The authors’ sporting backgrounds and the increasing uptake of coaching-leadership principles informed our investigation into the experiences
of school leaders who had previous elite sports coaching experience. Our
primary research question focused on what we can learn from school leaders with
previous elite high-level sports coaching experience to guide leadership
development programs. We conducted qualitative interviews with seven
participants and analyzed the data using a theme-based approach. The findings
demonstrated that participants had many specific traits, skills, and
dispositions that facilitated their
leadership including high levels of self-efficacy, and they embraced a
performance development approach. The study identified some potential areas to
include in leadership development, including the incorporation of more
experiential practice opportunities into leadership programs.
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