From the ripe old age of 5 my life has revolved around sports. Having a grandfather who coached baseball and taught high school biology, both for over 35 years instilled in me the importance of continuously learning and teaching others along the way. As I matured and my skills improved, I found myself helping anyone who ever had questions whether it was helping critique a batting stance, improving a fellow javelin thrower’s technique, or adjusting a peewee quarterback’s grip on the football. All of these experiences have prepared me to take on a transformation leadership style when managing others. As mentioned in Northouse (2013), “transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals”. Being able to make a connection with your followers in both the workplace and perhaps when coaching a little league baseball team takes the utmost attention to how you interact with those who are looking to you for guidance. Since the main principal surrounding transformation leadership is being “concerned with improving the performance of followers and developing followers to their fullest potential” (Avolio, 1999. Northouse, 2013.), I believe those who participate in any type of team environment when growing up, and are leaders in that environment, have an advantage for when it comes time to be a leader in the workplace.
Taking into account the work ethic that is obtained from being a driven athlete, regardless of the level of competition, the development of values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals almost happen on their own. This correlates right along with what (Avolio 1999) states in Northouse (2013). When one finally finds themselves in a leadership role, all those years of developing transformational leadership traits finally comes full circle. In the workplace, followers will take your lead as a leader and transform to mirror your actions and demeanor. By being a positive role model for your team of followers, it will not only benefit you by having a more reliable and responsible team to manage, but it will better the organization by bringing a new found sense of direction.
The following video depicts transformation leadership in two different forms. First it is seen in the coach pushing one of his players to reach his “fullest potential”. Second there is the player, who shows transformation leadership through “leading by example” after his coach challenges him. Although the coaching strategy is rather extreme for a work place situation, it is still a good example in my mind of how we as leaders can transform our followers to reach their fullest potential by digging down deep inside of themselves.
References:
Avolio, B.(1999) .Full Leadership Development: Building the Vital Forces in Organization. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
YouTube: Transformational Leadership Example (video). https://youtu.be/TrZHqZwXr-U
Anthony D Ferrono says
Playing lacrosse in high school and at the collegiate level I would most definitely have to agree that playing a sport improves leadership skills. I think that this is because playing a competitive sport, you learn discipline and accountability. These traits as you mentioned will carry over into the workplace, thusly making the individual a harder worker, and being accountable for his or her actions. Work ethic also plays a huge role in leadership. Playing lacrosse in college, I would have to wake up at 4 am every morning for weight lifting followed by a practice. There were many days where I did not want to get out of bed, but a positive and determined work ethic allowed me to achieve my goals and become the best player that I possibly could be. As per your video, which example of leadership do you find most effective? I think that being a coach who challenges his players is the most positive transformational leadership technique.
Lacey Miller says
Wow, the transformational leadership traits shown in the example video you gave were amazing. The video gave me goose bumps. In the beginning of the video you could tell once the coach heard the comment about his team not being as good as their opponent, something had to be done. That opportunity wasn’t planned, it was his natural leadership tendencies that came out when he put Brock up to the challenge he did. Like you mentioned in your post, if someone grew up a leader in a team environment, they have an advantage when it comes to the workplace. I can assure you that the coach in the video you showed was born a leader and is taking his experiences full circle and sharing them with others throughout his life.