Wrestlers' Perceptions of Coaches' Leadership as Predictors of Satisfaction with Leadership

Abstract

A specific aspect of the multidimensional model of leadership, athletes' satisfaction as a function of their perceptions of leaders' behaviors and type of sport, was studied. 152 wrestlers indicated their perceptions of their coaches' leadership as measured on training and instruction, democratic, autocratic, social support, and positive feedback and reported their satisfaction with leadership. Analysis indicated that, with the exception of the autocratic behavior subscale, the perceived leadership subscales had satisfactory internal consistency reliability. Consistent with the perceived leadership of other athletes, wrestlers perceived their coaches to be high on positive feedback, high on training and instruction, and low on autocratic behavior. Also, wrestlers who so perceived their coaches showed greater satisfaction with leadership.