In the arena of American football, there is one recognized leader: the head coach. The relationship between these leaders and their teams is important for a successful season. By definition alone, the Leader-Member Exchange is a focus on the dyadic relationship between the leader and their followers (Northouse, 2016). This is only one of the leadership theories that are applicable to the arena of professional sports. Under the Path-Goal theory, sports teams are ruled by the need for achievement-oriented leadership. This is defined as a leader who sets a high standard of excellence for followers and seeks continuous improvement (Northouse, 2016).
These two theories, in this scenario, go very much hand-in-hand. Achievement-oriented leaders expect a lot from their followers, but if they don’t have a good relationship with their followers, their words and directions will fall on semi-deaf ears. The leaders could also have an excellent relationship with their followers, but if they don’t have a high enough standard or don’t give the right direction to the team, they won’t achieve much.
In the NFL, results are the benchmark of success. More often than not, when the team doesn’t perform, the coach (and sometimes the General Manager) is fired. Last year alone, four coaches were fired from the NFL: Jim Harbaugh from the 49ers, Mike Smith from the Falcons, Marc Trestman with GM Phil Emery from the Bears, and Rex Ryan with GM John Idzik from the NY Jets (Burke and Farrar, 2014). Three of those teams had losing records; the 49ers and Harbaugh parted company on mutual agreement after an 8-8 season. At the end of every season, at least one coach or manager is unemployed due to the team’s performance.
My Pittsburgh Steelers have only had three head coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll’s four Super Bowl wins over six seasons granted him leave during the late 1980s when the team, to tell it from a fan’s perspective, sucked. He even won Coach of the Year in 1989 because he took a low talent team who spectacularly lost their first two games to the second round of the playoffs. His successor in 1991, Bill Cowher, started off strong and kept the team going to the playoffs, including a Super Bowl win, almost every year. After Bill’s retirement, Mike Tomlin has been guiding the team to post-season appearances almost every year since, including a Super Bowl win making him the youngest man to head coach and win one in NFL history (www.steelers.com). This consistency in leadership has led to the Steelers being held as role models for other teams to follow.
The Steelers coaches and management have a very good relationship with their players and have had a record for supporting the players off the field. I am not talking about those in the news lately with criminal issues. I am speaking of keeping Aaron Smith on the roster when he was out for the season in order to maintain his health insurance so his son who had leukemia could maintain his treatments. I am speaking of making sure there was a spot open for Rocky Bleier, first drafted by the Steelers in 1968 and then drafted by the US Army in 1969, who came back with a potentially football-career ending foot injury from a shrapnel grenade to play in four Super Bowl wins (maryrose, 2009). Both of these stories and others you don’t hear about are because the Steelers leadership is just like that with their players.
Relationship notwithstanding, the goals of any sports team is to win. With a league topping six Super Bowl wins, the Steelers have proven that not only are they a team with a good leader/follower relationship, but they have high standards of excellence and demand only the best from their players. That has led to a respect of and near reverence to the franchise by players like Rod Woodson and Kordell Stewart, who left the team to go elsewhere but came back to retire a Steeler. This showing of leadership is also reflexive to the NFL as the name Rooney is well respected throughout the league. The sportsmanship award for the NFL is named after founder Art Rooney, Sr. Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the award unveiling, “Art Rooney is an iconic figure in NFL history. It is appropriate that we honor his legacy in this way and recognize NFL players for one of the important values that he represented so well.” (Bouchette, 2015)
Since 1933, the Rooneys have owned and managed the team with its ups and downs, and to this day remains a steadfast example that the LMX theory combined with achievement-oriented leadership produces not only one of the best known and best loved teams worldwide, but a winning one to be studied and imitated throughout the sport.
References:
Northouse, P. (2016) Leadership: Theory and Practice. Washington DC: Sage Publications. pp. 159, 180.
