The Role of Leadership in Team Sports. Education Essay

Role of Transformational Leadership in Team Sports
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Role of Transformational Leadership in Team Sports
Introduction
Leadership is a term that has been defined severally. These definitions appear to differ in subtle ways but two things remain universal. These two include the presence of a leader and a follower or followers. In leadership, there needs to be one person who takes the position of a leader and another person or people who take up the position of followers. Aside from the presence of a leader and followers, there is also the issue of leadership styles. Every leader has a preferred style of leadership. Some leaders choose to be democratic and therefore, tend to involve their followers in their decisions. Others tend to be autocratic and this means they consider themselves to be the highest form of authority. Such leaders do not listen to anyone and everything starts and ends with them. Aside from the styles of leadership, there is the issue of personal traits or attributes that people have that makes them fit within the leadership roles they are given. So, while looking at leadership in any aspect of life, it is crucial to consider the above factors. However, in this particular article, the focus is on one style of leadership and how its use in team sports impacts or influences followers.
Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style “in which leaders encourage, inspire and motivate employees to innovate and create change that will help grow and shape the future success of the company” (White, 2018). As the name suggests, transformational leadership is one that seeks to inspire change and adaptation for the sake of growth. The main goal of this leadership is to ensure consistency in growth and avoid the unpleasantness of stagnation. In the sports industry as in life, change is the only constant thing. Every year, people get to experience change as rules change, teams become better, and the coaching also changes. These changes prompt or require a response in people because when people choose to remain the same, they are either overwhelmed or toppled. As a leader of a sports team, one has to be ready to embrace the intricacies of transformational change. These should help ensure that a team is not only built to last but that it can adapt to change. When people learn to appreciate and prepare for the inevitability of change, it becomes easier to adapt and maintain relevance for a long time.
Dealing with change is often easier said than done. Change can be scary and because of its uncertainties, it is common to find people who are fearful of change. However, Weston (2015) offers guidance on how to deal with change. She mentions several things with the first one being acknowledging the inevitability of change. People can try to run away from change or refuse to accept change. However, none of these things can prevent change. Therefore, the first thing one needs to do is accept that change is inevitable. Weston goes ahead and says that it is also crucial to maintain a high level of flexibility. Being flexible is crucial and Johnson (2017) notes that “being open to new challenges and approaching change with an attitude of learning helps leaders and follower...