Hello and welcome to my presentation, my name is Kellen Beckwith.

I am currently
an assistant swim coach at Denison University in Ohio and working on my Masters in
Coaching at Ohio University. Today I want to talk with you about how to be an
effective leader in the realm of athletics and more specifically coaching.

At the basic level, here is our game plan for today. These are the main topics we will
cover in this presentation and how we can become the most effective leader as a
coach.

When it gets to Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs, he mentions the foundational
needs must be met ever before their other needs can be effectively met (Clark, 1997).
These foundational needs from the Mazlow are seen as safety, nutrition, and leading
into belonging. Once these very basic needs have been met, then and only then, can
more growth develop for a person. The way that this applies to coaching is that
coaches must not only coach the Xs and Os but to the person. If we want to see
growth out of an athlete, we have to meet their very basic needs first, then can we
begin to take them somewhere. They need to have the sense of belonging and
relationship. Clarke (1997) said that it is, our goal to help people obtain the skills,
knowledge, and benefits that will push them up the hierarchy. This is more than a
face value need, they need to understand that you as a coach are in this with them
too and care.
Picture: (Leech, 2014)
Similarly, Alderfers Existence/Relatedness/Growth Theory discusses an individuals
needs. Alderfer saw the three needs of existence, relationships, and growth as a
continuum that allows an individual to sometimes need a little more from one of the
three areas rather or even two and not the third area at any given time (Clark, 1997).
So not only as coaches can we pick and choose saying one athlete is in one stage,
they could have numerous needs at one time.
Picture: (Management Guide Study, n.d)

What does each student-athlete need? One of the big pieces of being an effective
leader is knowing what each of your student athletes needs are. Some may be
different. This leads up to our next point (click to next slide

Positivity vs. Negativity When we lead our athletes we need to figure out works and
what does not. Through experience and some reading, positive reinforcement out
weighs negative reinforcement. Beyer (2000) mentions how yelling is showing that
you are coaching out of control and does not lead to teaching the athletes. The old
saying, it is 10% content and 90% presentation. I we try to aid the athletes in a
positive presentation, it will be more influential in our leading. A great game to play
as you coach, keep four paper clips in a pocket and marbles in the other, each time
you make a positive comment move a paper clip to the other pocket, however if a
negative comment is made then move a marble, and the only way to move the
marble back is if all four paper clips are moved (Beyer, 2000).
6 styles Goleman (2000) distinguishes 6 different methods of leading: Coercive
leasers demand immediate compliance. Authoritative leaders mobilize people toward
a vision. Affiliative leaders create emotional bonds and harmony. Democratic leaders
build consensus through participation. Pacesetting leaders expect excellence and selfdirection. And coaching leaders develop people for the future. As you can tell there
are many different ways a coach can lead. Some rely heavily on particular methods
and do not sway between. Goleman (2000) continues to note that great leaders are
able to use differing styles depending on the moment and the individual. In similar
fashion Schermerhorn (1997) discusses Paul Herseys idea of situation leadership
being a time of evaluating the people involved, their readiness to be lead, the task at
hand, and which direction to approach the situation. Each time a coach is leading, we

need to evaluate what is the best way to reach each of the athletes and even how
ready are they to be lead.

Versatility With all of these styles, an effective leader/coach needs to know how to
work many different situations and personnel. The more tools, or leadership styles,
we have in our tool belt the better equipped we are to be an effective leader.
Sometimes we do need to put the fear of God into them, not to be mean, but to help
challenge them to where they want to go. It is about what they need at that time and
place that makes coaches effective in leading.
Care! As Dobbs (n.d) puts into prospective, transformational leaders and coaches,
commit to their calling and believe that people really do matter, significance is
found in contributing to the lives of their players. When it comes to the great leaders
of great companies, their leaders were very passionate about the company and were
not it for themselves, their outlook was for those around them (Collins, 2001). We did
not get into this profession for the money, we got into this profession to impact the
people around us and their lives. In my case, as a swim coach, there is more in front
of me than a speedo, there is a person. In the Jeff Dukes (2014) 3 Dimensional
Coaching, he discusses that a coach need to work with the Xs and Os, or the mind,
but at the top of the list, the athletes heart!

One the biggest pieces of being an effective leader is the messaging that you
propose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ
Lets watch this video (Sivers, 2010). While you can see the majority is about the
movement growing from the first and second followers and their importance. You
notice that it all starts with the leader. They are presenting a manageable message to
follow, inviting towards the others, engaging them, and giving them their own
creativity. A coach needs to lead with a simple foundation that is easily relatable and
able to follow by their student-athletes. From there a movement, or team, can
progress to endless lengths.

Hedgehog Concept As coaches we need to stay the course. The Hedgehog Concept
is the idea that a hedgehog focuses looks at things very simply. Collins (2001) says
that a hedgehog uses, a basic principle or concept that unifies and guides
everything. It doesnt matter how complex the world, a hedge hog reduces all
challenges and dilemmas to simple- indeed almost simplistic- hedgehog ideas. For a
hedgehog, everything that does not somehow relate to the hedgehog idea holds no
relevance (p. 91). The larger meaning of the hedgehog concept is that the
leader(hedgehog) stays focused on the task of the program(company) and all other
distractions are set aside. It gets to the point of being an effective leader at focusing
on the main goal of the program. This program goal typically stems from the
foundation of the program.
Strong foundation to build up lead into personal philosophy
Each leader/Coach should have a foundational statement/reasoning for their team. It
is typically routed in what the coach deems as their goal in working with the program.
It is the reason why a coach is a coach. It articulates the values they hold and the
standards set forth for the program. This is what is looked at in tough times, in times
of decision, and shares their focused passion into words.

These foundational aspects are rooted in a coachs personal philosophy statement. It

is what guides you as a coach during decisions and something to lean on. Here you
can see my own personal philosophy statement: (read above)
This statement is my personal reminder to why I do what I do and when I am having a
rough day it centers me. There are times that you as a coach you will be frustrated
and not want to deal with a student-athlete, however to be effect we must stay true
to our foundation and stay routed.

Take care of your student-athletes holistically remember we need to care for our
student-athletes
Lead with positivity remember positive feedback works better than negative
feedback
Adapt to the moment of coaching lead in the moment with each situation and each
individual, they may be different
Stay true to your simple and focused foundation purpose statement take the time
to evaluate what you are passionate about as a coach and create your own Personal
Philosophy Statement and if you have one already continue to make it a living
document as you evolve as a coach.

Remember the impact that we have on the student athletes that we work with as a
coach. Billy Graham (n.d) said, One coach will impact more young people in one year
than the average person does in a lifetime.
What we do as a coach matters and how we lead our student-athletes can have a
positive or negative impact on them. Lets go make a difference in their lives and how
society views coaches.

At this time, I am more than happy to open up for any questions!

Thank you everyone for attending

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