Coach Carter_ Leader_ Coach Ken Carter

9/17/2015 Coach Carter: Leader: Coach Ken Carter

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Leader: Coach Ken Carter

Transformational Leadership

'The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Average is just not good enoughperiod'

(Coach Carter, 2005)

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(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY75MQte4RU)

Coach Ken Carter is an example of a transformation leader. When Coach Carter took on the roleof coaching the team the players had forgotten about their education and focused upon winning.However, Coach Carter does not approve of this and takes immediate action by getting eachmember of the team to accept and sign a written contract. He aims to motivate the players by nolonger allowing them to play basketball until their grades have improved.

Coach Carter aims to engage the players to achieve beyond their selfinterest through seeking towin the players trust, admiration and loyalty so that they are emotionally as well as rationallyinclined to do more than they originally expected to do (Hartley & Benington, 2010).

As a transformation leader he is effective in inspiring them to improve academically in order tocontinue playing basketball and compete in competitions. Coach Caters method is effective as theplayers adhere to this method as he has inspired them to succeed in playing sport and in theireducation. As the film progresses the team begin to look up to their coach as a role model andbelieve in him. A role model is an individual whose behaviour, example or success is or can beemulated by others, especially younger people (Shapiro, Haseltine & Rowe, 1978).

Coach Carter is an effective transformational leader as he changes the player’s



lives for the positive and enables each individual to acknowledge the right choicesthey needed for their own personal goals. He is effective in achieving this byputting the players before himself, and is creative in identifying ways to impact theteam’s behaviour whilst on and off the basketball court. Coach Carter isinteractive with his teammates and listens to what they are saying and hopes hismessage comes off. He has a vision for the players by making them realise thatthere is more to basketball than just winning. He is helping the individuals totransform their lives in several aspects without acknowledging it at the time.

According to (Marquis & Huston, 1992) there are five key qualities of a positiverole model and transformational leader.

(Marquis & Huston, 1992)

1. Passion and Ability to Inspire

Transformational leaders show passion in their work and have the capacity to pass this passion onto others.

Coach Carter is successful in achieving this through setting clear expectations and demonstratespassion when doing this. At their first team meeting, Carter hands each student a contract, settingout his expectations of the contracts. If they do not sign, they don’t play. Coach Carter aims topass on his passion to the players enabling them to succeed in playing sports and succeed in theireducation.

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(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1wAemvxNaM)

2. Clear Set of Values

Transformational role models pass their values on to others. According to (Marquis & Huston, 1992)people admire leaders that support their own values and beliefs by enabling others to understandhow their own values make them who they are.

Coach Carter encourages a team ethic throughout. ‘There’s a popular management saying thatthere’s no ‘I’ in team’ (Brounstein, 2009). Carter ensures his team take this on board by stoppingeveryone from playing – academic achiever or not. He’s teaching that successful teams succeed

because of the team working as a unit rather their their individual performance; you’re only as goodas your weakest link, and successful teams work for each other (Brounstein, 2009).Coach Carter achieves this aim by promoting a vision of change and seeing this through resistance.Carter’s strengths of his own beliefs draw people in, winning respect and their loyalty.As a leader, you will face situations where everyone else is putting themselves against you. Inorder to be an effective leader you must stand up for you values and what you believe in.




(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_fDhqRk_Ro)

3. Commitment to the Community

Transformational leaders focus upon others as opposed to focuses on themselves (Bass & Riggio,2008). This leadership style is often involved in activities within the community in order to benefitothers. Occasionally these changes may be long term and hard work to achieve, however throughcommitment and encouragement they are possible.

Coach Carter thinks long term and looks to the future. Mr Carter knew that for basketball tocontinue to be a part of the players’ lives, they had to improve other aspects of their lives, theiracademic results. He saw the need for the players to balance their commitments betweenbasketball and education to progress to the next stages in their lives. Never the less Carter is aneffective leader as although he continued to face opposition from the community he rises above thisand continues to strive for what he aimed to achieve.

