Coach

Carter

Coach Carter is about a businessman and former basketball player who takes a
job as a coach of his old high schools boys basketball team. Being from
Richmond, one of the poorer parts of the California, means that possibilities for
student athletes are almost non-existent. My reel leadership assignment will
focus on the following guiding questions:
How are authority figures depicted in the film?
What connections are there in the film to leadership theory?
What leadership characteristics do the main characters exhibit?
First of all, the depiction of authority figures is not at all flattering. I know the
characters are exaggerated to make it more sensational, but the lack of
leadership from several different authority figures is deplorable. At one point,
the school principal tells the basketball coach, Ken Carter, that hell be lucky if 5
out of the 15 kids on the team graduate high school. The statistics hardly seem to
faze her. Then, when Coach Carter decides to lock his team out of the gym until
they improve their grades, the school board votes in favour of rescinding the
lockout, negating his authority over the team. One players mom even stands up
and speaks out about the coach as if he was hijacking the team. As far as
leadership traits are concerned, only a few board members show any sort of
integrity, considered to be an integral trait of a good leader. (Northouse, p.25-26)
I consider Ken Carter to be a transformational leader, where such a leader is
defined by Northouse as a leader (who) engages with others and creates a
connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and
the follower(s). As he says, Ken Carter took the job in order to affect change in a
special group of young men. At one point in the movie he asks the boys to think
about what their goals are in life. All the kids are thinking about is winning a
championship but his vision for their future is more enduring. The reality of the
players situation is that students at their school are 80 per cent more likely to go
to prison than college. Despite the odds, six players end up going to college. One
player credits Ken Carter with not only changing his life, but saving it.
The leadership characteristics displayed by all the members of the team fit more
closely into a framework of team leadership. Larson and Lofastos Characterisitcs
of Team Excellence (Northouse, p.369) apply to the Richmond basketball team.
The team definitely had a clear, elevating goal, committed team members,
standards of excellence and a collaborative climate. These conditions applied to
both basketball and their studies. Coach Carter sets a compelling standard for
excellence, creates a results-driven structure and he also provides principled
leadership for the team. Their growth over such a short period of time was
extraordinary.
All in all, Coach Carter is not only a great sports movie, but also an excellent case
study in transformational leadership.