The value of unity in diversity is the powerful message at the heart of Remember the Titans.
A biographical sports film about a racially diverse 1970s high school football team, it’s based on the true story of integrating black and white players into one team in an era of widespread racial segregation.
The screenplay has been hailed as a prime example of how to resolve conflict through leadership skills.
Released in September 2000, it takes viewers back to the United States in 1971, when black coach Herman Boone was appointed to bring in a new era of diversity at TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. At the time, despite segregation being abolished, most Alexandria public high schools were still “whites only”.
In an attempt to defuse racial tensions, Boone’s appointment led to initial conflict when the white players objected to their existing coach, Bill Yoast, becoming his assistant. However, Boone and Yoast decided to work together for the good of the Titans team, after white players threatened a boycott if Yoast wasn’t reinstated as head coach – putting their scholarships at risk.
In recent years, the film has been recognised as demonstrating how to deal with conflict at work and the power of teamwork, with the Titans overcoming their initial struggles through collaboration and embracing differences. As they set off on the road to success, progressing through the season unbeaten, they slowly earn the local community’s support.
The power of teamwork
The film offers an example of how to improve teamwork in the office, with the methods used transcending to almost any workplace. The Titans overcame their initial struggles through collaboration, with Boone and Yoast putting personal differences aside to work together for the common good.
In addition to the two coaches working together, they also foster the same ethos in the players, which is something Boone achieves by enforcing an intense training schedule for the team at summer camp. He demands the players must complete exhausting workouts together, every day, until they learn how to move past their initial feelings of racial prejudice. He also sets a clear task for everyone to achieve collaboratively: the common goal of winning as a team.
Initially, fights break out, with the two camps of players being divided. However, a turning point occurs when Boone publicly chastises one of the black players in front of the whole team and makes him go running as punishment for his conduct. At that moment, the players begin to realise they’re all on the same side and the concept of teamwork is more important than the colour of their skin.
Acceptance: this is the first step towards embracing diversity in the workplace and collaborating towards a common goal.
Embracing differences
As the film progresses, the players learn to accept each other’s backgrounds and perspectives. From the initial prejudice and fear, where the “us and them” mentality prevailed, they learned to appreciate fellow team members and embrace their differences.
The team was dysfunctional because players didn’t trust each other on the pitch, such as white players not blocking for black players and vice-versa. After two weeks at summer camp, living and eating together and training every day, they realise they’re no different from each other.
Returning home with a new understanding and respect for people of different cultures, with trust being built as a result of integrated team-building exercises; they got to know each other as human beings.
Leadership and empathy
Coach Boone’s leadership style and his role in uniting the team is a perfect example of how to show leadership skills at work, setting an example to others, while demonstrating two recognised types of leadership: transactional and transformational.
A transactional leader guides team members towards an established goal by clarifying their roles and required tasks. At the summer camp, he enforces the strict training regime and identifies what the team will do every day to fulfil the intense schedule until they move past their prejudices.
Additionally, the clear goal set for all the players is to win. Boone’s attributes as a transformational leader mean he can astutely motivate the team to succeed by changing their own views. He inspires them to reach goals for the common good of the organisation. This leadership skill is invaluable for every business.
Leadership is something the players learn through Boone’s example. In one early scene, the Titans’ captain, Gerry Bertier, has a heated debate with player Julius Campbell, accusing him of displaying a “God given waste of pure talent” due to his attitude. Campbell responds cynically, “I’m supposed to wear myself out for the team? What team?” – prompting Bertier to tell him, “That’s the worst attitude I’ve ever heard!”
Angrily, Campbell responds, “Attitude reflects leadership, captain,” and suggests Bertier is an inadequate leader by not telling white players to block for black teammates. The frank exchange leads both players to rethink their strategies.
Conflict resolution
Initially, conflict occurred at every level in the Titans team, with criticisms being voiced behind each other’s backs. In a dysfunctional team, members tell everyone else what the problem is, except the people who are able to make a difference. Muttering gripes behind closed doors to avoid confrontation serves no purpose whatsoever and leads to multiple agendas being in play.
The film demonstrates how overcoming challenges and facing them head-on leads to growth. Boone concentrates on exploring the prejudices within the team and proves that resolving conflict at work is beneficial for the common good when people start pulling together.
At the training camp at Gettysburg, he gives a rallying speech to remind everyone of the futility of fighting each other. Referring to the American Civil War and the three-day Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 between Confederate and Union troops, Boone asks the team, “Anybody know what this place is? Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we’re still fighting among ourselves today.”
His methods replace a racially-motivated lack of trust with a willingness to develop a mutual respect and trust for each other. In the end, he helps them move past their limitations and discover what it means to win, as well as learning the value of sincere friendships and mutual respect.
In every business environment, this ethos serves to remind us that diversity should be embraced. While achieving personal growth goals at work, people of different backgrounds can also work together effectively for the common good.
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