ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the leadership challenge in elite sport. As the formal organisation of elite sport continues to increase around the world, leadership is one of the most impactful factors for all of those operating across the domain. Of course, any consideration of what leaders need to do to be effective in elite sport has to be framed against the goals that they are ultimately responsible for achieving. Despite being one of the most commonly referred to factors in elite sport, ‘culture’ is often vaguely defined and deployed by those working within and commentating on the domain. Indeed, although it is often held up as one of the major reasons for achievements or under-achievements, culture is often used as a catch-all for any behaviour within a group – positive and negative, or more socially desirable and less socially desirable.
