Bill Yoast: Stewardship And Servant Leader

Many everyday encounters can test our values. In sports conflict is expected, and as skill level increases conflict becomes more prominent. This is even more evident to coaches, as they experience conflict from players, referees, and parents. In my experience, coaching many times I must hold back what I want to say and walk away. One specific encounter with two parents tested my values of respect, positivity, and self-worth. In this experience, two parents confronted me after a game about the substitutions going on on the field, as I was a youth coach learning how to run the bench I was appalled at this statement. In this instance, I related to the barber contemplating what to do, “ What do you gain by it? Nothing.” (pg.15A) I also connected with the idea of upholding a reputation, as I would not want to be viewed as anything less than a great coach, “Murderer or hero?” (pg.15C) My values of respect and positivity helped me walk away from this situation, which further revealed how my character is centered around integrity.

In the movie Remember the Titans, coaches Yoast and Boone demonstrate leadership through the three leadership styles; authoritarian, democratic and laissez-faire.

At their finest, coaches perfect their player’s flaws to push them to their potential ability, improve their skills, and create determination within the team. They can expand the importance of such a sport to intensify motivation and the value of good sportsmanship for the sake of not only their reputation, but the outcome that comes from it. Coaches must not lag when it comes to hardships that comes about; they must stay connected. The closer the connection between a player and a coach the better they are moving forward and continuing on the love of the sport and job.

In the begging of the film, Herman Boone which is Denzel Washington was brought in as an assistant coach to join the all-white coaching team. Couple days later, because of high school rule Coach Boone had to be a head coach. But at first he was unwilling to take the offer the head coaching job at first because same things had happened to him when a white coach was selected as head coach over him in South Carolina. In this scene you can tell Coach Boone respects everybody and not hating people. But soon He finally accepts the head coach when he sees that the black people lived in the town saw him as a symbol of pride and hope because he could be the one could overcome the racism in the town. When he talks with coach Yoast, coach Yoast was worried because his white kids won’t start the football team but Boone told him “I aint going to cut them and eat them. Best player will play color won’t matter”. In this sentence he doesn’t care black or white or not, he wants to best player to win the games

Coach Dix believes that this style of coaching helps him motivate his young team. Being that crazy, funny, heady, and intense coach gets the young teens pumped and ready to run through a wall for him. When we talked about the difficult situations he has had to endure while coaching, Dix described two situations that occurred during his tenure at East Hall; Coach Dix mentioned a time when his star player who happened to win the Georgia Player of the year the previous year, kicked a ball during practice and broke out a window in the gym. He stated this was a difficult and sticky situation because the team played its big rival in two days. He said he did not sleep well the next few nights because of the impact a suspension would have on his squad. Another situation Dix had to deal with was a parent during a game, walked to the bench, grabbed their son and told the player to get dressed, we’re transferring from this school. Dix said that this was new territory for him and at that time he did not know what to do. To conclude the interview, I asked Dix two final questions. I asked him what were his ultimate goals for his team and what advice would he give to a first year coach? “Championships and graduation,” Coach Dix stated. As for advice for a first year coach, Dix said “Preparation was KEY.” “Great coaches are always prepared for anything and everything!”

Coach Bill Yoast doesn’t resemble coach Herman Boone, he believed that his players’ needs and personal interests should be supported and would result in success. Therefore, I don't think he follows just one leadership style. The idea that successful leaders adjust their styles based on the development of followers, or players in this case, as indicated by their performance in a given situation. In addition, his leadership style has noticeable notes of servant leadership in it as well. Servant leadership revolves around the idea of helping individuals use their talents to full potential.

At times he may have gone too far in being tougher on white players versus black players, but it was his intention to maintain a sense of balance. For example, Yoast gives Petey another chance after making a bad play and places him in a different position that benches a white player. During the regional championship game, Yoast sacrifices his hall of fame nomination and a chance to become head coach next year by challenging the referees who are favoring the opposing team. Coach Yoast’s action helped win the championship and demonstrated that he was willing to do anything for the team even if it was lead by a black coach. This made all the players work harder together and support each other even more.

