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…

• 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.”

Coaches Promise…

• 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.”

John Wooden placed integrity near the top of his Pyramid of Success. Coach Wooden would say: “Make your ‘yes’ mean yes and your ‘no’ mean no.” Even the bench players on his team, who may have been frustrated by their lack of court time respected his principles. Andy Hill was one such player and he feels that this clarity allowed the U.C.L.A. teams to function better because everyone understood their role and importance to the team (Hill & Wooden, 2001, pp. 88-90).

Integrity is not an outdated idea.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.

Le Corbeau

Black and white film seems to suit the Film Noir genre, from the moral ambiguity to the focus on acting and tension created by a well-written screenplay instead of meaningless explosions. Le Corbeau is no exception. Popular in Vichy France but banned after the liberation, it covers the disintegration of a small town when an anonymous letter writer begins accusing public figures.

Henri-Georges Clouzot uses a great deal of light and shadow to show the difference between right and wrong. Like Plato’s parable of The Cave, the viewer is left wondering about the true nature of each character: the real person or the shadow that they often cast. The Raven who observes the town and casts aspersions seeks to show that nobody is entirely good or evil; a shade of grey abound.

There are many clues as to who might be the letter writer and members of the town council each claim that they will solve the mystery. Like occupied France, the leadership has failed the citizens. Someone has betrayed the town but nobody can right the situation. When private citizens take the law into their own hands, mob rule ensues. A mother of a suicide victim swears vengeance, a nurse is falsely accused and expelled from the town, and a reputable doctor is accused of performing abortions. A Plague engulfs the town.

After a funeral, a furious mob pursues the nurse through the town. Church bells ring, a horde chants for blood, glass is shattered, and the nurse’s footsteps echo through the cobblestone streets. The din overwhelms her and the town, fervor overcomes logic and results in a miscarriage of justice. The writer may be correctly identified but the citizens cannot recover after falling from their perch.

Players Win Games

On Wednesday night, Dwyane Wade dropped 37 on the Raptors and LeBron James lit up the Mavericks for 46 points. Underlines the idea that players win games and explaining why college coaches recruit.

According to Albert Camus, the essential concept of existence is the struggle against mortality, a world not particularly suited to humans, and perhaps even mediocrity. Camus might have enjoyed the game, although it may have been frustrating to watch, it was probably a good effort for the Raptors, given their talent and the injury to Chris Bosh -- is putting a ball in a hoop any less absurd or Sisyphean than devoting hours towards writing the perfect sentence or reading the train schedules even though one never travels?

Which is why the Raptors badly need a wing player. The heroics of Wade and James show that the Association is a league for guards and existential posts. If Mike James is the Raptors’ key free agent signing, nothing much will change. Bryan Colangelo will be condemned by the gods and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertain to roll a giant boulder up the hill during the day, only to watch it roll down at night and repeat the process the next day, until he acquires a 2 or 3 who can play with Bosh.

A point guard is nice, but not critical since you can fill the third point of the triangle with lots of different options. Mike James is a satisfactory point guard and spaces the floor well but he is not the only player who can fulfill this role, especially if he’ll cost a lot of money.

Unless the Raptors undertake something drastic to augment the current core (which is promising but ultimately limited), re-arranging the current players or replacing them with similar players will be rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Not that the franchise is going under but if M.L.S.E. wishes to improve the experience of the Raptors’, they need to think bigger.

Perhaps missing the playoffs and competing for the last few playoff spots every few years is the best the Raptors can hope for. The Association isn’t really suited for them. Examples of this are the lottery rules from the mid 1990s, player stereotypes about Canada, and the value of the dollar (although the last one has improved and will continue to do so). Maybe the team should give up chasing abstract goals such as winning and focus on defining and improving themselves. This philosophy probably wouldn’t sell tickets (although the Leafs have proven otherwise since 1967) but it might be very rewarding.

Sport=Art

When you play sports, you are the work of art. The show is ongoing; there is always another chance to perform. You can always improve what you have to offer.

Play sports for fun but take advantage of the opportunity to set new personal bests. Push yourselves and push your team-mates to get better. Don't set low expectations; don't expect to finish last.

Seriously, I was an athletics banquet and “at least we didn't finish last” was a refrain. Anyone can do better than last. I could take up any sport tomorrow and finish last (or better). If it were my first time playing that sport or I could see that at that time, that was where my abilities stood relative to my competitors, I wouldn't beat myself up over it. But I have pride and I would try my hardest to improve my performance the next time.

Athletics, like any other extra-curricular activity, is part of a school's identity. Sports can be a powerful vehicle for student-athletes to achieve their self-actualization goals. Obviously, students go to school to learn so they should hit the books first. Afterwards, it's still important to learn how to be the best you can be.

As Albert Camus said, “There is in this world beauty and there are the humiliated. We must strive, hard as it is, not to be unfaithful to the one or the other.”

Do your best, no matter what the activity. Do it for yourself, your teammates, and the person you want to become. Determine what you want and take steps to get it. You're accountable to yourself and each other. This isn't easy but the rewards are worth it. Set the example.