Creating Leaders Through Physical Education

Leadership is a complex process in which one person helps a group identify and achieve personal and group goals. Physical-activity and sport programmes offer great opportunities for young people to develop life skills, including leadership. As the Duke of Wellington is supposed to have said, "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."

Leaders have both innate and acquired qualities, and physical education is especially good at developing the acquired ones, because sport is highly interactive and provides many leadership "moments" - for example, a young captain enforcing the rules for teammates learns leadership in an enjoyable, motivating way. To create effective leaders through physical education, stress should be laid on five points.

1. Analysing the leadership skills required

Analyse which leadership skills are already well developed among the students and which need further development.

2. Identifying students who need improvement

Once students are involved in leadership activities, give them chances to improve - leading teams, organising competitions - and observe the signs of improvement.

3. Offering opportunities for leadership roles

Give students real roles: supervising and managing activities, captaincy, committee membership, official and ground-preparation duties, supporting other students, organising festivals, and assisting teachers and coaches. Organise leadership courses, give tasks that progress in challenge and complexity, and recognise leaders with a symbol such as a cap or uniform to motivate others.

4. Having faith and confidence in the students

Believe in the students' leadership ability and give them the chance to improve it.

5. Rewarding them for success

Reward students who improve by giving them more responsibility, which develops their potential further. …