With the end of the World Cup looming on the 18th of December, this month I have been thinking about the importance of good leadership within sports and the correlations between these leadership styles and the workplace.
The members making up every team in the World Cup have been carefully selected for their outstanding talent, beating thousands of other young people competing for a space. We then have a group of talented young players missing one crucial thing. A coach. A coach needs to inspire and motivate whilst building a relationship with their team and a will to win against opponents.
(Murphy, 2005) Looks at three commonly used leadership styles in sports:
1. Authoritative/Autocratic: An autocratic approach can be summarised as the leader taking all power and charge of their team, making all decisions and telling teams what is being done.
2. Democratic: A democratic leadership within sports would favour explaining what needs to be done and why and then asking their team for feedback before making a final decision on how to proceed.
3. Laissez-Faire: A laissez-faire approach to sports leadership means the coach does not have an active role and takes a complete step back, allowing the players of the team to make their own decisions.
Historically, autocratic leadership styles like that of Manchester United Coach, Alex Ferguson indicate the success of the style due to the success the team had during Fergusons’ notable career.
From looking at these sports’ leadership styles, we can begin to recognise the similarities and differences leadership faces in the workplace. Our bosses and managers are, in effect, our coaches and our colleagues our team members.
At Morgan Latif, I believe our leadership team favour a democratic approach to running the organisation. There are many positives to this style as being a multicultural and diverse organisation, a democracy allows all voices to be heard. Employees have the opportunity to speak about their concerns and expect them to be taken on board. This makes them feel valued and respected, not only creating a positive work environment, but also a likeliness of increased motivation and performance. The approach benefits both the employee and the business.
From an employee perspective and as a young woman living in a progressive society, it is essential for me to feel heard by senior stakeholders and also to hear the perspectives of other employees of different ages and backgrounds to continue shaping my own opinions.
Although different leadership styles may be more successful with sports teams, in wider society I think the psychological value of feeling valued, thus increasing motivation at work (when you are not motivated by the notion of winning) means the most effective leadership style is the democratic approach.
We’re interested in our reader’s thoughts on this topic and which leadership approach you think is most beneficial within the workplace. To discuss further please contact @roseharper
