Remember The Purpose

I have just finished watching (again) certainly one of my all-time favourite movies: "Remember the Titans". In the movie, Denzel Washington plays coach Herman Boone. He is the newly appointed coach from the TC Williams High School football team. The movie is defined in 1971, inside era when America was de-segregating the education system and for the very first time allowing monochrome students to go to a similar high school graduation. As check my blog , the football team, comparable to society during the time, was deeply divided along the lines of race. Black and white players were more concerned with their place on they, defending the things they believed was theirs and decreasing the accountability of members of their particular race so that they would maintain their place on they. Needless to say, this developed a dysfunctional and conflictual culture the other that would are already highly ineffective on a football field.
While such a thing happens inside context of the Hollywood movie, unfortunately, these kinds of division, divisiveness and territorialism isn't that uncommon inside the teams we help. And whilst the seriousness of this dysfunction is never as obvious as inside movie, portions of these dynamics still engage in with a regular basis.
From the start of their off-season training camp, coach Boone sets a dark tone for they; he makes the purpose with the team clear and explicit - the point will be "perfect" in every single aspect with the game. He also sets the culture by holding downline as well as fellow coaches accountable to "perfect" culture, and also personally demonstrating ab muscles culture he or she is trying to create within his team.
In the ultimate stages of the movie, when the c's is behind at half time in the State Championship game, he tells the c's that in his eyes they are already perfect, and if they win or lose that game is immaterial. One in the team leaders then speaks on behalf in the team and reminds coach Boone in addition to his team mates of the original purpose and goal in which they commenced the season - being "perfect". He says that as individuals they're not perfect, but as a team they're still perfect as they're still undefeated and plan to stay like that. At this point, it's clear that this original goal and purpose in the coach, has now become the point of the players themselves. As one would expect, the c's goes on to win the action and the somewhat predictable Hollywood ending ensues.
But what lessons are we able to study this movie which we could affect our personal teams and organisations?
Firstly, for teams to be effective the reason have to be clearly stated. Also the team leaders need to model and embody that purpose themselves.
Secondly, there needs being process whereby individuals within they are aligned to that purpose; they must buy-in to the point in order that it becomes their very own. Team members in most cases not surpass the decision, they'll not target excellence and they'll not be able to create top rated workplaces if they're working towards someone else's purpose or perhaps a purpose they don't identify with. It is once that purpose becomes their own that actually exceptional teams are manufactured.
Thirdly, there needs to be a strong culture of accountability in order that individuals within they act, think, behave and communicate, etc in ways that's in service of these purpose. Building individual and team chance to have "difficult conversations" allows managers and associates to support themselves, every other, accountable when actions aren't in service and aligned to the stated purpose.