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There is no set formula to becoming a great leader. They emerge from their life stories and constantly test themselves through real-world experiences.

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Member Resources

A leadership styles competency framework for governing bodies in sport.
A New Sports Manager Does Not Make a Better Team.
Perceptions of the Impact of Chief Executive Leadership Style on Organizational Performance Through Successful Enterprise Resource Planning.
The Value of Emotional Intelligence for High Performance Coaching.

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Resource Centre (SIRC)
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www.sirc.ca

Leadership in Sport

“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile. “ Vince Lombardi

What does it take to be a leader in sport? Hard work and dedication or natural ability or perhaps a bit of both. There is research for both arguments. Whether you are an athlete, coach, administrator or student you have the potential to be a great leader. Leadership can be seen as a mindset and where you are in your life or career is irrelevant. A great place to learn leadership skills is through meeting people and attending events such as the SPIN Summit and the Sport Leadership Conference which are taking place this month.

Feature Articles

Should Coaches Believe in Innate Ability? The Importance of Leadership Mindset.

Are leaders made or born? One side argues that leadership is an innate quality (people are born leaders) whereas the flip side is that leadership abilities can be learned and acquired through effort and experience. These viewpoints are important when it comes to planning for coaching education and leadership training as developing leadership skills should be the focus. Arguments for both sides are presented in this article as well as suggestions on how to incorporate leadership skills into program development.

Supplementary Article:

Student Athletes' Perceptions of Formal and Informal Team Leaders

Climbing to Leadership Success.

What do leaders say and do to inspire and motivate their teams to perform at their highest level? To answer this question, think about climbing Mount Everest, you need a strong vision of the climb plus the right tools, skills and abilities. But, for many people, when too many challenges obstruct their path or they become too focused on their own agendas, they discover that reaching the summit is harder than it first seemed. All the training in the world means nothing unless as a leader you have a strong vision, a clear sense of how to attain goals and the ability to get results. Only a select few have all these characteristics and are able to take their teams to the top of the performance summit. However, anyone aspiring to become a great leader can benefit from understanding and following these three steps.

Supplementary Article:

Mapping a Young Coaches Education.

Exploring the Learning Environment of Women Coaches.

The life experience of a successful coach is explored in this article with the goal of providing strategies that would benefit all coaches in developing their careers. Suggestions include participating in leadership courses to explore personal coaching styles and philosophies implemented at all levels of coaching certification courses.

Supplementary Article:

Coach's Work, Knowledge, Skills and Personality

Leadership Thought: How to Handle an Assistant Coach.

The article discusses how a head coach should treat his assistant coaches to ensure their success. It claims that a head coach should hire, develop and put trust in his assistant coaches in the specific tasks that are given to them. It cites several things that should be done by head coaches to ensure the success of their assistants, namely, providing education if necessary, developing teamwork, and trusting them.

Supplementary Article:

Holistic Leadership.

News from SIRC

Sport Canada Research Initiative Conference

Please join us November 3, 2011 for the 5th Annual Sport Canada Research Initiative Conference (SCRI). The conference is a great opportunity for researchers, sport organizations, policy makers, and practitioners to share their knowledge and expertise.

November 3, 2011
Chateau Cartier
Aylmer, Quebec

SIRC at SPIN Summit

Michele and Jaime will be representing SIRC at the Sport Innovation (SPIN) Summit November 9 and 10, 2011 in Toronto. The summit is taking place at the Westin Harbour Castle. Come by and say hello.

SIRC at Sport Leadership Conference

Please join Debra Gassewitz (SIRC President & CEO) November 12, 2011 in Toronto at the Sport Leadership Conference , Coaching Association of Canada, as she discusses Governance. The session will be moderated by Dina Bell-Laroche (Sport Law & Strategy Group).

Canadian Sport Policy Renewal

The Canadian Sport Policy Renewal Discussion Paper is now available for review. Please have a read to see how the next 10 years of sport in Canada will be directed.

Ask A SIRC Librarian

SIRC members have access to SIRC librarians and we are pleased to share some of your questions.

Dear SIRC Librarian:

I am trying to find out how many people participate in sport in Canada. Is there a document that can provide me with this infomraiton?

Thanks,

Glenn

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