When is a leader considered as a good leader? Perceived impact on teammates’ confidence and social acceptance as key ingredients.

Effective leadership is perceived as a key factor for optimal team functioning. The present study aimed to identify the characteristics of athlete leaders with respect to four different leadership roles (i.e., task leader, motivational leader, social leader, and external leader), while recognizing the surrounding team context. Furthermore, we aimed to identify the most decisive characteristics for a player’s perceived leadership quality on each of these leadership roles. An on-line survey was completed by 4451 players and coaches within nine different team sports in Flanders (Belgium). The present study assessed leaders’ characteristics in comparison with the other players in the team. The findings revealed two decisive characteristics for athlete leaders’ perceived leadership quality: (1) the impact on teammates’ team confidence, and (2) being socially well accepted by the other players. Furthermore, informal leaders outscored the team captain on all leadership characteristics, except team tenure. The study findings were similar for both players and coaches in male and female teams.status: publishe