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Abstract

Leadership is a concept that is often discussed in professional and popular literature, conference presentations, and in-service seminars, but often it remains a misunderstood concept by professional recreation sport leaders such as campus recreation coordinators, intramural supervisors, and outdoor recreation specialists. This article presents a variety of leadership techniques in a clear, well-defined manner that the recreational sport leader can utilize on a daily basis. Leadership techniques discussed include: self-improvement, benchmarking, developing a professional relationship among staff, communication, conflict management, collaboration, the learning organization, fostering creativity, the pursuit of excellence versus perfection, assessment, identification of followers' needs, and instilling confidence in organizational members. The techniques described in this article can serve as a blueprint for current and future leaders (e.g. directors, coordinators, programmers, supervisors, graduate assistants) in the recreation and sport industry. Only when the recreational sport leader examines his or her own leadership practices, will individual and organization effectiveness improve.

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A Blueprint for Effective Recreational Sport Leadership

Abstract

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