What are Preferred Leadership Styles of Athletes from Their Coaches

Abstract

Using the Multidimensional Model of Leadership three aspects of a leaders' behavior need to be aligned in order to see an increase in member satisfaction and performance. These aspects include required behavior, preferred behavior, and actual behavior. From this idea, the Leadership Scale for Sport was developed which broke down leadership styles of a coach into five categories. These include democratic behavior, social support, positive feedback, training and instruction and autocratic behavior. It is evident that athletes at the youth level as well as the collegiate and professional level prefer four of these leadership styles. These four most preferred are democratic behavior, social support, positive feedback and training and instruction. There are also multiple ways that coaches can implement these styles with their athletes. This can include using goal setting, using the internet to increase knowledge, and using positive feedback to learn new skills. Understanding which styles are preferred, and implementing them can lead to an increase in member performance, team cohesion and motivation.