ABSTRACT
Drawing from my experience coaching women collegiate student-athletes, this case study explores how educators can empower people to develop as leaders when those people do not see themselves as leaders. The feminist leadership diamond (Batliwala, 2011) suggests that every person has the capacity for leadership. Consistent with this model, the concept of coaction (Suyemoto & Ballou, 2007) offers a structure through which power is shared equitably among multiple leaders who work collaboratively. Teaching about leadership guided by feminist pedagogy (Hoffmann & Stake, 1998) puts this feminist approach to leadership into practice. This case presents a dialogue between me, Coach Line, and several student-athletes about their perception of leadership on our team and who they see as leaders. I was disheartened to learn that many of them did not self-identify as leaders, and wondered how I could help them each recognize their contributions to the team and cultivate their leadership efficacy. The activity provided, Leadership Illustration, applies tenets of feminist pedagogy to encourage students to explore different understandings of leadership and how these understandings can inform their own approach to leadership.
