Leadership and Sports are not often seen as similar or overlapping topics. ‘What does a CEO have in common with a golf player?’ you may ask in puzzlement. I wouldn’t be surprised – the common perception of leadership is that it is an elite skill only reserved for top businessmen and sly politicians.

From what I have seen in industry across the UK however, this simply isn’t true. Leadership is a trait that we all possess to some degree, and can all vastly improve upon to create a huge change in our performance and success. This increase in performance is not limited to officework, it also extends to sports in a significant way. Increase your leadership skills will increase your sporting skill for two reasons.

1. The demand for leadership skills is inherent in all team sports.

Whether you play football or badminton, basketball or dodgeball – you appreciate that solid teamwork is at the heart of a good performance, and often a good team dynamic can help a side turnaround a game and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Leadership and teamwork are tightly connected – hence if you partake in leadership development, and learn how to effectively influence and inspire your fellow players – your value to your sports team will increase several fold.

2. A true leader can learn from others far more quickly than a ‘follower’. While a follower can match a team-mates every move, because they fail to understand the reasons behind why players act how they do, they will not be able to react properly in-game and their performance will be lacking.

A leader of the sports team will inherently be a good listener and will begin to understand not just the technical abilities of their co-players, but also the motivation behind them. Being able to receive this wider-range of knowledge and experience from playing will ensure that leaders will over-time pick up the best set of sports skills.

So there you have it – why a concept as abstract as leadership development, could have a direct impact on your football technique. It would be interesting to also hear your thoughts on the subject.

Do you also see more than mere coincidence in the fact that pupils most abled at sports are often those with the most confidence and influence. I purport that their leadership traits cause their sporting talents – and disagree that merely being good at a sport will increase your confidence and ability to lead. Causation certainly flows both ways to an extent – but from my experience I believe that leadership development should take the most credit for the benefits.

So how can you start working to improve your leadership skills? How can start leadership development? Where you can discover more about different leadership styles? Well the internet is probably your best place to begin! Infomation here is free and plentiful, just ensure that you visit only trusted resources, because many conflicting opinions are often given on the subject – and you want to hear the reputable side of the story.