LEADERSHIP / 001 [DO LEADERS ACTUALLY MAKE TEAMS PERFORM BETTER?]

Question
How much does leadership really affect performance in sport?

Study
Researchers combined the results of 50 studies on leadership and sports performance, published and unpublished, up to 2024. They looked at coaches, captains and players who lead without an official role.

Findings
Leadership was linked to better performance, but the effect was smaller than many people assume. In the experiments, training leaders led to modest but real improvements in performance. Both coaches and athlete leaders mattered. Captains had about twice as strong a link with team performance as coaches. Leadership styles focused on being genuine and inspiring others showed the strongest links. Results did vary a lot between studies.

What It Means for Athletes
Leadership is not a magic button, but it does make a difference, and not only from the coach. Captains sit between the team and the staff, which gives them a unique kind of influence. Most studies measured everything at one moment, but the experiments suggest the effect is real.

Try this: captains, before your next match, have a short one on one with two teammates you don't usually talk to. Ask how they're doing and what they need from the team.

Source
Clare, C., Hardy, J., Roberts, R., Tod, D., & Benson, A. (2025). Do leaders actually influence sports performance? An integrated systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 47(4), pp. 205 to 222.

BEHIND THE SCIENCE
Translating sports science into information athletes can actually use.