Introduction:

There is no doubt that the movie is chalked in moments full of triumph and despair. At that

time in Alexandria, Virginia there was an active atmosphere of racial tension within the

community between both the African American and Caucasian population. Boone, a black

coach, faces the challenge of taking on a new position as head coach of the T.C Williams High

School football team. This is fraught with conflict and peril however due to the opposition of

those that do not and will not accept the integration of black and white students into mixed

race schools. In a move by the school board coach Boone is unknowingly threatened by the loss

of his job if The Titans loose a match. Boone in an effort to be accepted by the community uses

his work with the football team to support the system of integration by emphasizing that he is

in fact a valued member in the community despite his color, and additionally that he can "get

these boys to work together" and bring up champions and leaders in them.

Power and leadership come into play both on and off the field. Some examples of this power

that is demonstrated in the movie are positional power, coercive power, need for power (both

personal and social), power and reward power. These leadership concepts are constant

throughout the movie.

Coach Boone first represents the entire black community overcoming the oppression that they

have experienced through all of the years. He exhibits the determination that is inside all of the

players to win the state championship.

Coach Boone is constantly a source of leadership for his players and eventually the entire

community. His inherent style of leadership is directive and military style, which essentially

involves extensive use of positional power. Boone, in order to sink into the new system initially

uses positional power and he ultimately emerges as a transformational leader. Positional power

is crucial for Coach Boone to run his team in an effective and winning manner. It refers to the

potential influence he has due to the strength of the relationship with his team. This is best

demonstrated in the “Who’s your daddy” scene. Bertier comes up to coach and basically states

how the team is going to be run because he is the All-American on the team. Coach Boone uses

his positional power to totally flip the situation into the fact that he is now Bertier’s daddy. This

is a tough pill for Bertier to swallow but since Boone effectively used his positional power as a

leader, he was able to get the followers to fall into line. This is the best scene in the movie in my

opinion.

Coercive power demonstrated by administration, is an effective means of motivation for

Coach Boone not to lose a game. This serves as the potential to influence Boon through the

negative sanctions or the removal of positive events. This is demonstrated in the movie when

the school administrator informs Coach Boone that if he loses one game that he will be losing

his spot as coach. This provides Boone the strength and determination to will his team to
victory. Extrinsic punishment provides enough inspiration to succeed that it drives Boone to

excel in his job, and in turn, the team as well.

Another instance that exemplifies Boon’s leadership style is during a game, when Ronnie is

substituted for a player with a broken wrist. In this instance, Coach Boone tells Ronnie that he is

a good player and his team needs him to play. This short pep talk, in which Coach Boone tells

Ronnie “you’re the colonel, go command your troops,” reveals Boone’s movement into a

supportive and encouraging leadership role, which is based on the maturity and development

level of his team and forms grounds of intrinsic motivation.

One interesting aspect of his style was that he enlarges his role by combining being the head

coach and also being the offensive coordinator. They are usually separate jobs done by two

people, but Coach Boone combines them to help motivate his players by being able to interact

with them at both levels.

Coach Boone’s personal knowledge pertaining to issues of race, group dynamics and

relationships was exemplified in a scene where he made his players reseat themselves on the

bus based on offensive and defensive teams. This forced players of different races to interact

and bond as a team.

Coach Boone ultimately emerges as a transformational leader who intrinsically motivates his

team. He does an excellent job of energizing his players, sustaining the motivation, directing

the motivation to the right players at the right time, and also knowing when to stop motivating.

The satisfaction progression hypothesis is also displayed in the movie. Coach Boone knows that

the small things, such as making the routine plays in the game, must be done first before the
main goal can be achieved, winning the game. He also has a high expectancy of his team. He

believes that the effort of his team will lead to performance and that the performance will lead

to results. He expects his team to practice just as hard as they play in the game.

Everyone was apprehensive on his leadership style initially; therefore they did not accept the

message he had. During training camp, Boone pairs black players with white players and

instructs them to learn about each other. This idea is met with a lot of fighting, but black

linebacker Julius Campbell and stubborn white All-American Gerry Bertier end up getting a

strong bond through Boone's heavy discipline. Boone teaches them that they can build their

strengths and look beyond everything and when they work together much more is

accomplished.

