Athlete Leadership in Sport

Abstract

This chapter considers conceptual developments within the study of athlete/peer leadership. It provides a definition of athlete leadership and then summarizes the theories and measurement pertaining to the examination of athlete leadership. Sport psychology researchers have utilized qualitative methods in an attempt to extend our limited knowledge of athlete leadership. Athlete satisfaction is another individual-level factor that has received some attention with respect to athlete leadership. The chapter offers some practical implications of athlete leadership and highlights an approach to developing athlete leadership. Athlete leadership development has been suggested in organizational psychology that leadership development must incorporate elements of four approaches to be effective: conceptual development, personal growth experiences, leadership behavior development, and feedback. Development of personal growth centers on a variety of themes including building self-efficacy, role clarification, fortifying self-esteem, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and discovering personal barriers and limitations. The importance of incorporating feedback into athlete leadership development is critical to the training of athletes.