August 2023
Welcome to the launch of Leadership Insights, and thank you for being a subscriber. We hope you’re enjoying the Women’s World Cup — and the great discussions on leadership — as much as we are right now.
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Leading thought
Everyone seems to have a leadership theory these days. However, when it comes to valid, rigorous social science, it’s hard to beat the Ohio State leadership studies from the middle of the 20th century. In the 1940s, the Ohio State researchers (led by Dr. Ralph Stogdill) narrowed down more than 1,500 behavioral descriptions and identified two primary types of leadership behaviors: initiation of structure (task-oriented) and consideration (relationship-oriented).
We lean heavily on these foundational studies for our own programming and 360 feedback tool. The TL;DR for these studies: the best leaders work to both hold you accountable while making sure you know they care.
Read more about the OSU studies here. You can also see a shorter rundown of these variables and others we use in our sample 360 feedback report (starting on page 2).
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What we’re reading
Leadership Reckoning by Thomas Kolditz, Libby Gill, and Ryan Brown
An evidence-based analysis of leader development in a collegiate setting – what works, and what doesn’t. Great for coaches and ADs who want to get a program going or improve their current leadership curriculum without guessing what is working for their SAs.
Pair with: The Doerr Institute for New Leaders, an amazing resource for undergraduate curriculum ideas.
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In case you missed it
We like to look at behaviors more than personality when it comes to leadership development. It’s something anyone can work on and change immediately, like they’re training for a game.
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Where are we?
We’re traveling this month! If you’re in North Carolina (near the academic triangle or Asheville), Baltimore, or Delaware, let us know. We’d love to get a coffee and talk leadership in athletics – two of our favorite things.
We are also available to talk with any group (e.g., your SAAC, a specific team, coaches, etc.) on leadership, no strings attached. Leadership is our passion and our goal is to provide as much valuable insights and information to as many people as we can.
Contact us anytime: info@developingathleteleaders.com, we’re here for you.
– Evan Bruno and Jen Baker
www.developingathleteleaders.com