4. Selflessness and Acceptance of Others

Transformation leaders show commitment to what they aim to achieve and admire people for theirselflessness. Transformation leaders are accepting of others who are different and encourageinvolvement from all individuals.

As an effective transformational leader you have to have difficult conversations. When his teammembers fail to honour their contracts, Coach Ken Carter isn’t afraid to take action. Although histeam are now winning, Carter stops the team playing until every student’s grades meets theminimum standards. Gathering his team for a ‘clear the air’ discussion, Carter is an effectivetransformational leader as he spends time to listen to how the team are feeling and explains hisreasons for the consequences. He then encourages them to aim higher in their lives, andchallenges them to work harder for a better life.


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FKPDOpKzDo)



5. Ability to Overcome Obstacles

Transformational leaders believe that individuals admire people who show them that successfulgoals are possible regardless of the obstacles that they may face during the process. Often peoplewill not agree to some of the leader’s values however, they must stand by what they believe inorder to achieve a positive change.

People are naturally resistant to change. When Carter first steps in as the newbasketball coach and implements changes in the training style, he is met with alot of resistance by the players. However he is an effective leader as he goesagainst the teams resistance.When you make changes to the status quo, expectthe same kind of emotions and resistance by those with you (Breshears & Volker,2013).

Coach Carter changes the player’s lives and makes them realise that there wasmore to life than they thought. Empowerment is also a characteristic oftransformational leadership and Coach Carter empowered these basketballplayers that came to him as boys and parted ways with him as men.

Coach Cater is effective as he continues to motivate the team to rather than give up. Heencourages actions to be evaluated to solve the issues step by step and that success is a processand not an immediate action.

Coach White : Unsuccessful leadership 'Leadership is action, not position'

(McGannon, 2008).

'Poor organizational performance can be traced back to dysfunctional leadership' (Czaja, 1999).The previous basketball coach, Coach White, was an ineffective leader and therefore the teamcalled upon Coach Carter to improve their results.There are many reasons why leaders are ineffective. Coach White was an ineffective leader for thefollowing reasons:

Having tunnel vision Coach White portrayed tunnel vision by only focusing upon the sports aspect of

the players lives and paying no regard to their education. Therefore the teamwere not succeeding in their education. Coach carter disagreed with this andfelt as an effective leader he must promote success throughout all aspects of

the player’s lives.

Being rules oriented and not people oriented

http://www.ehow.com/info_7866903_dysfunctional-aspects-leadership.html



Coach White was very ‘task’ focused and focused upon succeeding regardlessof the impact it was having upon the teams education and did not showwillingness to discuss with the team any concerns or discuss how they couldimprove. He did not portray a relationship with the team. Coach Carter on theother hand gets to know the team as individuals before focusing upon thesuccess. He motivates the team through his values and showing willingness tolisten to the team.

Having Fear and doubts regarding the teams competence Coach White feared failure at the championships and as a result exhorted a

huge amount of pressure on the team. However, Coach Carter is an effectiveleader as he does not pressurise the team to focus on winning however hischaracteristics motivate the team to want to succeed and feel that they aredoing it themselves.

Not willing or not able to change and adopt/ learn and growCoach White, unlike coach Carter was not willing to adopt new changes to the

team and go against the resistance therefore creates a poor leadership style innot achieving goals/ aims.

A key criticism is that within it transformational leadership has potential for theabuse of power (Hall, Johnson, Wysocki & Kepner, 2002). Transformationalleaders can exert a very powerful influence over followers, who offer them trustand respect. Some leaders may have narcissistic tendencies, thriving on powerand manipulation. Moreover, some followers may have dependent characters andform strong and unfortunate bonds with their leaders (Stone, Russell andPatterson, 2003, p: 4)

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Coach Carter_ Leader_ Coach Ken Carter