ABSTRACT
Leadership is probably the most researched yet least understood topic in the
context of management. What we define as excellent leadership and who are
great leaders remain points of serious and widespread academic debate. For
example, the Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial
Applications (Bass, 1990) contained over 7500 citations about the concept of
leadership. In the USA alone, more than 2000 books on the topic of lead-
ership are published every year. In this chapter we will provide a broad outline
of the different approaches that have been used to describe and analyse
leadership. We will also use a number of examples and cases to explore
leadership. Much of this discussion will take place in reference to the lead-
ership challenges that confront sport organizations.
