Running head: ATHLETIC LEADERSHIP

Athletic Leadership
Chavon Watts
Siena Heights University

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Leadership

Leadership has always played a role in success in teams or organizations around the
world. As for teams, the Coach has the ability to conduct their team and put their players in the
best-fit positions for that environment. The ideal outcome would have one team scoring more
points than the opposing team, have better competing strategies than their opponent has, or have
better athletes. In organizations supervisors, managers, and other top-level managers carry out
leadership. Their role starts with recruiting the best-fit employees based off their qualities and
credentials. From there, task are assigned from their leaders that will be monitored in quality of
task, efficiency, and consistency. As leaders, they will have to take in account of their own and
others compatibility of psychological traits to their success and achievements (Dhesi & Bal,
2012).
Leadership Styles
Transformational leadership
In transformational leadership, these leaders get their success through actively being
involved with their followers. These leaders often use the most important of the four components
of being a transformational leader, called Inspiring Motivation. This experience is shared
between the follower and leader, making the follower feel more understood and more open to
adjusting strategies and placement in the process of success (McCleskey, 2014). The other three
components Idealized Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration help
hold what is seen as a good leader together. Through Idealized Influence, the follower must first
incorporate the components of the leader they wish to follow. Followers must find a leader they
truly believe in with their ethics, abilities, and knowledge; through the behaviors, they have
presented (McCleskey, 2014). Intellectual Stimulation allows the leader to reflect on their skills

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by opening up to their followers with the intent to increase ones abilities as a leader that will
transfer into their personal effectiveness. Individualized Consideration involves being a mentor,
helping its followers reach their full potential. Followers like their leader to explain the rational
of their efforts toward success (Corrigan, Garman, Lam, & Leary, 1998).
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership focuses on the relationship between the leader and their
followers. The relationship is split in two different sections that connect at one common goal.
This style of leadership is meant for followers to maximize their own organizational and
individual gains (McCleskey, 2014). As the leader focuses on the task that needs to be
accomplished leaders use positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement occurs when the
followers are rewarded for performing certain actions. Although contingent reward is part of this
leadership style, it also recognizes the lack of work being performed by individuals as well.
Non-leadership
Non-leadership, also known as Laissez-Faire avoids leading communities or groups using
authority. Although this leadership style seems to be non-effective, it is effective in situations
where the followers of a leader are highly skilled and motivated (Zareen, Razzaq, & Mujtaba,
2014). These leaders provide their followers with full opportunities to learn and explore new
areas for the group to move based on the necessary resources and tools. This style is most
beneficial to large groups, making it easier for them in decision-making situations. The motive of
motivating behind this leadership style comes from the satisfaction within the group. They feel
highly motivated to follow this leadership style when they experience positive outcomes and
rewards. If further assistance is needed, the leaders are always there for feedback (Zareen,
Razzaq, & Mujtaba, 2014).

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According to research done by Corrigan, Garman, Lam, and Leary (1998), some
skills/traits are best-suited for effective leadership. The information was gathered from the 346
surveys mental health staff took on Multifactor Leadership Model. Based on these skills they
either followed one the three factors of effective leadership as well, Transformational leadership,
Transactional Leadership, or Non-leadership. Depending on the leaders traits, their leadership
strategy or style may not seem as effective to others who are used to different styles. The most
successful leaders were not the ones who laid down rules and guidelines to follow for success,
but the ones who researched and observed before taking action. This method requires leaders to
explore new areas to help guide their followers with a little force, this enables their followers to
do their best (Fetzer, 2005). The uniqueness of these three different leadership styles are the
difference between the leader and followers relationship to be successful. For a leader to be
successful they must first see what style fits them best and what style of leadership they are good
at performing.
Athlete Traits
College athletes have always had this facade of positive or negative traits due to their
interest in their activities or treatment they received. On major or lower scales, college athletes
have always been appealing to the eye by their competitiveness. Their competitiveness shows a
pattern that is triggered by the influence of socialization and their situations in life (SchrackWalters, ODonnell, & Wardlow, 2009). Having the opportunity to share classroom space or time
with the athletes, getting to know them as a person but seeing a different side of them in their
sport may be entertaining. Their time and effort put in their sport is sometimes impressive taking
in consideration that they have to attend classes and extra-curricular activities. Their image is

