Résumé
Athletes are typically appointed by coaches or teammates to fulfill formal leadership roles (i.e., captain or assistant captain; Loughead et al., 2006). While these athletes are thrust into leadership roles, a question remains as to their preparedness to assume such roles. The Ready, Willing, and Able (RWA) framework (Keating et al., 2014) provides a framework of leadership preparedness by viewing capable leaders as exhibiting leadership self-efficacy, possessing the ability to motivate others, and demonstrating proficient leadership behaviours. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative contributions of leadership self-efficacy (Ready) and motivation to lead (Willing) in relation to athlete leadership behaviours (Able) across formal, informal, and non-leader athletes. A sample of 130 athletes completed a questionnaire package to measure the RWA framework operationalized as athlete leadership behaviours (Callow et al., 2009; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980), motivation to lead (Chan & Drasgow, 2001) and leadership self-efficacy (Murphy, 1992). Multi-group SEM and multiple linear regression examined predictive relationships. The SEM model exhibited excellent fit (CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = 0.000). Self-efficacy significantly predicted athlete leadership behaviours in both formal (β = .69) and informal (β = .55) athlete leaders. Regression analyses confirmed these findings that self-efficacy was a robust predictor (β = .57, p < .001) of athlete leadership behaviours. These findings highlight self-efficacy as a key determinant of athlete leadership readiness, outweighing the influence of motivational factors. This underscores the importance of prioritizing athletes’ leadership self-efficacy within leadership development programs to help athletes feel prepared to fulfill leadership roles.
