ABSTRACT
The purpose of beginning the chapter with the above quote is to try and encapsulate the philosophical and practical essence of what strategic leadership should involve. Strategic leadership as described in this chapter is not just for those people in recognised leadership positions; it is not for ‘leaders’ per se. The intention of this is to acknowledge that anybody and everybody in a sport development team, unit or organisation should be given the responsibility to contribute to the strategic leadership goals that ‘the organisation’ works to and therefore where appropriate, the messages conveyed are aimed at all those with an interest in this process. However, it is also acknowledged that there are those with the offi cial responsibility to write and permeate the strategic vision of an organisation, and thus some of the chapter’s themes need to be absorbed and acted upon by those with the ‘authority’ to do so. At times, these individuals have the additional responsibility of ensuring all stakeholders are included and empowered within the strategic process, which is a central tenet of this chapter.
