Coach Dale Leadership Essay

Before we get into the analysis of Coach Dale’s leadership skills, I’d first like to provide a plot summary to give a better support framework. Basketball Coach, Norman Dale, was previously thrown out of coaching college basketball for hitting one of his players. After his termination, he went on to serve in the Navy for ten years. Now he’s given the opportunity to coach basketball in a small town in Indiana. Basketball is everything at Hickory High, and the community can’t quite understand why he’s been recruited to coach their team. Hickory High is Coach Dale’s last stop on his road to personal redemption. In the early scenes of the film, the community gets together to question Coach Dale on his experience and how they believe the team should run. Coach Dale listens to what they have to say but doesn’t …show more content…
G. Clawson 2012, p. 243). Clarifying what’s possible is the second step in Clawson’s six steps to becoming an effective leader. Coach Dales approach to clarifying what is possible on the Hickory High team is about focusing on effort. Effort is within the team’s control, whereas the outcome is not. Having this focus on effort rather than outcome inspires a growth mindset, they are more focused on progress and development than being consumed by the game results. Coach Dale tells his team “If you put your effort into playing to your potential, to being the best you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re going to be winners” (Hoosiers, 1986). This is a great example of effective leadership. Coach Dale has a vision and uses his strategic thinking to clarify to the team what is possible. One of the main setbacks a potential leader may face is clarifying what others can contribute, the third step in becoming an effective leader. Two factors are critical in