Chapter 9

Leadership: Full Engagement for Success

By Jim Loehr

Overview

Leadership development can be one of the greatest benefits of sport participation.

Discuss types of leadership. Present the full-engagement leadership model

and the performance pyramid. Discuss ordinary versus extraordinary leadership

in sport. Present principles of energy management for

leaders.

Defining Leadership

“Crafting a new vision and aligning people to it in a way that they will want to attain it” (Tichy, 2003).

(continued)

Defining Leadership (cont)

The interpersonal influence that occurs when one person gains compliance from another toward achieving organizationally desired goals (Tosi, Rizzo, & Carroll, 1986).

(continued)

Defining Leadership (cont)

The process by which one individual guides a group toward a collective goal, action, or accomplishment (Chemers, 1997).

What Is the Core of Leadership?

Peter Drucker: The desired performance outcome. Goal, priorities, and standards are essential.

Stephen Covey: Values and ethics. Trust, integrity, and respect are the foundation for effective leadership.

Warren Bennis: Managing adversity. Extraordinary leadership in difficult times helps the team emerge stronger and more committed.

Multidimensional Model of Leadership

Packianathan Chelladurai proposed that important aspects of leadership include these components:• Training and instruction• Social support• Positive feedback• Democratic behavior• Autocratic behavior

Leadership effectiveness is determined by the alignment of these components:• Situational factors• Leader’s qualities• Leadership styles• Followers’ qualities

Consistent Core Competencies

Theme 1: Spiritual leadership• Clearly define the team mission, goals, and vision.• Recruit commitment and motivation by aligning

team and individual values.• Institute and enforce ethical standards and a code

of conduct that govern both leader and team behavior.

Consistent Core Competencies

Theme 2: Mental leadership• Ability to focus attention and think clearly under

pressure.• Effectively manage time.• Act decisively from a reality-based perspective.• Have self-awareness.

Consistent Core Competencies

Theme 3: Emotional leadership• Communicate effectively.• Instill hope, trust, and confidence in teammates.• Demonstrate empathy, humility, and compassion.• Instill in others a sense of challenge, opportunity,

and excitement when facing adversity.

Consistent Core Competencies

Theme 4: Physical leadership• Behave in accordance with personal and team

values.• Demonstrate integrity: “walk the talk.”• Be accountable and hold others accountable to

clearly defined, measurable outcomes.• Define team success in concrete behavioral terms.

Full-Engagement Model of Leadership

© Jim Loehr

The Origin and Flow of Energy

Multidimensional Engagement

© Jim Loehr

Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Leadership

Adversity is the true test of leadership.

The crises of competitive sport can become powerful forces of disengagement.

An important aspect of effective leadership is teaching athletes how to remain fully engaged in spite of injuries, bad losses, parental pressure, negative media coverage, and so on.

Spiritual Leadership in Adversity

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseLose clarity in both vision and values.

Continue to keep vision and values clear and vivid.

Make expedient-based decisions rather than value-based decisions and choices.

Make value-based decisions and choices.

Lose visibility of leader’s character, honesty, and integrity.

Increase leader’s strength of character, passion for the mission, commitment, and values.

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Spiritual Leadership in Adversity (cont)

Ordinary response Extraordinary response Resist adhering to code of conduct and rules of engagement in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Adhere to team code of conduct regardless of competitive outcome.

Misalign personal values with those of the team and the leadership.

Align personal values with team’s mission and code of conduct.

Mental Leadership in Adversity

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseLose focus and concentration on the mission.

Continue to keep team members focused on what’s important.

Increase mental confusion and disorganization.

Remain clear and logical in thinking in spite of the crisis.

Increase frequency of multitasking (not fully engaged in anything).

Resist multitasking on issues of real importance.

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Mental Leadership in Adversity (cont)

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseDistort the truth about what is actually happening (exaggerating or glossing over the truth).

Convey the truth about what’s happening without distortion.

Fail to frame the crisis in a meaningful way.

Frame the crisis in a meaningful way, relative to the team’s mission and to life in general.

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Mental Leadership in Adversity (cont)

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseFail to connect the reality of what’s happening to team members’ core values.

Connect the reality of what’s happening to the team members’ core values.

Use crisis for justifying the anticipated failure of the team’s mission.

Promote courageous action and individual sacrifice by logically linking the crisis with issues of character, personal growth, and the bigger picture of life.

Emotional Leadership in AdversityOrdinary response Extraordinary response

Shift into a survival, reactive mode.

Continue the flow of high positive energy in the form of optimism and hope.

Show or experience anger, fear, frustration (negative emotions).

Create the sense of challenge, opportunity, or adventure in the crisis.

Become defensive, critical of others, impatient with team members.

Show caring, empathy, and trust in team members and everyone involved.

Allow adversity to turn team energy from positive to negative.

Help team members find constructive ways to express and deal emotionally with the loss.

Physical Leadership in Adversity

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseLose consideration in managing one’s own physical energy.

Recognize the importance of managing one’s own physical energy.

Lose consideration in helping others to manage their physical energy.

Recognize the importance of helping others manage their physical energy.

Fail to follow established routines for eating, sleeping, resting, and exercising.

Follow established rules for eating, sleeping, resting, and exercising.

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Physical Leadership in Adversity (cont)

Ordinary response Extraordinary responseCause the quantity of energy available for investment to become steadily depleted.

Cause the quantity of energy available for investment to remain stable.

Fail to continue to provide concrete feedback on team’s progress toward the goal.

Provide concrete feedback on team’s progress toward the goal.

Fail to model what is expected of others (loss of behavioral integrity).

Show behavioral integrity by modeling what is expected of others.

Storytelling and Leadership

The reality we experience is filtered by the meaning and interpretation we place on events.

A leader’s job is to tell a story that inspires and challenges team members.

Loehr suggests three rules for storytelling in adversity:1. The story should reflect the leader’s and the team’s core

values.2. The story should represent the truth as fully as possible.3. The story should leave those who are being led with a

sense of hope.

Principles of Energy-Management Leadership

1. Growth follows energy investment.2. Growth ceases when energy investment ceases.3. The best energy produces the most growth.4. Whatever receives energy gains strength.5. All four energy sources are important.6. Balance energy expenditures with energy

deposits.

(continued)

Principles of Energy-Management Leadership (cont)

7. Push beyond the comfort zone.

8. Use positive rituals to manage energy.

9. Energy is highly contagious.

10. Negative energy occurs outside the comfort zone.

11. Deficiencies in self-esteem require energy.

12. Repeated energy investment makes a difference.

Leadership Strategies for Coaches

Begin every season by making leadership a key objective.

Explain in concrete terms what leadership means. Establish that leadership comes from values first. Show why leadership is important to you. Constantly encourage and reinforce leadership

behaviors. Use team crises for teachable moments.

(continued)

Leadership Strategies for Coaches (cont)

Provide concrete examples. Provide numerous leadership opportunities. Recognize outstanding leadership. Pay attention to sportsmanship, character,

honesty, and respect for others. Make character and personal development more

important than winning. Connect the hard work and sacrifices to

the broader arena of life.