Leadership In Sports

When you think about a leader you think of someone who possesses a number qualities. You would like to think that they are enthusiastic, have good judgment, are intelligent, a good people person, and a great speaker. You can go on and on naming what you think are good qualities. In this weeks discussion several types of leadership were brought up. The charismatic leader was the most appealing. The film we watched in class brought up three qualities that I feel are very important: passion, composure, and consistency. These qualities are characteristic of a charismatic leader. The managers we watched are all very respected. They have a "fire" inside them that makes others around them want to achieve. They are very outspoken and fight for what they believe. You don't expect any more or any less from them. The energy, strong conviction, and self-confidence of a charismatic leader can make the difference in a company or for a team. Without passion the leader won't be willing to go that extra mile or push others to perform at their greatest level.

Over the past few years I have been involved with an NIFL (National Indoor Football league) team. Many points touched on during class are characteristic of the leaders of this organization. During the teams' first season they were part of the IPFL(Indoor Professional Football League). There were many problems from the beginning. The ownership was extremely shaky. They were a family that happened to have the money to buy the team but, didn't have the skills to run the team. Because of their selfishness they didn't hire someone with the qualifications to lead the team. Instead the job of general manager was held by the son of the owners. The owners didn't care about the players or coaches. Three hours before the season opener I found myself, along with the head coach and a number of players, painting the old turf. The players' names had not been sewn on the jerseys and they didn't have their shoes yet. A number of players hadn't even received their checks. These were just a few of the problems. As you can imagine this troubled the players and the coaches. The head coach did all he could to stand by his players. He was a great leader and made numerous complaints to the ownership. Because of his loyalty to the players he was eventually fired in the middle of the season. The team captain and other top players threatened to leave the team. They were able to coerce the other players to join in their effort. To avoid this the ownership made just enough changes to avoid the strike. The coach stayed in contact with