Boone knows when to amplify conflict, when to escalate conflict and when to move the team

away from divisiveness and toward a vision of the common good. The players finally see that

Coach Boone has credibility, and thus become motivated to work harder because he is so

motivated towards the team. With everyone respecting each other, a clear vision of the goal

and team work they are able to accomplish their goals.

Bill Yoast:

Yoast demonstrates a supporting leadership approach. Bill Yoast was a respected member of

the community, a winning coach who cared about his players. His background and position in

the community gave him a different demeanour and leadership style.

Coach Yoast’s inherent style of leadership is coaching. He states in the beginning of the movie

that he feels paternalistic towards his players. He tends to be concerned about his players’
feelings, and though he listens to their opinions and feelings, he is the one who makes the final

decisions. One example is when Coach Yoast suggests trick plays to Coach Boone, it is because

he thinks the players enjoy them more. He seems more concerned with the players and how

they feel, seeks to strengthen the confidence, enthusiasm, and unity of the players.

Conflict resolution was displayed when Coach Yoast decided to take the Assistant Coach

position under Coach Boone to prevent uproar with all the white players and disgruntled

citizens in town. At the town meeting, he prevented further escalation and of an already

sensitive situation. I believe his decision was the determining factor that pulled the town and

the team together in the long run. It was his decision to stay that brought all the white players

and parents back to the team. Furthermore, he prevented unfair release of Coach Boone by

surrendering his chance at the Hall of Fame by challenging authority in a fixed game. His

actions, honor and leadership allowed the Titans a chance at the National championship.

Coach Yoast also exhibited an understanding of the dynamics of teamwork and issues of race.

During training camp when the athletes were forced to run and re-run drills, he allowed Gerry

Bertier and another teammate work through their differences rather than getting involved. This

allowed Bertier, a white player, the chance to show support for his black teammates and

improved trust on the field.

I’m not agreeing or disagreeing but the leader was placed because of the situation. The

previous leader had to become the follower or co-leader because of the situation. Its takes

courage, experience and resolve to change roles because of situations, especially if the role is a

demotion to a lesser position. In my opinion, the most important part of leadership is

good. Coach Yoast was excellent at interpreting situations. His actions and observation skills

also facilitated the success of the team racial merger when Gary and Julius came together at

football camp. His hesitation to interfere when Gary and Julius initially united on the field, in

what initially appeared to be a confrontation, brought the team together. Since Julius and Gary

are team leaders informally and formally respectfully, Coach Yoast ability to interoperate the

situation and allow them to celebrate brought the team together. If Coach Yoast had not

remained with the Titans, we would have certainly seen a different outcome.

Gerry Bertier:

Of course the coach is going to be the team leader but the kids also need a peer to step up and

be a leader. In a not so informal role Gerry Bertier rises to the challenge and establishes himself

as the team leader. He shows us this a few times in the movie. Once when he approaches one

of the other players, Julius Campbell, and asks him why he is playing so selfish. Gerry then

listens to his teammate's opinion and acts accordingly to do what is best for the team, because

that is what leaders do, even if it mean calling out his best friend and making him step it up.

Gerry also represents the inspiration of the team because every time the team is down he picks

them up and brings them together.

He also plays an integral role in bonding the team into one cohesive force .It is quite evident

when he steps up to resolve fight between his white friends and the black group. Instances such

as his admitting Julius his brother clearly identifies his respect and bonding, and this also

reflects on his impartial outlook. His impartial outlook is further outshined when he decides to
cut his best friend Ray off the team because he realizes that his actions & his bad performance

is affecting the moral and performance of the entire team.

Despite being paralyzed, he carries his positive attitude towards life and his team. He serves an

excellent source of inspiration, an inherent quality embedded in any leader. Gerry Bertier

ultimately becomes team leader by learning to set aside his prejudice and focus on the team

regardless of color. The relationship that develops between Bertier and Campbell lead the way

for most of the team to come together.

