Leadership Strategies in Remember the Titans

LEADERSHIP STYLES:

Remember the Titans have different leadership styles. Both the leaders in the movie try to motivate the players in their own ways. A good leader motivates others to develop qualities and train them to do better. This movie shows how Coaches and team players showed their leadership qualities, strengths as a leader. The contribution of each player helped to achieve in their victory. The players forget their racism differences and played as a team. During the football match on the field, no blacks and whites were differentiated and they played all as one.

My First leader is Herman Boone. He had a dictative leadership style. Boone believed that through cooperation of the entire team will lead to a win. He also believed that each player has to understand each other culture. He had a very clear vision as how to succeed with the team and how to have a strong team to work hard with full determination and courage. He also had transactional lead where he punishes the players if they were doing something wrong directly or indirectly which helped him to control the team through his powers. He knew very well that players had loved for the football game and he had faith in his players that’s they will definitely going to win the game if every player corporate. He had a good leadership quality as he approached Yoast to be his assistance coach.

He wanted to have a strong team and win. His team to be successful he had to ensure that all the team members work together and respect each other. It was important for the team to work hard and be committed at all the times. Through his power he was able to have a transactional lead and whenever the players were wrong he punishes them and he had the control over them to improve and bring a standard in the team. He knew very well that the players had loved for the football game and he can make the team to work together and used their love as a motivator to make sure they cooperate and they don’t fight with each other as far as racist is concerned.

My Second leader in Remember the Titans is Coach Bill Yoast. Coach Yoast used democratic leadership styles. Coach Yoast, meet students personally. He discuss the issues and personally try to solve the problem rather than in front of other team members.

In Remember the Titans Coach Yoast display his qualities in such a way that he handled each difficult situation with ease. He used to keep his players cool so that he can have control over them and he can help them individually if need arises. He was a calm Coach. He was not that strict and straight forward as Coach Boone as a leader.

Effectiveness as a leader

Team members respected him a lot since he was able to bring all players together with different race through pairing black and white players together. He had confident and courage through which he was able to make his team win. Coach Boone was a effective leader he was just like a leader who is born with so more powerful in his words.

He was a effective leader with confident and courage through which his team won. He was independently and stubbornly as often see in the movie which wins the victory. He was very much concerned with the players and how they feel. He had strengthen, confidence, enthusiasm and unity of player.

Type of power

Coach Boone held expert power which is “power that results from leader’s special knowledge or skill regarding tasks performed by followers”(Daft,2008). He was a true expert of football with superior knowledge of coaching the team. He had full control over his team. He also held referent power since he had ability to convey a sense of personal acceptance. Coach Boone highly influences his team member through his strength.

How he used his power

He used his power in a good way but sometimes he was so hard on players during training period. But through his tough training and strict on players he was able to make his team win. He used his power as Head coach to achieve his goals and to promote interracial interaction in hope of improving the team. Since he was black with power some white players didn’t want to accept his authority but through his power he forces the players to tolerate with each other until racial conflict is solved. By the end of training camp players started respecting his leadership more and don’t look at his power as unlawful and hurtful. He achieved his objectives through strong sense of skill proficiency responsibility and dedication of team.

Type of Power

Coach Yoast also held expert power he was a true expert and real man of football. He was coach for many years but due to his name nominated for hall of fame he become assistant coach. He also had referent power that is leaders personality characteristics that command follower’s identification and respect to emulate the leaders. Players were admire his power and strengthen.

How he used his power

He used his power in good way towards his team and player. During one of the game when he saw that referee was biased towards the team he talk with referee and was quite angry on it. Due to this action he lost his hall of fame nominee and he didn’t care of it because according to him he thinks that team and win of the game is more important. In the beginning of the movie he said that he is taking break for one year from football and all his players said there are also leaving the game and there will be boycott. After thinking about the student he step back to take assistant coach position.

SITUATION FROM THE MOVIE:

A situation in a movie was during the game a player was injured with a broken wrist and was replaced by Ronnie. This short conversation between Coach Boone and Ronnie in which Boones says to Ronnie that he is the colonel and he has to command his troops. Coach Boone dialogue speech was supportive however he believes in the team because of level of competence, confidence and commitment in them. One player from the team stands ups and gives a small talk to the entire team, demanding and expecting more than Coach Boone. This scene tells us straight that the team doesn’t need much more support or leader. Coach Boone realises this and gives responsibility to the players. Another situation where Coach Yoast tries to put Ronnie in the game but Ronnie declines that he can’t play that position and he suggested Petey to play instead of him as Ronnie thinks Petey is a better player than him. Coach Yoast allows Ronnie to make the choice to play or not to play.

