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Chapter VII

Leadership and Administration: Leadership Essay

The lights in the arena start to flicker notifying the audience the action is about to begin.

As the paid-ticket holders navigate isles of seats the anticipation for the evening’s performance

continues to build. Fans have been waiting months for the season’s opening night and it’s finally

here. A hush falls over the crowd as the performers funnel through just as enthusiastic as their

supporters. The stars of the night arrived. The classically trained musicians take their assigned

seats some with sizable instruments. The entire orchestra awaits for their fearless leader, the

maestro. Authors, James Kouzes and Barry Posner share insight from one of the business

leaders they interacted with “I was leading an orchestra of people who would merely follow my

lead. When I was physically present, the business would see growth, but when I was absent, the

business would correspondingly suffer” (2012, p, 93). What are the general requirements for

sports leaders to ensure their teams can continue to practice and play their music at a high level

when the conductor is not present? What specific characteristics can sports leaders leverage to

aid individuals and teams in reaching their potential? In spite of challenges, what tools can

sports leaders use to overcome?

The general requirement for a leader is to establish and maintain a culture. This

requirement is not bound specifically to sports. Leaders in any realm for example non-profit

organizations, corporate, environmental movements, and athletics will have success when this

general requirement is met. The three parts needed to create a culture are foster collaboration,

clear communication, and establish an environment where coworkers have the ability to take

risks while taking responsibility for their actions. Leaders must collaborate with their team and

followers. Everyone behind the movement or mission must be in alignment. The leader must

give people a reason to care. “People have reasons for caring about their work. When

individuals care about what they are doing, they are more effective and satisfied. They

experience less stress and tension” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p.61). For example, I served as a

board member of a local chapter for an international non-profit organization, Girls on the Run

(GOTR). I was charged with the task of expanding the brand. To do so I needed to create a

culture of collaboration with my personal and professional networks. I needed to provide them

with reasons to care about this specific organization. With time, dedication, and repetition of

messaging my networks became aligned with the mission and shared vision of GOTR. My

passion became their passion and the program’s participants were the benefactors of this

collaboration. The second general requirement for leaders is to create a culture embracing clear

communication. The leader has to find his or her voice and then use those authentic words. The

world has witnessed and been influenced by many great leaders. However, we are not those

leaders. The authors note, “Once you have the words you want to say you must also give voice

to those words. You must be able to express yourself so that everyone knows that you are the

one who’s speaking” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, pp.51-52). The final aspect of the general

requirement is to create a space safe enough to take risks yet supportive enough for team

members to take responsibility for positive and negative consequences. The culture that leaders

create cannot be based on fear or intimidation. The team atmosphere must embrace challenges

and encourage team members to utilize their strengths while holding each other accountable for

their actions.

While creating a culture is a general requirement for a sports leader there are two specific

characteristics that I have utilized in my roles as a leader. Those two qualities are feed your

thirst for knowledge and ensure that your actions and words are in alignment. While coaching

basketball at the collegiate and high school levels, I challenged myself to never stop learning

about myself and from others. It is crucial to solicit feedback from individuals within your inner

circle and industry leaders. After you receive the feedback leaders must take action. “But

remember this: if you don’t do anything with the feedback you receive, people will stop giving it

to you. They are likely to believe that you are arrogant enough to think that you are smarter than

everyone else or that you just don’t care about what anyone else has to say” (Kouzes & Posner,

2012, p.86). Upon the conclusion of every basketball season, I received feedback from the

players, coaching staff and the person I directly reported to. I made time to review their

feedback and create an action plan if trends and commonalities existed year over year.

The second specific characteristic for a sports leader is to ensure that their actions align

with their words. In the non-sports world, Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg comes to

mind. One of her platforms is gender equity and most align this fight with women’s rights.

Although there are countless examples where Justice Bader Ginsburg successfully fought for

women’s rights it is important to note her advocacy for the Social Security Act. A section of the

act favored women over men specifically when the spouse was deceased. At the time she was a

successful attorney and she won a case granting widowers the same benefit and rights of widows.

Regardless of gender, Bader Ginsburg argued the surviving spouse deserves the rights of their

deceased loved one. This is one example where Justice Bader Ginsburg’s words and actions

aligned. Leaders can achieve next level success when they quench their thirst for knowledge and

keep words and actions in sequence.

When leaders leverage the general characteristics and specific characteristics it will aid in

their ability to overcome challenges. Two specific challenges that leaders face on a regular basis

are egos and limited resources. These challenges will never be eliminated; however, leaders can

minimize their negative impact. To overcome egos of constituents the leaders need to

communicate the shared values and model the way. “Leaders ensure that everyone is aligned

through the process of affirming shared values - uncovering, reinforcing, and holding one

another accountable to what ‘we’ value” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p.58). Furthermore, a strong

support system is essential for stakeholders to have buy-in and execute the big picture. Leaders

need to dig deep when confronting self-serving egos within a team mentality. Brene Brown’s

DIG Deep mentality aligns with my core values of integrity, authenticity, and initiative. Brown

notes, “Deliberate in their thoughts and behaviors through, prayer, meditation, or simply setting

their intentions; Inspired to make new and different choices; Going. They take action” (Brown,

2010). The detrimental egos could be hiding behind social media and closed doors or in plain

sight among the staff, student-athletes, boosters, fans, and sponsors. Leaders need to dig deep

when confronting self-serving egos that deter from a team mentality.

One of the other challenges that leaders encounter is the expectation to do more with less.

Departments face limited resources and laden with budget cuts. Despite financial and personnel

challenges athletic administrators and coaches must achieve desired results. One approach to

overcome limited resources is to have a precise focus on manageable actions instead of being

overcome by worry, excuses and frustrations. Consider the butterfly effect and the concept that

the ripple of caused by a single pebble can impact an entire ocean. Reduced budgets and

understaffed departments can feel like that small pebble. It is up to the sports leader to determine

his or her affect. Reflect on Greta Thunberg, a teenage environmental activist. Her activism

started as a small ripple but has grown over time due to her precise focus on manageable actions

into a tsunami. Her platform to raise awareness of climate change started during a school strike

while peacefully sitting on a sidewalk with a single poster. Her determination to not let limited

resources silence her voice has now blossomed into international recognition and awareness.

Leaders will need to overcome personal and professional challenges by leveraging their

specific strengths and the attributes of their team members. Sports leaders must promote their

team and surrounding constituents to be the best versions of themselves. Sports leaders must

create and maintain a culture where collaboration is encouraged, clear communication is the

standard and implore the members to take risks and accept responsibility. With a precise focus

on manageable actions and digging deep leaders and departments will overcome challenges. By

successfully executing these factors it will ensure that the music will continue long after the

maestro exits the stage.

References

Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and

embrace who you are. Center City, MN: Hazelden.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: how to make extraordinary

things happen in organizations. (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass