Wooden And Dungy Leadership Style Analysis

Effective leadership is a key to any endeavor, whether it is religion,

government, education, sports, or business. There are many definitions of leader. One

broad definition is “a leader is someone who brings people together and guides them

toward a common goal” (Fallon, 2010). Leadership can be complex and vague or it can

be quite simple. During a business course the professor showed a video of Tom Peters conducting a speech. Peters is a nationally known leadership and business practices writer and speaker. He takes his subject seriously, often getting emotional and inspired. Shortly into the video speech he had his jacket off, his tie loosened, and half way into his speech his shirt was soaked in sweat. He told a story that intrigued students.

He said he went down to his local auto parts store to pick something up for his car on Sunday, his day off. Upon arriving at
the store he saw a sign that read, “Closed on Sundays”. At this point of the speech he raised his arms emphatically in the air and with a load voice said, “God help us that we should ever be open when customers are around” (Peters, 2013). He was right; most Americans workers are free to shop on Sundays. A simple decision could have made the business owner/leader a lot of money.
Leadership is essential to the success of an organization. The vision and direction a leader takes an organization in is critical to its success or ultimate failure. Every individual within an organization must think and act as if they are a leader. Developing the employees leadership skills will help the organization grow and also the employees. Their successful growth will help the leader grow as well. Leaders who make the greatest accomplishments engage in the five practices of exemplary leadership. The five practices are, model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. (Kouzes & Posner, 1987).
Leaders have different styles and still get positive results in their organizations.
Sports leaders can teach valuable lessons concerning competition, work ethic, and life after sports. John Wooden was one of the greatest college basketball coaches in the history of the sport. His teams won 10 national titles in a 12 year span. He was an inspirational leader. His
leadership style is based on the pyramid of success which he developed over a 14 year
period. He lived by the pyramid and taught his players to live by the pyramid. Wooden
was a low keyed humble man. He never stressed winning, he stressed preparation. He
rarely raised his voice to anyone.

Many of his former players live by the pyramid of

success (Wooden & Caty, 2009). Tony Dungy, a retired NFL football coach who won a

super bowl with the Indianapolis Colts, has a leadership style much like Wooden’s. He

didn’t yell at his players or try to intimidate them. He, like Wooden, believed preparation

was the key to success. “Practice well, and the games will take care of themselves”.

Dungy believed preparation was key to life’s journey, whether it be sports or personally

(Dungy, 2008). Wooden and Dungy are examples of leaders who got extraordinary

results using the low keyed approach to leadership. Bobby Knight, a retired college

basketball coach used the opposite approach to winning and leadership. Knight was a

fiery, temperamental, and abusive leader. He would yell, discipline, and at times

physically threaten his players to get them to play harder and smarter. But despite the

unpopular approach to leadership he was a true leader. He made sure players

graduated on time, he advised them on life after they left school (Feinstein, 2011).

Most individuals who played for Knight say the experience left them prepared for life’s

journey.

There are certain qualities that all effective leaders have. Leaders must

inspire
action. They can do this by eliminating constraints that stifle employee creativity.
Another quality is that leaders must have integrity. Employees want to know that their
leader is fair and honest. Leaders must have confidence. They need to believe their
organization can accomplish its goal and failure is not an option. Communication is a
quality that all leaders must be equipped with. Through communication a leader is
providing knowledge about the organization. Well informed employees know what the
organization’s goals are. Decision making is a quality that leaders must possess. Some
decisions are quite basic, while others can make or break the organization. A key
component to decision making is risk. Being able to take educated and informed risks is
critical to an organizations growth and success.
There are 8 major leadership theories. The “Great Man” theory describes that great leaders are born to lead. Trait theory assumes certain traits make a person a leadership candidate. Contingency theory describes that success is dependent on a number of variables, like style and quality of employees. Situation theory indicates that leaders must find the appropriate style to address a specific situation. Not one style will work on every situation. Behavioral theory indicates that leaders can be taught to lead. Participative theory suggests the input from others help leaders succeed. Management theory indicates leaders use the system of rewards and punishment to make their organizations successful. Lastly, relationship theory suggests that for leaders to be successful they must connect with co-workers to inspire them to work as a team. (Cherry, 2016). References

Cherry, Kendra (2016). http://psychology.about.com/of/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
Dungy, T., Whitaker, N., & OverDrive, Inc. (2007). Quiet strength: The principles, practices & priorities of a winning life. Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers.
Fallon, Nicole (2014). What Is Leadership. Business News Daily, Retrieved from
http://www. Businessnewsdaily.com/2730-leadership
Feinstein, J. (1986). A season on the brink: A year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. New York: Macmillan.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1987). The leadership challenge: How to get extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Peters, Tom (2013). A Passion For Customers: EnterpriseMediaVideo
Wooden, John & Caty, Jay (2009). Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: Regal