Burke, C. and Farrar, D. (29 Dec 2014). NFL Black Monday Tracker 2014. Sports Illustrated online. Retrieved 24 Oct 2015 from http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/12/29/nfl-black-monday-coaches-fired-tracker?page=3&devicetype=default
Steelers official Website (n.d.) Mike Tomlin Biography. Retrieved 24 Oct 2015 from http://www.steelers.com/team/coaches/mike-tomlin/4bf07eef-17d9-4b67-b634-c20700be0670
maryrose (19 Aug 2009). 40 Years Ago Today in Steelers History: Rocky Bleier Fights Back. Behind the Steel Curtain. Retrieved 24 Oct 2015 from http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2009/8/19/990365/40-years-ago-today-in-steelers
Bouchette, E. (22 Jan 2015) NFL sportsmanship award named in honor of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 24 Oct 2015 from http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/01/22/NFL-sportsmanship-award-Pittsburgh-Steelers-founder-Art-Rooney-Sr/stories/201501220271
I find it interesting that the Steelers are your favorite team. It’s interesting because I am a Patriots fan. But moving along, it’s interesting that you pointed out that the one recognized leader in American football was the head coach. Personally, I would have said that it was the quarterback. As you mentioned, the Leader-Member Exchange is a focus on the dyadic relationship between the leader and their followers (Northouse, 2016). Although the head coach has a significant role in this definition I think that the quarterback has an even more essential role. If the quarterback is not able to look at both the in-group and the out-group and manage them, the team can fall apart at the seams. The in and out groups are defined by how well they work with the leader and how well the leader works with them.
The in-group can be described as followers who are interesting in negotiation with the leader what they are willing to do for the group (Northouse, 2016). They are also described by Northouse as being more dependable, highly involved, and more communicative than the out-group. Within the in-group the followers do more for the leader and the leader does more for the followers in return. When comparing that to a football team this means that the quarterback is communicating with the players and as a result the players are communicating with the quarterback. This can happen both on and off the field. When there are no issues off the field, there will be no issues on the field.
The out-group can be described as operating within their role. They do what is required of them but nothing more. Leaders treat out-group members fairly and according to the formal contract, but they do not give them special attention (Nothhouse, 2016). When looking at the football example, the quarterback is not making strong connections with the out-group teammates and as a result the teammates may not have their contract renewed the following year. In addition, they may not be reaching their potential as a player due to the lack of communication or lack of going above and beyond their job description.
So, while I see where the coach has a significant role. I think that with the quarterback being the leader of the offense, they have the most important role especially with the Leader-Member Exchange theory.
Northouse, P. (2016) Leadership: Theory and Practice. Washington DC: Sage Publications.
First, I love that you used the Steelers as your leadership example. I, personally, am a huge Steeler fan (even though I live in California). You recognized something in this team that is very important. Leaders need to appreciate their team and work at recognizing what keeps team and staff connected at a personal level, not only a job level. LMX Theory is unique in that it directs our attention to importance of communication in leadership. (Northouse, 2015)
Second, your examples of the coaching and leadership style of Mike Tomlin and the other Steelers coaches are representative of great leaders on the field. You mention the relationship not only between the coaches and his player but also between the coaching staff. I wish all sports programs would learn from this. My son has been playing football for 6 years (he’s only 11) and this season’s coaching staff has proven to be the worst yet. While I appreciate each coach for coming out and volunteering their time if they do not get along it shows on and off the field. The coaching staff doesn’t get along, they don’t talk to each other and the head coach makes all the decisions even though he may have not been working with the defense that week. For example, my son, runs out onto the field for the play and he has two different coaches yelling two different things at him. From the stands it looks like my son wasn’t paying attention when in fact the coaches were the problem.
With team sports, especially youth, it is important for them to learn to work as a team. Be there for each other and respect each other. With LMX theory it attempts to make everyone a part of the team and not leave anyone out. (Northouse, 2015) This has also been an issue with youth sports. I see a lot of parents complain because their kids only get 5 plays in a 2 hour game. Which makes the child feel as though they are not a part of a team, but rather a fill in for the “good players” to get a break. At a time when kids are supposed to be learning the sport way too many coaches take the game too seriously. At least at the NFL level it could be about losing your job if you don’t win.
References:
Northouse, Peter G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. 7th ed. Sage Publications