Developing Leadership

by gaining the
Trust and Respect
of Captains and Players.
By Pat Rae
Q.R.R.A (Bris) Inc
2004

Aims
The aims of this presentation are to:
Define Leadership in terms of being a referee.
Define the terms Respect & Trust and how they affect your ability as a
referee to act as a leader on the field and ultimately control the game.
Give specific refereeing examples of how to better gain the trust and
respect of captains and players and discuss alternative methods.
Discuss the term Delegation and how it can be used as a tool by a
referee.
Outline why delegating tasks can enhance your ability to control a game.

Leadership

Leadership is loosely defined as the ability to influence others to

get results.

Leadership is gained with a combination of Respect and Trust

Respect is gained by demonstrating knowledge and skill.

Trust is gained by demonstrating concern for peoples needs and

feelings.

The more people trust and respect you, the more willing they will be
to follow your direction and hence you become a leader.

Respect:

(An attitude of compliance with the wishes of another.)

When people respect your knowledge and skill, they feel you know
what youre doing and that you will consistently make good decisions.

As a result, they wont second guess you or question directions you

give them.
In order to earn peoples respect you need to:
Set the example,
Investigate and make decisions based on facts and,
Show confidence.

Trust:

(reliance on and confidence in the truth)

When trust is gained, it causes others to accept you as a leader.

Players will learn to trust you when youve demonstrated to them

that you are able to act in an impartial way with their best interests.

You can build trust by:

Demonstrate that you care,

Use positive and corrective follow up,

Create a positive working environment, and

Treat the players the way you would like to be treated.

Tools to gain respect?

Players will respect knowledge.

When you answer a player or the captains questions correctly and can briefly and concisely
explain why you made a certain decision, youre demonstrating your knowledge and showing
them that you know what youre talking about. In doing this however, avoid lengthy discussions.
Use an appropriate leadership style for the situation at that time.

In general there are two leadership styles: directive (Dictatorship) and participative (Democracy).
Use the style that is most appropriate for the situation at the time.
Make good decisions.

Good decisions come in part from experience. Everybody makes his or her share of mistakes.
The most successful referees however learn from their experience and rarely make the same
mistake twice.

Even when faced with situations or problems youve never encountered before, you can improve
your decision making ability by using these techniques.
Analyse situations.

Use your observation skills to analyse situations so youre taking all the facts into account. Your
checklists will play a large part of this.

Consider possible alternatives.

Select the best alternative.

Evaluate your decision.

Specific Refereeing Examples

Possible Directive (Dictatorship) Leadership Situations:
Admonishment, Sin Bin, Send off.
Penalty/Free Kick decision.
Possible Participative (Democracy) Leadership Situations:
Front row/Captain pre match talk.
T.J pre match briefing.
Establishing parameters at particular phases, Lineout gaps, 10
metres off side line etc.
When options are available to captains.
Can anyone think of other situations?

Ways to build trust with a

Captain.

Get to know the captain.

Find out what their name is, what position they will be playing.
Introduce yourself.
Set the communication parameters between yourself and the captain.

Be fair.

Appear to be empathetic.
During a stoppage ask the captain if he has any concerns or questions.

Follow through with commitments.

If you say something stick to it.

Be consistent.

Never:
Belittle, tease or joke about other peoples mistakes.
Embarrass someone who has made a mistake in front of other people.
Use sarcasm.

Delegation
Delegation is the skill of getting things done through other people.
When you delegate:

You free up some of your time to concentrate on other tasks,

You do a better, more productive and thorough job on the tasks that
only you can do,

Players develop a spirit of teamwork and sense of ownership with the

shared goals and as a result, tend more likely to comply,

Players enjoy the variety that their new tasks add to their role in the
game.

How do you delegate?

Identify the task you wish to delegate.
Select the appropriate person,
skills, willingness to play a part.)

(Experience and

Communicate what needs to be done and when

it needs to be done.
Follow it up with positive reinforcement.
At an appropriate time (stoppage) let the player know that they are doing a
good job at what you have asked.

Examples of Delegation

Delegate the role of maintaining a good one metre gap in the lineout to the front two
lineout personnel.

Delegate the role of maintaining and ensuring the non-participants of a lineout on the
10 metre offside line to the first player back. (Normally the fly half)

Delegate the role of ensuring that all quick penalty and free kicks are taken within
your direct line of sight & close proximity to the mark to the most likely person to take
them, usually the halfback.

Delegate the role of ensuring that players remain on-side at re-starts to the kicker.

Are there any others that you would consider?

It is important to remember that:

Whilst delegation is the skill of getting
things done through other people, it does
not remove the ultimate responsibility for
that task being done from the referee to
whoever it was delegated it to.
When you delegate a task, you do not
delegate the responsibility for ensuring that
the task is completed in a high quality
manner. THAT ALWAYS REMAINS WITH
THE REFEREE!!!

Summary
Defined Leadership in terms of being a referee.
Defined the terms Respect & Trust and how they affect your ability
to act as a leader on the field and ultimately control the game.
Given specific refereeing examples of how to better attain respect and
trust.
Discussed other alternative methods.
Discuss the term Delegation and specific examples how it can be
used by a referee.
Outline why delegating tasks can enhance your ability to control a
game.

When all else fails,

keep your eye on the
ball.