Leadership Problems and Solutions, Part I: Integrity and Leadership
Integrity is integral to a play: every player, coach, and staff member must say was that mean, do what they said they would, and acknowledge what they have done. Trust is a cornerstone of all team standards, the foundation of great success.
It is not a matter of morality. (Nevertheless, all teams should not only follow what defines ethical behavior in their respective societies but go above and beyond in order to set the example.) Integrity is not synonymous with judging between right and wrong (Christensen, Fall 2009, p. 16). Camus a dit que «l’honnêté n’a pas besoin de règles» (Camus, 2004, p. 96). Integrity doesn’t need rules, only consistency.
Participation on a team is a promise to multiple individuals:
Players Promise…
Integrity is not an outdated idea. Mike Krzyzewski feels that it leads to positive results on the court and positive feelings away from it. To him, it is bad to let others down but it is even worse to let oneself down. Coach Krzyzewski believes that anyone can recover from a bad game or a mistake but that it takes much longer to recover from a lapse of integrity (Krzyzewski, 2006, pp. 97-8).
The 2008 Redeem Team won an Olympic Gold Medal, in good part because they made a commitment to their country and each other. Players and coaches created a set of standards and every team member held each other accountable (Krzyzewski, 2009, pp. 67-84).
“The Celtic Way” defined the National Basketball Association in the 1960s as Boston won eleven out of thirteen championships and modeled the way on and off the court. Despite his influence, “The Celtic Way” did not mean that Red Auerbach managed the team like a tyrant or that he was not open to suggestions from the players. Auerbach was committed to winning and he believed that the best way to achieve this goal was to treat everyone consistently, irrespective of their race or previous role on the team.
The coach would say: “I never believed in handling players. You handle animals. I treated my players like people. I respected their intelligence. I was straight with them and they were straight with me. I didn’t lie to them and they didn’t lie to me. There was no double standard” (Whalen, 2005, p. 20).
Bill Russell, who followed him as coach of the team took integrity to an extreme. Russell would say that “a man without integrity, belief or self-respect is not a man. And a man who won’t express his convictions has no convictions” (Whalen, 2005, p. 52).
If a team member senses that any relationship is dishonest, it may lead to lower satisfaction or even reduced performance from peak performers. If a person is dishonest with themselves or others, they can suffer stress along with impaired performance. There is a risk that the dishonest behavior - or the subsequent sentiments of guilt or depression - will contaminate other team members, especially those in the social network of the player or coach who has been dishonest (Messick & Tenbrunsel, 1996, p. 55).
Designing simple team standards of integrity at the beginning of the season and enforcing accountability throughout the season is one of the best methods for a coach to avoid this guilt among team members.
The final step is convincing all team members of the importance of integrity. The coach could simply recruit like-minded personnel but that may dilute the talent level and impede creativity. So at some point, the coach must solicit buy-in from all stake holders.
As a rationalist and believer in Occam’s Razor, I prefer a simple intellectual approach. Integrity is important to team success but it is even more important to one’s character. Even a single lapse can cause lasting damage. Adolescents have high social needs so some players may be susceptible to peer pressure. Others may be open to an appeal to emotion or have high needs for a trusting and safe environment. This is when the coach must lead.
Maintaining integrity consistently is one of the most difficult tasks that a human can undertake. But it is essential for success in sport, or any other team endeavour.
Works Cited:
Camus, A. (2004). L'homme absurde. In A. Camus, Le mythe de Sisyphe (pp. 94-126). Paris: Éditions Gallimard.
Christensen, K. (Fall 2009). Integrity: Without It, Nothing Works. Rotman , 16-20.
Hill, A., & Wooden, J. (2001). Be Quick - But Don't Hurry. New York City: Simon and Schuster.
Krzyzewski, M. (2006). Beyond Basketball. New York City: Hachette Group U.S.A.
Krzyzewski, M. (2009). The Gold Standard. New York City: Hachette Book Group.
Messick, D. M., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (1996). Codes of Conduct. New York City: Russell Sage Foundation.
Whalen, T. J. (2005). Dynasty's End: Bill Russell and the 1968-69 World Champion Boston Celtics. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
It is not a matter of morality. (Nevertheless, all teams should not only follow what defines ethical behavior in their respective societies but go above and beyond in order to set the example.) Integrity is not synonymous with judging between right and wrong (Christensen, Fall 2009, p. 16). Camus a dit que «l’honnêté n’a pas besoin de règles» (Camus, 2004, p. 96). Integrity doesn’t need rules, only consistency.
Participation on a team is a promise to multiple individuals:
Players Promise…
- to teammates: “I will be there for you when you need me. I will follow the standards that we agreed to. I will always be honest with you.”
- to coaches: “I will always be open with you. I will do what I say I will.”
- to themselves: “I will keep my words. I will self-evaluate myself sincerely after each performance. I will be at peace with myself.”
- to players: “I will be clear and direct with you. I will set my expectations at the beginning of the year and be true to them. All decisions will be transparent.”
- to all team members: “I will treat everyone fairly and consistently. I will hold everyone accountable to what they say.”
- to recruits: “I will not guarantee anything beyond a fair opportunity and make no enticements.”
- to the community: “When a member of the team that I am coaching says something, you can rely on it.”
- to themselves: “I will keep to the timelines to which I agreed. I will not ask anyone to do anything that I would not feel comfortable doing myself. I will self-evaluate myself continually and sincerely.”
Integrity is not an outdated idea. Mike Krzyzewski feels that it leads to positive results on the court and positive feelings away from it. To him, it is bad to let others down but it is even worse to let oneself down. Coach Krzyzewski believes that anyone can recover from a bad game or a mistake but that it takes much longer to recover from a lapse of integrity (Krzyzewski, 2006, pp. 97-8).
The 2008 Redeem Team won an Olympic Gold Medal, in good part because they made a commitment to their country and each other. Players and coaches created a set of standards and every team member held each other accountable (Krzyzewski, 2009, pp. 67-84).
“The Celtic Way” defined the National Basketball Association in the 1960s as Boston won eleven out of thirteen championships and modeled the way on and off the court. Despite his influence, “The Celtic Way” did not mean that Red Auerbach managed the team like a tyrant or that he was not open to suggestions from the players. Auerbach was committed to winning and he believed that the best way to achieve this goal was to treat everyone consistently, irrespective of their race or previous role on the team.
The coach would say: “I never believed in handling players. You handle animals. I treated my players like people. I respected their intelligence. I was straight with them and they were straight with me. I didn’t lie to them and they didn’t lie to me. There was no double standard” (Whalen, 2005, p. 20).
Bill Russell, who followed him as coach of the team took integrity to an extreme. Russell would say that “a man without integrity, belief or self-respect is not a man. And a man who won’t express his convictions has no convictions” (Whalen, 2005, p. 52).
If a team member senses that any relationship is dishonest, it may lead to lower satisfaction or even reduced performance from peak performers. If a person is dishonest with themselves or others, they can suffer stress along with impaired performance. There is a risk that the dishonest behavior - or the subsequent sentiments of guilt or depression - will contaminate other team members, especially those in the social network of the player or coach who has been dishonest (Messick & Tenbrunsel, 1996, p. 55).
Designing simple team standards of integrity at the beginning of the season and enforcing accountability throughout the season is one of the best methods for a coach to avoid this guilt among team members.
The final step is convincing all team members of the importance of integrity. The coach could simply recruit like-minded personnel but that may dilute the talent level and impede creativity. So at some point, the coach must solicit buy-in from all stake holders.
As a rationalist and believer in Occam’s Razor, I prefer a simple intellectual approach. Integrity is important to team success but it is even more important to one’s character. Even a single lapse can cause lasting damage. Adolescents have high social needs so some players may be susceptible to peer pressure. Others may be open to an appeal to emotion or have high needs for a trusting and safe environment. This is when the coach must lead.
Maintaining integrity consistently is one of the most difficult tasks that a human can undertake. But it is essential for success in sport, or any other team endeavour.
Works Cited:
Camus, A. (2004). L'homme absurde. In A. Camus, Le mythe de Sisyphe (pp. 94-126). Paris: Éditions Gallimard.
Christensen, K. (Fall 2009). Integrity: Without It, Nothing Works. Rotman , 16-20.
Hill, A., & Wooden, J. (2001). Be Quick - But Don't Hurry. New York City: Simon and Schuster.
Krzyzewski, M. (2006). Beyond Basketball. New York City: Hachette Group U.S.A.
Krzyzewski, M. (2009). The Gold Standard. New York City: Hachette Book Group.
Messick, D. M., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (1996). Codes of Conduct. New York City: Russell Sage Foundation.
Whalen, T. J. (2005). Dynasty's End: Bill Russell and the 1968-69 World Champion Boston Celtics. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Labels: albert camus, boston celtics, coaching, integrity, leadershhip problems and solutions, leadership, team building
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