“Lead Like A Pro” – A Workshop for Youth Coaches and Parents

Registration Required Below
Join us virtually for this unique opportunity to learn from author, coach and athletic director, Dr. Matthew Raidbard. With each passing year youth sports coaches are asked to take on increased leadership responsibilities for their athletes and team. However, they don’t always have the opportunity to receive the necessary coach-related leadership education and training that would provide them with the knowledge and tools required to effectively coach the team, manage the athletes and parents, and deal with any unexpected conflicts or tensions that arise during the season. This talk is designed specifically for youth sport coaches to provide them with foundational leadership knowledge and teach them techniques they can use to practice the best leadership style and behaviors that align with their personal values and beliefs.

During this program, Dr. Raidbard will give an introduction to leadership practice, and discuss the importance of coaches viewing themselves as leaders and making intentional leadership choices. He will also talk about how coaches can determine what the best leadership style and behaviors are for them to practice based on their personal values and beliefs. This program is also designed to help coaches understand the impact their leadership choices can have both positively and negatively on the athletes they coach.

Dr. Raidbard is the author of the newly released book Lead Like A Pro: Effective Leadership Styles for Athletic Coaches.  In Lead Like A Pro, he draws on over a decade spent as a college basketball coach and senior level athletics administrator, as well as his own original research into what leadership styles and behaviors help athletic coaches be successful. This practical, yet informative book provides coaches with the resources to transform their leadership practice and reach their full potential.

Registration is required for this virtual program.  Registered participants will receive a Zoom invitation on the day of the program. If you include your cell phone number on the registration form, you will receive one text reminder, with Zoom link  before the program begins.

This program is co-hosted with The Boys and Girls Club of Redding and Easton

About Our Speaker:
Matthew Raidbard, Ed.D. obtained his Bachelor’s degree in history and classical studies from Indiana University, after which he pursued his dream of being a college basketball coach. He first coached basketball at Western New Mexico University, where in addition to coaching he completed a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. He has served as a men’s basketball coach at Dartmouth College, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Chicago State University. While working at Chicago State he completed his Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a dissertation focusing on determining the best leadership style and behaviors for athletic coaches to practice. From his dissertation research, Matthew realized that coaches at all levels of sports were being asked to take on increased leadership responsibilities for their athletes and team without sufficient opportunities to receive leadership education and training. His research also uncovered that a significant gap existed between the leadership style and behaviors that athletic coaches thought they were practicing and the leadership style and behaviors they were actually practicing. These findings were the inspiration for his book, “Lead Like A Pro,” where he help inform coaches about leadership practice, and teaches them how to align perceived and actual leadership styles and behaviors, allowing them to become more intentional and effective leaders. He is currently the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration, Compliance, and Student-Athlete Success at the University of Hartford.