Question

In the movie Remember the Titans (2000),

Cite an example from the movie when Coach Boone used a Coaching leadership style. What specifically did he do (behavior) that indicated he was Coaching? Describe the situation, and assess follower Readiness (follower Ability and Willingness). Did Coach Boone utilize an appropriate leadership style in this situation, and why or why not?

Answer 1

An example from the movie when Coach Boone used ‘coaching’ leadership style was when he made the team members get off the bus and sit along with a team member of another race. He also ensured that roommates for the duration of the camp belonged to different races. This is an example of subtle coaching leadership style as Coach Boone is trying to improve the inclusive mentality of the team members and eventually improve the sense of team spirit and unity. This will eventually have a positive impact on the team’s performance as well as competency of individual players as well as the team as whole.

The specific behavior that indicated that he was coaching them was when he took these actions as the one mentioned above and behaviors like setting the example of developing good relationship with Coach Yoast. This was done to demonstrate the need for unity and to guide the team members instead of forcing them to have a good relationship with one another.

Follower readiness in terms of willingness to adapt to these measures was initially limited. However with passage of time Coach Boone amply demonstrated the need for unity and established a dynamic interaction between the coaches and the team members. This lead to significant increase in both the ability and willingness of the team members.

Yes, Coach Boone did utilize an appropriate leadership style in this situation. This is because team members cannot be forced or coerced to unite and bond. When this is done the bonding will be hollow and temporary. However by using a coaching leadership style Coach Boone enabled the team members to discover for themselves the need for unity in the team in order to achieve their common goals and objectives.