The Trait Theory of Leadership - Essay Example

The administrator of a sports team will benefit from having such a person as sports is about achievement. This trait would be most useful in an athletic department especially in the area of delegation of authority, for example, in the selection of a team captain. The team captain would have to be a person who has a very high achievement drive. The rest of the players look up to the captain of the team as their natural leader both in the field and as a team. The captain must therefore have demonstrated high levels of effort both during practice and in competition situations.

He must be able to rally the team into action through his/ her natural charisma as this acts as a booster of team morale (Arvey, 2006). The captain must have a demonstrable high ambition for the team and other team members so that he is a holistic team player. High energy levels in the captain must be evident as this will serve to revive the team when they are undergoing a slump during competitions or practice sessions. Personal initiative is very desirable in a team captain as this will make him a very effective situational leader on the field and also off-field (Yukl, 2006).