LEADERSHIP THEORIES:

This movie Remember the Titan’s has his own theory which is called the great man theory. The Great man theory: it shows at camp, Coach Boone exercises his players over and over again. These pep- talks motivated the players do better and to learn from their mistakes. Coach Boone was directive and his helpful behaviour was a key to success. One incident was when early in the morning Coach Boone tells both teams to run on the fields of Gettysburg. That shows that he has got the great man theory as he also went for the run with everyone in the team .Coach Boone had this theory to success in his games.

Another leadership theory showed was the Trait theory. Coach Yoast believes in trait leadership of styles. As from his point of view to be strict and more disciplined to the players the team can’t win the game. At the beginning he was racist and he didn’t like black people and he didn’t accept the offer at first from the Coach Boone and later he accepted the offer because his players didn’t wanted to report to Coach Boone directly. So he became the Assistant coach.

Individual culture and its effect.

Remember the titans is a story of two schools one white and one black are forced to integrate in Virginia”(wikimedia,2014). Coach Boone is a black and he gets head position and Coach Yoast who is white becomes his assistant. Coach Boone was a black and he grow up in black community where people say them as a low class whereas Coach Yoast was a white and he grown up in different community. The team put aside their racial differences and play as one team. This movie was a true story based on reality. When Coach Boone takes over from Coach Yoast things were getting very tenses therefore he went personally to him to discuss the situation of new coaching status but due to his arrogant and overbearing it cause rift between the coaching staff and took time to gain respect for one another. Also the team captains Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell who were not getting together due to race decided to overcome stigma between them and set example for the team. Through practice both race come together and also celebrate the victory and realize that races should not be any issues. This gives a good example of how one can overcome the racial issue. “It also shows how people can overcome racial issue when there is strong leadership, determination, acceptance and will to succeed” (Wikimedia, 2014).

TYPE OF ORGANISATION AND THEIR LEVEL OF SENIORITY:

This leadership situation in the movie is a part of T.C.Williams High School Northern Virginia City of Alexandria in 1971. This movie is all about black and white that period of time in 1971. The level of seniority he had his own personal pride in himself. He always wanted the team to succeed and perform above standards as he had high expectations from the players. He also taught by quitting, it won’t solve any problems for anyone. Coach Boone also pass a message to us that if life doesn’t treat us fairly, you must try your level best until you reach your own goals and don’t lose hope easily. This vision, ideas and hopes made the Titans win to a success.

INDIVIDUAL CULTURE AND ITS EFFECTS

I would just say, this movie shows us the leadership theory to a very clear point of view and in a broad way. Coach Boone was not born as a leader but he became a good leader and he was even successful in his displays to be a leader.His quality as a head coach, and he proved the whites as well that black people can also be a head coach and can lead the team to a victory where as white people believed that they can only do the coaching for the football team. Previously racism was a major impacts on the people especially color of body; black and white. White people were always given first preferences before black people. Black people were always looked down upon. In this movie at the end the black player becomes the captain when the white player captain got paralyzed. The black coach took over the white coach. So these things proved in the movie that black people can also lead to a victory or win and can have unity and friendly atmosphere between two colors of people and to stop racisms.

Other leadership concepts and ideologies that was identify in the movie ?

Other leadership concepts and ideologies that was identify in this movie remember the titans was responsibility and integrity. Both the coaches and players knew their responsibility towards their team. Their main aim was to win the tournament through fair game. Other responsibility was to stop discrimination towards black and white and bring harmony in the team. Coach Boone was integrity and he had solid principle to stop discrimination.

Shared goal is by making others realise what you can achieved having same vision. Coach Boone and Coach Yoast both had same goal but their used different leadership style. At the beginning of the movie Coach Boone was the only one with the goal to win and to integrate the team whereas all the team members had their own personal goal to get the position there wanted. But later through Coach Boone training and socialisation of team members with each other make all players to share same goal of winning the tournament and accepting one another.

Motivation is by encouraging people leader has the ability and power to inspire, motivate and energize. Coach Boone had ability to motivate and inspire the team also Coach Yoast motivate the team. The team was able to win the game through motivation from coaches and each other.

Good communicator is the other concept it is how leader speaks in public and gain attention to his listener. Coach Boone was classified as a good communicate he communicates so well with his team. Lots of speech and group discussion took place which bring succeed to the team. Also Coach Yoast and captain Gerry had a good communication skills.

Reference:

Tangient LLC (2014) Chapter 3 Remember the Titans – Situatational Leadership Model Retrieved from: http://sportpsychgoes2movies.wikispaces.com/Chapter+3+-+Remember+the+Titans+-+Situational+Leadership+Model

Daft R L & Pirola-Merlo (2008). The leadership experience: Asia Pacific edition 1. Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

Tumblr (n.d) Cultural Studies in Remember the Titans http://caseyccarroll.tumblr.com/post/21612754841/cultural-studies-in-remember-the-titans

Wikimedia (2014) Remember the Titans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remember_the_Titans