Developing team captains

sports coach UK Research Summary 4

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Developing Team Captains

Every team needs a leader. This is not just another sporting cliché, but something that has been demonstrated by research. Given that only 30% of leadership is hereditarily based – in other words, leaders are made and not born – how much time do you spend developing the leadership skills of your captain? This summary presents ideas for developing leadership skills in captains based on interviews with identified experts in this field.

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sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains

Introduction By the late 1980s, it was recognised that athlete leadership was a critical element in producing effective team performance. Further research has shown that captains not only improve unity within teams, but they also help a coach by encouraging and guiding teammates in both games and practice.

New research suggests that coaches should actively try to cultivate leadership skills, rather than just pick a captain and expect things to happen. So, how do you develop these skills in your captain? To find out, researchers from universities in Michigan and New York spoke to coaches who had a reputation for developing effective team captains. This reputation was not based on win/loss records, but rather the expertise of the coaches in training captains. Key results from that research are described in this summary.

Selecting Good Captains The first stage in developing a good captain is selecting the right person. While it has already been noted that leaders are made and not born, the coaches in the study did feel that potential captains should display some natural ability. Typical examples of this natural ability could be confidence, a passion for their sport, respect among their peers, a good work ethic, being vocal, supporting others, and being willing to take risks to do the right thing.

Of course, there are also certain characteristics the coaches will tend to avoid, and not surprisingly, many were the opposite of the positive characteristics. These included being afraid to speak up, having a poor work ethic, breaking the rules, or not being inclusive or supportive. Perhaps the most commonly stated trait to avoid was selfishness.

sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains

Strategies to Develop Captains Once you’ve found the right individual as your captain, the important thing is to invest time in developing their leadership skills. What was interesting about the coaches in this study was how proactive they were in developing leadership skills rather than expecting things to develop naturally. These coaches provided a number of strategies that they had found to be successful in the past.

A common theme among the coaches was how they encouraged their captains to learn from others and follow examples of good leadership. These could be from past captains, older athletes or just from important adults.

One thing that all the coaches agreed on was the need for good communication with their captain. This could occur either during training or in more formal settings such as coach/captain meetings. This communication could revolve around general topics or be more specifically focused on certain areas, such as expectations or concerns. For example, one coach mentioned how giving captains the opportunity to express concerns was a way for them to find meaning in their role: Constantly talk to them about any concerns that they may have so they understand that it’s more than just a title, it’s more than just going to the centre of the field on game day and participating in the coin toss.

Providing captains with feedback and reinforcement regarding their leadership actions and behaviours was a strategy most coaches employed. The comments from one coach show how this helps strengthen the relationship, which in turn builds the confidence of the captain: I talk to one of the captains probably three times in a practice where I’m being positive and thanking them for what they’re doing. I find that really works well. The more we develop that relationship and the more they can believe that they’re valued and trusted, the better the job they do.

Coaches also encouraged their captains to take part in formal leadership training, such as courses or conferences, while one coach went so far as to develop her own training programme by suggesting books that captains could read and then getting the captains to present on what they’d learnt. This is consistent with other research that has shown the value of formal leadership training.

sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains

The Pitfalls of Captains Things to be Wary of

When coaches in this study were asked about the biggest mistake they had made when developing captains, what emerged was just how difficult it is to find the correct balance of responsibility to give the captain. Give them too little and the captaincy becomes just a title with no development, but give them too much responsibility and the coach can end up relying on the captain to the extent that they undermine their own authority.

Other dangers stemmed from what one coach referred to as ‘taking the easy choice’ and selecting the person that will make most people happy, rather than the most appropriate candidate. This often came from not getting to know the players fully and could result in selecting someone who was popular but didn’t want to be captain.

Given that research was based in youth sport, it is perhaps not surprising that the coaches also identified maturity as another important dimension in leadership. As one coach stated: It’s just their age, in that sometimes they haven’t had enough life experience yet to understand that you have to lead certain individuals differently than other individuals.

Other, less common pitfalls to be aware of included not communicating with captains, failing to reinforce and educate them, developing poor relations with coaches, and making assumptions about what captains know and understand about leadership.

What emerges from this research is that although leaders may display certain natural abilities, team captains in sport are very much made and not born.

However, it is not enough to just pick a potential captain and then rely on them to develop skills through experience. Coaches need to take an active role in the development of their captains. Based on their findings, the researchers came up with a series of recommendations that coaches might find useful.

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Conclusion

sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains

10 Ways to Develop Your Captains Develop a coaching philosophy that places importance on developing captains as leaders

Develop your philosophy around what attributes make a good captain and what roles and responsibilities a captain should have. It is also important to decide what level of responsibility and decision making you are willing to allow your captain.

Create a trusting team and motivational climate

Make it clear that players can discuss issues with the coach. Provide players with choices and allow them to take the initiative while explaining the reasons behind rules and limitations.

Be intentional in cultivating youth leadership in captains

Recognise that all young people can learn to lead, and make your players aware that they all have the capacity to enhance their leadership skills. Encourage younger players to take on leadership roles inside and outside sport and to look for examples of successful leadership.

move on to concentrate on more advanced skills such as tailoring their approach to meet the different needs of teammates.

Hold regular meetings and provide feedback to captains

Discuss what leadership involves

The captaincy is more than just an armband. Explain that it involves inspiring others, being a good role model and fostering acceptance of team goals.

Allow your captain to act as spokesperson for the team and provide them with opportunities to talk about any problems they are having. In turn, you can feed back to the captain about their leadership skills and behaviours.

Determine the method of selecting your captain

Recognise that young people will make mistakes

Decide on the characteristics of a good leader and captain before you start the selection process.

Explain to captains what their roles and duties involve and the approach that will be taken when working with them Outlining specific expectations in advance can foster a more positive experience for your captain.

Help your captains learn to lead

First, develop their skills in talking to groups, motivating teammates and listening. As they develop these skills,

Coaches must be patient with their young leaders, who may well be leading for the first time. Remember to judge performance against the age, experience and development level of your captain.

Discuss with your captain how the leadership skills they learn can transfer beyond sport

While effective captains will help team performance, it is also true that the captaincy is an opportunity for the young person to learn skills that will be valuable outside sport.

sports coach UK Research Summary 4 – Developing Team Captains

Further Reading If you are interested in finding out more about this area, the core of this summary is based on the article below:

Gould, D., Voelker, D. and Griffes, K. (2013) ‘Best coaching practices for developing team captains’, The Sport Psychologist, 27: 13–26.

Other more general reading on this area includes:

Avery, R., Rotundo, M., Johnson, W., Zhang, Z. and McGue, M. (2006) ‘The determinants of leadership role occupancy: Genetic and personality factors’, The Leadership Quarterly, 17: 1–20.

Vincer, D. and Loughead, T. (2010) ‘The relationship among athlete leadership behaviours and team cohesion’, The Sport Psychologist, 24: 448–467.

© sports coach UK, 2014 Designed and produced by Coachwise Ltd 90872:3a All photos © Alan Edwards unless otherwise stated

Todd, S. and Kent, A. (2004) ‘Perceptions of the role differentiation behaviors of ideal peer leaders: A study of adolescent athletes’, International Sports Journal, 8 (2): 105–118.