Humble Coaches and Their Influence on Players and Teams: The Mediating Role of Affect-Based (but Not Cognition-Based) Trust

Abstract

Humility is a desirable quality for leaders across different domains, but not much is known about humility in sports coaches. This study integrated positive and organizational psychology to define humility as it pertains to sports coaches and examined humble coaches’ influence on player development and team climate. Additionally, trust was examined as a mediator between coaches’ humility and the two outcomes. Participants ( N = 184; Mage = 23.44, SDage = 8.69; 73.4% women) rated their coaches’ humility and reflected on the coaches’ influence and their team climate. Results indicated that affect-based, but not cognition-based, trust mediated the relationship between humility and coaches’ influence on players and team climate. Theoretical and practical implications for sports coaches are discussed.