Today we want to start with a short story to better illustrate what is most important in a team.
This story is about a father with his children:
“Once upon a time there was a good man who took care of the farm work. All his life he had dedicated himself to tilling the land to obtain food with which to support his large family.
He was older and had several children to raise. They were all good boys, but each one had such a different character that they spent the day fighting each other over the most absurd things. At home there were always fights, shouts and slamming doors.
The farmer was desperate. He no longer knew what to do to make his children get along, as it should be between brothers who love each other. One afternoon, he sat by the fireplace in the dining room and, in the warmth of the fire, he began to meditate. Those boys needed a lesson that would make them understand that things had to change.
Suddenly, a little light illuminated his brain. He already had it!
– Come all right now, I have something to tell you!
The brothers obediently responded to their father's call. What would he want at that hour?
– I have sent for you because I need you to go outside and each of you pick up a thin stick, one of those that are lying around the field.
- A stick? … Dad, are you okay? What do you want us to bring a stick for? –said one of them as surprised as all the others.
– Do what I tell you and do it now! – ordered the father.
They trooped out of the house together and in a few minutes returned, each with a pencil-thin stick in hand.
"Now, give them to me," he said, looking into their eyes.
The father took all the sticks and tied them together with a thin rope. He looked up and offered them a test.
– I want to see who among all of you is able to break these sticks together. Try to see what happens.
One by one, the boys grabbed the bundle of sticks and with all their might tried to break them, but none of them succeeded. They were puzzled. Then the father untied the rope that bound them.
– Now, each of you take yours and try to break it.
As expected, it was easy for them to break a simple twig. Without taking their eyes off their father, they waited to hear what he had to tell them and what explanation he had for all that.
– My children, I hope that with this I have been able to convey a clear message to you about how brothers should behave. If you don't stay together, it will be easy for you to get hurt. On the other hand, if you are united and do your part to support each other, nothing can separate you and no one can defeat you, do you understand?
Moral: always take care and protect your loved ones. Union make force.
Our athletes, whether adults or children, must establish the best relationships with each other. Our team will not be better for having a good athlete, the key is in the way our team plays as such.
Our role as a coach is to promote this relationship with good leadership and there is not just one way to do it: Authoritarian, Coach, Conciliator, Democratic, Exemplary or Coercive, regardless of the style we choose or unconsciously exercise, there is one thing very clear, the key is in what is called emotional intelligence
After having this clear, let's talk about the different styles of leadership:
Authoritarian:
This is one of the most effective styles, since it makes the objectives clear, makes clear the importance of each member of the team and emphasizes the necessary commitment to the established objectives, in this way an authoritarian leader always leaves room for the team to do your work.
Coach:
They encourage workers to set long-term development goals and conceptualize a plan to achieve them. They agree with them on their role and responsibilities in achieving the development plans and offer a great deal of direction and feedback.
Conciliator:
This type of leader values the personal status and emotions of their players above all else, ahead of the goals and tasks of each player to ensure harmony in their team. He cares about the well-being and harmony between them. It is dedicated to building strong emotional bonds and waiting for them to provide loyalty. It does not impose unnecessary limits on the way its players proceed.
Together with the authoritarian style, it is the most effective and is used especially in cases where trust must be rebuilt and harmony must be created in the team and its morale must be increased.
Democratic:
The leader of a team gains trust, respect and commitment. By allowing the environment to have a say in decisions that affect their goals and their way of proceeding, the democratic leader fosters flexibility and responsibility and by listening to the concerns of others discovers what to do to keep morale high.
This style is ideal for when we are not very clear about what direction to take and we seek advice and opinion. We discard this style if we train a very beginner team or one that does not have enough notions to advise properly and beneficially.
Exemplary:
Use it sparingly. In this style, the leader establishes very high performance levels and illustrates them personally, demonstrating a certain obsession with doing things better and faster, demanding the same from his team, thus detecting those who perform less in order to demand more of them, replacing them in case they don't measure up. But be careful, this type of leadership throws the good atmosphere that has been generated in the team to the ground, fosters rivalry and fears of not being enough for the team.
Coercive:
Its main characteristic is defined in trying to ensure that your team fulfills the tasks it orders immediately, for which it gives specific and precise instructions. But beware! This style is the one that offers the worst results, although it is the most used, given that it is easy to understand and has a very vertical current of thought, killing innovation and initiatives, weakening the team's sense of responsibility.
And what kind of leader are you? Tell us at our networks!
How to improve this quality? Complete our master's degree Sports Psychology and learn to apply different techniques and types of leadership in your teams.