision is to always speak in positive terms, using words like we and our, and exhibiting reinforcing behaviour, by being a walking, talking embodiment of your programme and vision. Building teams. Great teams and champions dont fall out of the sky or spring up from the ground. Successful leaders are team builders, able to get disparate individuals to work towards common goals. In todays me-first sports world, respecting and supporting individual goals while getting coaches, players, parents and other members of the sports community to work together towards overall programmes or goals is one of the biggest challenges sports directors face. Continuous learning. Even great leaders with vision and impressive communication skills are often accused of not understanding players. Therefore, good leaders make special efforts to keep learning about their players and team members. A popular basketball coach used to visit the prisons…