Recently, we defined what leadership is in an article titled "Is Leadership That Simple?" Then, we expanded on this definition by incorporating the concept of shared leadership in sports teams. Once again, we defined what shared leadership is in the text "Leadership: A Shared Effort."

As I previously mentioned in my text "Is Leadership That Simple?", leadership is a process within a team. In other words, we can say that leadership evolves over time and that individuals may have more or less of it at different points in a season. However, it is possible to capture a snapshot of what leadership looks like in our team at a given moment—similar to taking a picture of the current state of leadership in our team.

To take such a picture, sociologists generally use Social Network Analysis (SNA). It can also be useful in our team to determine who has leadership, or not, according to the players. Although social network analysis can often be complex, it can also be conducted in a simple and effective way to provide a tool for understanding team dynamics. Here’s how you can proceed in four easy steps:

1. Define the Type of Leadership You Want to Map

As we discussed earlier in my text "Leadership: A Shared Effort," there are four leadership roles in a sports team: social, motivational, task, and external. It is your responsibility to determine what you truly want to assess within your team. Perhaps you want to analyze all four. In that case, you will need to create four separate questionnaires and analyze the networks for each leadership role. If that is your goal, I encourage you to do so. However, it is also possible to focus on just one or two roles.

2. Explain the Process to the Team

It is important to clearly explain to your team the purpose of this exercise. It is equally important to emphasize that the process will be confidential. Players need to know that they can express their perceptions without fear of repercussions. If they choose to discuss their responses among themselves afterward, that will be their own decision.

This is also a great opportunity to educate players about leadership and the different types of leaders within a team. Some players might discover leadership roles they had never considered, as their understanding of leadership may have been different.

Should you share the results with the team? No, it is not mandatory. However, if you inform the team that you will present the results, you must follow through. Keep in mind that the results might not be well received by everyone, so we do not recommend sharing them systematically.

3. A Simple Questionnaire – Collecting the Results

Each player will receive a questionnaire listing all their teammates’ names. On the same questionnaire, you must clearly define the leadership role you are evaluating. For example, if you are assessing social leadership, you should include the following definition at the top of the page:

"The social leader takes on a role outside the playing field; they promote good relationships among players and ensure a positive team atmosphere (e.g., in the locker room, at school, or during team activities). They also act as a mediator when conflicts arise among players. This person is a good listener and earns the trust of other players."

Players filling out the questionnaire should have this definition in front of them as they rate their teammates. The process remains confidential. At this stage, you can opt for a binary questionnaire (0 or 1) or a questionnaire with multiple-choice responses (on a scale of 1 to 3). The more rating options you provide, the more complex the analysis will be. If you use four levels (0,1,2,3), you may decide to ignore ratings of 0 and 1 and focus only on 2 and 3. Each method has its advantages and drawbacks.

Here are two examples:

Simple (binary model):

More Complex Model:

4. Connecting the Dots

For each player on your team, draw a circle and write their initials or jersey number inside. Then, connect the circles of players who perceive leadership in a teammate. If you used the binary model (0,1), this step is straightforward: either a player perceives leadership in a teammate, or they do not. If you used a more complex scale, you may choose to emphasize stronger connections. The choice is yours.

As seen in the image below, 87 is a player whom many teammates perceive as a leader. However, we also see that player 87 acknowledges the leadership of player 08. Interestingly, player 87 recognizes leadership in player 99, but player 99 does not reciprocate. This exercise provides a visual representation of the leadership dynamics within the team.

⚠️ WARNING: The results of this exercise could change at any time if a player (or even you) loses the trust of other team members for any reason. If you conduct this activity, remember that it represents a snapshot of a specific moment, and you may need to repeat the exercise multiple times throughout the season. Now it’s your turn!