Captaining the GB and Ireland team to victory in the 2011 Walker Cup: a commentary

Authors

Grace McCarthy, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

72570

Publication Details

McCarthy, G. (2012). Captaining the GB and Ireland team to victory in the 2011 Walker Cup: a commentary. Annual Review of Golf Coaching 2012, 89-91.

Abstract

Nigel Edwards highlights several positive leadership behaviours in his captaincy of the winning 2011 Walker Cup team. In this response article, I will focus on selfefficacy. Self-efficacy was defined by Bandura [1] as "the belief that a person has of being capable of accomplishing a given task", in this case the task being for the players to win their games and the team to win the cup. Self-efficacy is not only important in sport. In business, self-efficacy has been shown to lead to improved performance, enhanced creativity and increased productivity [2]. However what is sometimes missing in the academic literature is how to translate the theory into practice and how to foster self-efficacy. Nigel Edwards gives practical examples of how he constantly sought to bolster the players' belief in themselves and in the team. These examples can be applied in business, in public sector and not for profit organisations.