Trait Theory and its application in Coach Carter

You are all Leaders,SIR

Trait leadership• As per Zaccaro, Kemp and Bader- 2004 :

--- integrated patterns of personal characteristics, reflecting range of individual differences.

• Theory of Trait leadership focuses on finding group of attributes

• Galton in 1869 :- Amongst the first to encourage trait theory.

History on Trait

Thomas Carlyle Galton Stodill (1948)

Huges, Ginnett, &

Curphy, 1996

Leader Traits• Different school of thoughts• Demographic vs Task competence vs Inter personal

• Distal vs Proximal

Distal Traits

Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Openness Neuroticism

“The most dangerous myth is that ‘Leaders are born’- that there is a genetic factor to Leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are Made rather than born.”

- Warren Bennis (Author, Leadership expert)

“Before you are a Leader, success is all about growing yourself.

After you are a Leader, success is all about growing others.”

- Jack Welch

Proximal Traits

Oral/Written communication

Interpersonal skills

General problem solving

Decision making

Technical knowledge

Management skills

Trait-Leadership Model

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

-John C Maxwell(Author, speaker, and pastor)

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra, must turn his back on the crowd.”

- Max Lucado(Best-selling author and writer and preacher at Oak Hills Church, Texas)

About the case• Richmond Basketball Team.

• Who was coach carter?

• Shape of team when Mr. Carter approached the team

• Challenges and Strategies implemented by Coach Carter.

Distal Traits of Coach Carter

• Extraversion• Mentoring the boys to be Student Athletes – THE CONTRACT

• Develop respect for own self and others

• Openness• Ready to take the challenge of mentoring the RHS basketball team

• Open to criticism by faculty, parents and media

• To the aims, fears and strength of each player

• Agreeableness• Trust• Altruism• Compliance• Modest• Straight forward

“Starting today, you’ll play like winners, act like winners, and most importantly, you’ll be winners. If you listen and learn, you’ll win basketball games. And, gentlemen, winning is here… is the key to winning out there”

• Conscientious• Vigilant, hardworking, dependable, neat, systematic & self disciplined

• Drop the overconfidence, drop the use of words like “nigger”

• Forced the boys to attend classes, to dress in blazer & ties, to get a 2.3gpa

• Neuroticism• Scored low

Other Distal Traits• Intelligence• Charismatic• Dominating• Energetic• Self Confident• Honest• Creative• Transformational Leader

Proximal Traits of Coach Carter

Management skills

BEFORE

AFTER

Oral/Written communication

“You really need to consider the message you're sending this boys by ending the lockout. It's the same message that we as a culture send to our professional athletes; and that is that they are above the law. If these boys cannot honour the simple rules of a basketball contract, how long do you think it will be before they're out there breaking the law? I played ball here at Richmond High 30 years ago. It was the same thing then; some of my teammates went to prison, some of them even ended up dead. If you vote to end the lockout, you won't have to terminate me; I'll quit.”

Interpersonal skills

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

• Striking fear in the players.• Relating to them.• Fostering teamwork.

Technical knowledge

“When we step on the floor every second that clock is ticking, we are pedal to the metal, we run the ball, we pressure the ball, and most importantly we control the tempo of the game, we make them play Richmond Oiler ball.”

• Previous experience as player.• Emphasis on physical fitness of players.

Decision making & Problem solving

• Discipline first – punctuality and respect.• Student athlete – signing contracts. • Locking the gym.

Limitations of Trait Theory• There is bound to be some subjective judgment in determining

who is regarded as a ‘good’ or ‘successful’ leader. • There is also a disagreement over which traits are the most

important for an effective leader.

• The model attempts to relate physical traits such as, height and weight, to effective leadership .

• If fails to explain the many leadership failures in spite of the required traits.

• It ignores the environmental factors which may differ from situation to situation.

Other Applicable Theories

Situational Leadership Theory

Management Theory

Relationship Theory

Transactional Leadership Theory

Conclusion

Is leadership an ART or SCINECE?

THANK YOU