Exemplary Leadership Case Study

Exemplary leaders have a profound and positive influence on the commitment and performance of their followers. In order to achieve and sustain success exemplary leaders have to effectively communicate a clear vision, cultivate a team environment and establish cooperative goals. Coach Boone displayed several actions and behaviors that represent The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.

Kouzes and Posner explain that to achieve the extraordinary, you have to be willing to do things that have never been done before (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). Demonstrating Practice 3, Challenge the Process, Coach Boone accepted the extraordinary task of being the first black football coach to integrate the coaching staff at formally all-white T.C. Williams High School. Coach Boone’s arrival and appointment to head coach was not well received and was rebuffed by several staff and team members. The white coaches threatened to quit and white players threatened to boycott the season. Both Coach Boone and Yoast knew that every decision that they made navigating their current situation would influence the constituents and communities they unofficially represented. They were either going to challenge the process and initiate change or they were going to fall back into the status quo of segregation. Throughout the season unique relationships emerged between the coaches and between Campbell and Bertier. Trust between the coaches grew with every win. Coach Yoast confronted unfair referees ensuring fair games and Coach Boone utilized Yoast’s strategy during crucial plays. The more games the team won, the more tolerate the community became to integration and social change.

Kouzes and Posner’s Practice 2 Inspire a Shared Vision describes exemp...

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...n, Bertier was responsible for executing Coach Boone’s expectations. He had to ensure that the white and black players got along and developed their own regime of trust. During practice Bertier confronted Campbell about his selfish acts and bad attitude. Campbell said that his attitude reflected Bertier’s leadership and that the black players felt the white players were intentionally missing plays contributing to the injuries of black players. This struck accord with Bertier and motivated him to bring the team together. The chant “Strong Side/ Left Side” became that catalyst uniting the players. It represented that one side would not be successful without the other. Bertier and Campbell’s new found camaraderie developed into a lifelong friendship. Bertier continued to emerge as a leader by breaking down the intolerant attitude of his mother and girlfriend.