Julius Campbell:

Julius Campbell initially emerges as unofficial leader of the black team, on account of his

athleticism, personal convictions, and need to protect his fellow black players. Highlight of his

character revolve around his relationship with Gerry Bertier; as the film progresses an

animosity between the two slowly changes to trust and friendship as they work at becoming

better football players. At the end of the film this friendship is expressed as Gerry, hospitalized

from a car accident, asks Julius to visit him at his bedside. When the nurse states that only

family is allowed in, Gerry chides her saying ‘Alice – can’t you see the family resemblance?’.This

exemplifies the bond he forms with his fellow white captain that serves as inspiration to all

team members.

His leadership qualities become more prominent towards the end when there is a transition of

the leadership role of team captain after Gerry’s accident. Both Gerry and Julius synergized, by
setting aside trivial issues and by focussing on the bigger picture while gaining mutual respect

for each other.

Louie Lastik

Another important role that is established by one of the players is the role of the magnet that

finally brings the black and the white kids together. This role is taken on by Louie Lastik. He

takes this role when he's the first one to approach the other black kids and make friends with

them. He shows us his role when he sits down net to the black kids and never even thinks twice

about it. When the white kids make fun of him he claims that they are just his brothers.

Without him it is questionable that the team ever ends up bonding.

Cheryl Yoast:

Sheryl Yoast, although she was nine years old, provided leadership. Her love for the game and

relationship with her father provided her with experience needed to accurately interoperate

certain situations and provide effective feedback. For example, she observed flaws from the

stands in the team’s ability to properly defend the opposing team in the state championship.

During the preamble phase of the half-time, she, with her immense passion for the game and

her extreme rage for flaws in the game strategy, influenced her father to step outside of the

box to solicit help which resulted in unorthodox substitution techniques that totally through off

the opposing team. If she had not have been actively involved and observant of the game, she

would not had positively provoked her father to make the changes. The changes, incorporated

by her father, altered the situation which resulted in flaws that caused the fumble. This resulted

in the Titans scoring with no time left on the clock. Without Cheryl Yoast recommendations and
her selfless passion for the game what would the outcome of the game would have been?

Would the town and the team continued to remain positive and united? In my personal

opinion, certainly not.

Ronnie (Sunshine):

He came up as a good leader at numerous occasions. His defying the restaurant owner to pull

out acceptance for his fellow black team mates clearly exemplifies that he truly believed in his

values and always stood up for same. He achieved this by exercising his coercive power by

threatening to use his father’s connections. Besides displaying his leadership, he also displayed

that he was a good follower. He had a remote chance of playing and he was mostly on the

bench. This never stopped him from synergizing with the rest of the team. He was intrinsically

motivated to be part of the team and constantly motivated fellow team players on the bench.

His leadership skills outshined when he was given a chance to play in shoes of an injured QB .

He realized that everyone in the team and coaches are slightly doubtful and apprehensive on

his abilities, but he changed every one’s contention about when he sprung up in the field with

confidence and enthusiasm and pulled out strings against all odds.

Conclusion:

Remember the Titans is a movie about victory; Personal victories, team victories, and victories

over racism all combined with the victories won with embracing change and finding conflict

resolution.
In conclusion, I can only say that it’s amazing as to identify how new leadership styles and ideas

come from and how they actually influence the final outcome. What would have been the

outcome had Coach Boone shut down and isolated himself from any input from his staff? What

if Coach Boone and Coach Yoast were identical racially and psychologically? What if Coach

Boone was only hired to be the Assistant Coach? The answer lies in the essence of any

successful transition of the follower relationship to the leader .This movie provides a great deal

of insight regarding the use of leadership and methods that positively influenced the outcome

of the situation. The situations are several: Coach Boone and Coach Yoast’s belief in the overall

purpose, providing dignity to those who’ve only seen degradation, the desegregation of the

school system, merging society into one, uniting the team , development of leaders in the team

and coming out as winners……………………………………………………………..