Effective Leaders

A former player if mine recently sent me the following article on leadership which got me thinking about think about leadership in soccer (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/opinion/david-brooks-the-unifying-leader.html.) Leadership exists throughout the different groups surrounding the teams e.g.  board members of clubs, coaching staffs, families, and teams. Each of these groups has a hierarchy of leadership. Boards have presidents, coaching staffs have a head coach, families have a decision maker, and teams have captains. But what are the factors that contribute to the best leaders? Effective leaders tend to demonstrate flexible thinking. They have psychological strength to recognize when pride and ego are interfering with a good idea or strategy. This can be exhibited through a nice balance of humility and confidence. For example, most coaches enter each season with great ideas about formations and styles of play. However, the better coaches are often the ones who can recognize when their players do not suit a certain formation or style. These coaches can adapt a game plan. For example, he/she might change from a possession style to a more counterattack oriented style on the flanks because speed, not possession, is the best team asset. Another flexible coach might institute a midseason change from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-2-1 because they are easily conceding goals and therefore have a need for defensive stability.     
In my experience and according to the aforementioned article, collaborative leaders are often the most effective. These are the board presidents, coaches, and parents that allow for others to play the role of devil’s advocate. This prevents “groupthink” which is when everyone agrees to avoid feeling tension amongst the group. Allowing someone to play devil’s advocate prevents stagnation, promotes exploration of different strategies, and allows for great ideas to emerge. Another type of effective leader is called the transformational leader. As reported by Wikipedia, transformational leaders follow a style of leading that challenges and inspires followers with a sense of purpose and excitement. They also create a vision of what they aspire to be, and communicate this idea to others. There are three identified characteristics of a transformational leader:

·         Charismatic leadership has a broad knowledge of field, has a self-promoting personality, high/great energy level, and willing to take risk and use irregular strategies in order to stimulate their followers to think independently

·         Individualized consideration

·         Intellectual stimulation

Finally, effective captains are valuable components to any team. They can inspire, direct, and help carry out the team expectations. Captains are typically selected based on their ability to communicate, heart/desire, coachability, earned respect, and knowledge of the game. Yet sometimes players with these characteristics do not necessarily make the best leaders. It is important not to assume a player will automatically be able to handle all of the responsibilities that come with captaincy. It is important for coaches to mentor, guide, and teach the team leaders when necessary. Helping a captain to develop into a strong leader can be possible by fostering a mutually collaborative relationship between the coach and captain in which the captain feels comfortable approaching the coach in difficult times.