Coaching leadership styles

Sport coaches are vital to the integrity of the team, they not only play a large role for the team but the individual players. The role of the coach in sports will be many and varied; from instructor, assessor, friend, mentor, facilitator, demonstrator, adviser, supporter, motivator, or counselor. However, one thing all coaches are responsible for, is assisting athletes in a sport by monitoring and analyzing their performance, and by providing feedback and instructing in relevant skills. More specifically, the role of the coach is to get the most out of his players each and every game.
When it comes to professional sports, there are many different coaching styles. We will identify some of leadership styles used by coaches today, and attempt to identify a winning coaching style.
Transformational leadership: Is identified by the type of coach who leads by inspiring others, the type of coach that believes in their team and the individuals and shares optimism about his players potential. They express conviction and emphasize the important of trust, while emphasizing the importance of purpose, commitment, and consequences. Transformation leadership style is the most frequency in sports today, and the two coaches who best represent this style are Scotty Bowman, and Vince Lombardi. Both coaches were known for their positive relationships with their players, while also being known to get the most out their players each and every game.
Emotional intelligence: Refers to being able to work effectively with the emotions of others and to resolve problems, including listening and empathizing. Superb leaders all have superb emotional intelligence. This goes hand in hand with transformational leadership, being able to have the ability to understand and relate to your players, helps building positive relationships.

Assertiveness:Is a widely recognized leadership trait, being forthright in expressing demands, opinions, feelings, and attitudes. Assertiveness leaders expect a lot out of their players, and if they feel a player is not excelling to the best of their ability, they will often call that player out in-front of the entire team. An example of an assertive coach in professional sports today, is John Tortorella. Tortorella is known for his outspoken nature, which has included criticizing his own players publicly.
Which type of leadership style is most effective? This answer depends on a number of factors, including the type of sport, the individual players on the team, and the motivation of each player. For professional sports, transformational leadership is the most frequent today, as they tend to get more compete level/productivity out of their players. Although we do still see coaches who use an assertiveness style, these coaches are slowly beginning to be replaced with more player friendly coaches as this style of coaching is beginning to become "old school".
However, no matter what level a coach and his players at at, one thing never changes, and that is the need for a coach. Leadership styles may change as the coach matures and gains experiences, but even the most talented players can learn more from an effective coach.

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