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sometimes viewed as negative because these athletes may get more excitement playing their
sport or rather work harder in the sport than in the classroom.
Due to these hard working qualities, ideally that these college athletes can transcend that
effort into their desired workplace or career. Due to the different type of sports, it would only be
right to separate the athletes based on the different types of performances needed for a team to be
successful. For those individuals who are task oriented when playing their sport are thought to
later be involved in difficult task to learn more (Schrack-Walters, ODonnell, & Wardlow, 2009).
In relation to personality traits and sports, some personality traits can help influence success
within a sport and develop specific characteristic (Dhesi & Bal, 2012). Many of these
characteristics could be formed in many sports that penalize players or the team based on the
players actions.
Method
Participants
College-aged students (18-22 years) will comprise a convenience sample of n=50
selected from large companies that have newly graduated employees. None of these subjects
will be excluded due to race, gender, sex, or religious beliefs. The participants will be involved in
a situational questionnaire. All subjects will be treated in accordance with the ethical guidelines
established by the American Psychological Association.
Materials
Surveys will contain difficult situational question and answers that each
participant will have to complete. Their answers will then be compared to higher-level
management individuals of multiple companies. Scoring will revolve around the answers or

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characteristics given by management officers. The closer the participants score to the officers
answers the more this group of individuals fit being leaders within an organization.
Procedure
Fifty random college aged students will first be contacted and asked to take the
survey. Twenty-five of those 50 individuals will be current or former college athletes, varying in
sports. The other 25 will be nonathletic individuals, or people who were not involved in college
sports or intramural sports. Next, the individuals will take the survey in a quiet area preferably
local library. No time limit will be accessed, and then surveys will be placed in a manila
envelope for confidentiality.
Limitation
The limitations of this research would be the accuracy of the survey given and the
appropriate results. This will be a self-made survey with the help of other higher-level managers.
The wording or questions may not seem as clear to the participants when taking the survey.
Conclusion
After this study, companies and individuals should be able to look at the results and see
what help shapes characteristics that will be most beneficial for leading. Due that athletes are
always faced with more unfavorable situations than wanted, the results should say that athletes
have more leadership characteristics. On top of school, student athletes are required to go out in
their sport and perform at their best every day throughout the week. The multiple activities they
are involved in will shape characteristics that will give them the hardworking and relentless
attitudes as an employee or leader. As for the regular population, these individuals are not use to
balancing their time as much or handling multiple task at once. This would not give them the

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opportunity to practice their leadership skills over the years as college athletes would have since
they were younger and involved in their sport.

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References

Corrigan, P., Garman, A., Lam, C., and Leary, M. (1998). What mental health teams want in
Their leaders. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services
Research, 26 (2), 111-123.
Dhesi, S., & Bal, B. (2012). Analysis of the personality traits of athletes in individual and
Team sports. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research, 2 (2), 9-11.
Fetzer, John. (2005). Leadership. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 381 (7), 1311-1312.
McCleskey, J. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership
Development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5 (4), 117-130.
Schrack-Walters, A., ODonnell, K., & Wardlow, D. (2009). Deconstructing the myth of the
Monolithic male athlete: A qualitative study of mens participation in athletics. Sex
Roles, 60(2), 81-99. Doi: 10.1007/s11199-008-9499-y
Zareen, M., Razzaq, K., & Mujtaba, B. (2014). Impact of transactional, transformational and
Laissez-faire leadership styles on motivation: A quantitative study of banking
Employees in pakistan. Public Organization Review, 1-19. Doi: 10.1007/s11115-0140287-6