The questions is often asked, " Are leaders born or made?" .
It’s a tough question, but it’s a little of both. There is no set “leadership” personality type, and leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Some children seem to be natural leaders whereas other children seem to be natural followers. Often these traits are linked with whether they tend to be introverts or extroverts. The extrovert is often the leader and vice versa especially among younger children. But this doesn’t mean that if a child is naturally shy he or she can’t be a leader. It also doesn’t mean that if a child is a “natural” leader that they are going to be an effective leader. As most adults know, there are many people in leadership positions who are terrible leaders. Question a group of coaches or managers about what leadership skills they look for and you could end up with as many different types of answers as you have individuals answering the questions. In younger people, leadership is also often linked to self confidence. I do believe that certain people "have it" , have that skill set that will make them a leader among their peers, however coaches can nurture or stifle it by the way in which they coach athletes, especially at the younger ages. In my various roles, I have seen both, athletes who I could see right away were leaders, by their actions, their body language and the way they interacted with peers. However I also saw athletes who initially did not appears to have the profile of nature leaders but once given the chance ( and supported throughout the process) thrived. However for today, I want to focus how we can empower youth via sports to develop skills. It's about giving them the tools and opportunities, the choice however whether or not to step into leadership remains with each. Many psychologists suggest that we all have a core personality, but that our experiences also change who we are over time. A child may not be a leader right now, but that doesn’t mean the assumption should be made that they can't ever become one. It is important keep trying to build their leadership skills. They just may not be ready yet, or haven’t had an opportunity to show their leadership skills. Leadership is linked with self-confidence, and a child will be far more likely to lead in a familiar situation than a new one. Giving youth added responsibilities in a new situation is just going to make them feel pressured and nervous. Imagine asking a child to be captain in a sport they have never played before. Compare that with giving them a leadership position in an environment where they are considered knowledgeable or experienced. A common mistake made by coaches and many others is assuming that the best players or performers should be the leaders. This isn’t true. Sometimes the best players are the worst leaders! I have seen naturally gifted athletes that were terrible leaders because they didn't have to work hard to obtain success and over time might take their abilities for granted. Someone with great training habits and work ethic and who has to always been at their best to succeed may lead simply by example. Don't be afraid to point to them as examples to follow. A true leader will come with strong problem solving and decision making skills. The ability to read situations, take in information, adapt to changing realities and make decisions based on the information available are all traits of strong leaders. Being able to deal with adversity and chaos while keeping a cool head are also traits of leaders. For younger individuals and athletes, these can be further develop by letting them make decisions for themselves. Realizing that sometimes decisions have negative consequences is part of development. We’re all familiar with the helicopter parent who “hovers” over their child. This can also be true of coaches. To become a leader, they need to be empowered to make their own choices. So accordingly, they need to experience the opportunity to make decisions, even simple ones. For more complex decisions, work with them to decide what options are available and the pros and cons of each option. Research suggests that people are more willing to be led if the leader is conscientious, agreeable, humble, and shows integrity and gratitude. These are traits that can be taught or encouraged. What follower wouldn’t want to be encouraged, praised, and be treated fairly? As a coach, set the example with the team but also show them examples, where a leader has demonstrated leadership traits. How can you expect your athletes to demonstrate leadership skills without seeing them from you as a coach? Too often, coach want to control the team environment too much. They will cut drills short when it seems the players are getting frustrated, they will balance out teams in scrimmages when one seems to be a little too dominant. Sometimes it is the best thing for them is to let the situation unfold so they can experience failure. In sports ( and in life) a positive outcome is not always realistic. There are going to be situations where regardless of ones best efforts, the outcome will be a negative one. Be supportive during tough situations, but let your athletes fail when appropriate, and use it as a teaching moment. Ask them "What can you learn from this experience so that you don’t make the same mistakes?” A good leader knows that you have to work hard to accomplish your goals and that you just have to keep at it until success is achieved. A great leader can inspire everyone around them to fight through the tough moments. Similar to perseverance, positive thinking can be taught. It requires you to set the example, but also try to reverse negative thinking. Think of the coach who after a tough game might say something like “We were horrible compared to that team. They’re far more experienced, older, and bigger.” It might be true, and the team might have just experienced a thrashing, but help them find something positive from the situation. Everything can be a teachable moment. The athletes need to feel a sense of empowerment to change their situation. Winning isn’t everything, and it’s important especially at the youth level to create environments that support the development of both the sport specific skills but also the soft skills ( leadership, problem solving, teamwork, etc ) rather than just focus on the win-loss record. Coaching and empowering leadership is also about treating all athletes equitably ( on a side note, I had previous written a blog post about whether athletes on your team should be treated equally or equitable. For reference you can find it via this link equity-vs-equality-in-coaching.html ) Not everyone is or should be a leader. Some prefer to be followers and that’s perfectly okay. It’s important to remember that while you use these points to build leaderships skills in athlete, leave it up to them to determine whether they want to lead. If they don’t, accept that and don’t push the matter. Later in life they may choose to lead and will then need the skills you’ve helped them develop now. Sports remain a great vehicle to teach life skills and lessons that will be useful long after their sports careers are done, but in what should be a fun yet competitive environment. However, their a lot of factors that affect this. Up to each coach to best manage it.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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