Film+Review


 * < **Team Leadership Film/Book Analysis ** ||< As a team, choose and select one film to view or one book to read (everyone in the group should review the same film OR book). As a group, write up your analysis about the leader in the film/book using the **five-step case analysis method**. [TEAM] ||< 15pts ||< 6/7 ||<  ||
 * FILM BACKGROUND **

In 1971 Alexandria, Virginia, T. C. Williams High School becomes integrated. At the same time Herman Boone, an African-American played by Denzel Washington, loses his job in South Carolina when a Caucasian coach is selected to replace him. Boone is later involved in a similar situation, but he is appointed head coach over a soon-to-be award winning Caucasian coach, Bill Yoast, played by Will Patton. Both black and white football players are faced with struggles of integration, power and leadership. The Caucasian athletes are influenced by caucasian player, Gerry Bertier, played by Ryan Hurst and, African-American players are influenced by Julius Campbell played by Wood Harris. The team begins a historical journey that starts with football.

The movie starts with a riot after a white store owner kills a black teenager. This incident underscores the racial tensions that exist as a result of the desegregation of the high school. Coach Boone has to overcome the racism within the team, the coaching staff, and the community to build a winning, racially mixed football team. The team learns to accept and work with each other. The community members and the students of the high school are not as quick to accept each others' differences as the players on the football team are. This film demonstrates the ability of a town to overcome prejudice and work together as a team. The movie, based on a true story, provides examples of real life leadership especially at this time of desegregation.

**LEADER DESCRIPTION**

There were four apparent leaders in the film: Herman Boone the head coach, the Caucasian assistant coach Bill Yoast, and the two student leaders, Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell. Coach Herman Boone represents power and perseverance. His charismatic style helped him to win the trust and respect of everyone in the community instead of listening to adversity from the town people or administrators. Boone realizes his goals by forcing relationships and pushing the team to their limits. Some examples from the film are when he holds a football camp away from Alexandria, the area of real conflict. He separated the players by their positions on the football field instead of by race. He gave an inspirational speech at the battle of Gettysburg, comparing historical moments with the reality of today. He also forced the members to get to know each other. As a charismatic leader he knew how to break down his players and rebuild them into a team in an effort to win.

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In the book, Leadership in Organizations, (2010) Yukl describes a charismatic leader as someone who "acts in unconventional ways to achieve the vision." He goes on the say that "Leaders are more likely to be viewed as charismatic if they make self-sacrifices and take personal risks. (Leadership in Organizations, 7th Edition. Prentice Hall/CourseSmart, 12/31/2008. p. 262). Coach Boone was a supreme risk taker. Boone not only had the vision for the team to be winners, but he had a strategy to get the players there. He knew that it would be difficult to build the team without the players having respect for one another. He knew it had to be a priority for them to communicate with each other; a critical skill in interpersonal relationships and team building. This would later lead to the foundation that would not only transform the players on and off the field, but would also eventually transform a city. Yukl mentions transforming leadership and cites Burns (1978) as someone who has strongly impacted this area of leadership. Burns describes transforming leadership as, "a process in which leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation." He also said that, "followers are elevated from their everyday selves to their better selves". (Yukl, p. 417) The leadership that occurred in the movie is a classic case of what Burns (1978) described about transforming leadership. =====

====Coach Yoast, is an accomplished football coach and great role-model. He is laid-back, demonstrates integrity and shows empathy for the players. These are two very important characteristics of a leader. His decision to stay on as an assistant coach was partly because he wanted to make sure that "his players" did not get mistreated. Coach Yoast had an opportunity to go into the Hall of Fame if he would have allowed the referee to cheat the players out of the game. Instead he chose to confront the referee on his dishonesty. He put the team before his personal gain, another great quality of a leader. His character and coaching skills earned him the respect of the town. Ironically, his integrity lost him the opportunity to enter into the football hall of fame. ====

Both Boone and Yoast experienced leadership challenges that involved their egos. Boone's hard exterior proved to be effective in uniting the players, but it coupled with trying to make the team "his own," and not listening, alienated him from Coach Yoast. The team-building concept that he was trying to instill in the players was not being role-modeled in his relationship with Coach Yoast. It was evident that Yoast was there for the players and not to support Coach Boone and besides what could Boone tell him that he did not already know. It was the final game and both coaches were in the locker room talking to the players and shared how proud they were of them. They realized that the players were a team and that they were doing everything that they possibly could. From that point, barriers were broken down for both coaches. Coach Yoast asked Coach Boone for his help with the defense and Coach Boone accepted feedback about the offense.

Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell both learned valuable lessons from each other in the scene "attitude reflects leadership". Berhtier showed courage in confronting Campbell about his selfish playing and how it was negatively impacting the team. Campbell challenged Bertier to be a more effective role-model/captain by sharing with him that he needed to address all the players and not just him about the concept of team. It was an emotional discussion, but a pivotal point for both players who were seen as leaders by their respective peers. They had the potential to positively influence the other players and improve team relations, and that is what they eventually did on and off the field.