I think it would be safe to say that Remember the Titans is one of my favorite movies ever! I have probably seen it over a dozen times, yet every time I always walk away reminiscing about the same line. “Attitude reflects leadership, captain.” To me this line demonstrates just how powerful leadership can be.
Let’s say like Julius, the character in the movie that delivers this line, you are part of a group, but you feel that certain group members, especially the leader, are only interested in caring about half of the group. If you are one of the people in the group that the leader cares about than you might not put much thought into how it effects the group as a whole, but if you are someone that is being treated unfairly then you would probably see how it makes a negative impact on the group.
This is what creates Julius’s feelings of resentment and also why he feels as if the best thing for him to do is look out for himself and only himself. But if everyone in a group thought this way, then would anything ever get accomplished? Sure we can all complete our individual tasks, but don’t we have to collaborate at some point to meet the overall goal of the group? It is through negative leadership that creates these feeling within the group, and it is through positive leadership that we can turn it around. Just as Gerry, the captain in the film, later does by ensuring that all group member feel like they belong and letting them know that they will all be there to have each others backs when needed.
As a leader is is your job to reflect to your group the attitudes and efforts you want them to have through your own words and actions. Afterall, if you don’t care about what your doing, can you really expect everyone else to?
Leave a Reply