When they first came together, there was a significant amount of vying and jockeying for power, between the players and the coaches. The leader of the white players (Gerry) tried to assert himself to Coach Boone early, but the coach made sure Gerry knew his place. A coach is a leader and must take charge if a player oversteps his boundaries. The difference in the coaching styles also showed early on, as both coaches had different objectives. Coach Boone, who was fighting to keep his job, was almost like a drill instructor and demanding. While Coach Yoast was more lenient towards the players and more hesitant to yell at them. This may have been due to the fact that Yoast was told that the head coaching job was his if Boone lost a game.

Coach Boone is first introduced to the audience as a directive and charismatic leader. He doesn’t want anyone to contradict him; he even makes a claim and calls himself a dictator. He has a task of assembling a new football team almost as a faultlessly working mechanism, a mission that has never been attempted before him, therefore it was necessary for him to come forward and to mark his territory as a strong leader. However, in order to achieve the mission he needed to overcome a series of obstacles. The way he did it, the way he used his communication skills, motivation/punishment politics, motivation, shows to a viewer that his had almost model leadership. A leadership is a capability of influencing different people to cooperate, be effective and efficient for the organization, or a team (McShane & Glinlow, 2012). A prime example is at camp when Boone puts together black players with white players and demands them to learn about each other, and until then they will have three training sessions a day. At the same time as Boone’s testing his new players, his authority and morale are being tested as well: by the team members’ rebellious behavior and also by one of the major lines of the opposition in the movie (black vs. white).

Coach Bill Yoast had a servant leadership style. He was flexible, supportive of the team, confident, committed and compassionate. He believed that putting emphasis on his player’s needs and personal interests would result in their success. He used his leadership techniques as the to help the team members use their full potential individually and while working together as a team. Coach Yoast leadership was one of empowerment and self-management. Through the leadership of both Coach Boone and Coach Yoast, they produced two other leaders Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell.

As the movie progressed and Coach Boone’s vision came together, Coach Yoast slowly but surely began to show more support. Coach Boone’s consistent preaching, that he did not view the team as black and white players, but instead, simply as football players who must form cohesion and take actions not for self, but for team, eventually rubbed off on Coach Yoast. This is where the culture in the coaching staff began to form. Trust also began to build and the three coaches, now more cohesive themselves were able to accomplish much more in order to coach their players much more constructively. By the time the Titans had made it to the championship, all three coaches had put their differences aside, bought in to the vision and culture, and were able to coach their players to victory.

Coach Boone had an excellent follower or Co-leader. Coach Hines’ co-leadership abilities seemed to be the conscious for Coach Boone. He steps in and positively influenced Coach Boone decision. Also, Coach Yoast is excellent as a co-leader. The success of an organization or team is incumbent upon the abilities of everyone and all successful leaders have highly effective co-leaders.

Abstract: There are numerous definitions of leadership, all of which contain elements related to people (the leader and the follower(s)), communicating in person or by the written word, actions (organizing, directing, coaching, and/or motivating), and for a purpose (meeting a goal(s) or accomplishing a task(s)) (ADP 6-22) (Fisher 2015) (Bolden 2013) (Hogan 2005). Additionally, everything done occurs within a given context. Effective leaders are poised, proficient, pertinent, and practical in the application of the art of leadership. This means leaders are ready to engage the group with effective methods and

Yoast was dedicated to football and had gained loyalty from his team and white community. He was respected and had demonstrated his effective leadership through several wins. He was also nominated for hall of fame for his exceptional leadership. He cared for the people in his team. When he had the opportunity to leave and take up a position for head coach he did not because he was worried about the players in his team. He considered them like his own kids and was concerned for them and did not want to abandon them. He takes the offer of the assistant coach to ensure that his team members are a part of the new team. His initial objective was to ensure that his boys are a part of the team and are well taken care off.

The supportive leadership role involves showing concern for subordinates' well being and personal needs. This type of leadership behavior is