As I was reading through the chapter on authentic leadership, and as a die-hard fan and follower of Penn State football, one person kept coming to mind, Coach James Franklin, or CJF. Because Coach likes to keep things private between himself, his players, recruits and their families, it’s tough to know if he is authentic, but if the characteristics of authentic leadership in Northouse’s (2016) text and the stories from families are indicators, then CJF fits the bill. And from my point of view, perception is reality.
The first perspective that Northouse (2016) introduces is the intrapersonal perspective (pg. 196). He quotes Shamir and Eilam’s (2005) quote that, “authentic leaders exhibit genuine leadership, lead from conviction and are original, not copies” (as cited by Northouse, 2016, pg. 196). With respect to CJF, one take away that seems to echo from all parents is his genuine leadership. Reports from parents and players all repeat the same sentiment, that Coach is “real”, meaning that he does not use tactics that would traditionally appeal to young players, like starring immediately and making it the NFL. The stories coming out of these meetings are the emphasis put on education, becoming contributing citizens and developing men as well as players. A recent video released by a parent shows the conviction of CJF, where he is seen becoming emotional when talking about the honor he feels from families entrusting him to help their sons grow. He takes the role very seriously, which parents recognize and he doesn’t need to use words to reinforce, they understand it. The last point in the intrapersonal approach is being an original. As I talked about above, CJF doesn’t rely on lofty promises of fortune and fame. Being an avid follower of college football, I can state that this is a break from the norm. Many programs trying to lure elite talent to their team talk about the early impact that they could make, which would translate to a draft position in the NFL and millions of dollars. All accounts of CJF, though as a football coach understands the importance of developing them as players, enforces the prestige of a Penn State degree, the support from the nationwide alumni base and becoming good citizens. Again, this is not the norm. CJF is original in his approach.
The next perspective that Northouse (2016) introduces is that of an interpersonal process. He states that, “it results not from the leader’s efforts alone, but also from the response of followers” (pg. 196). This is evidenced by the repeated theme of “family” from players and families. It would seem that not being treated as an athlete alone is an important factor in recruits. After every visit, there is mention of the close-knit community and their personal ties to Coach and the staff. In the video, you can also see CJF talk about family, how he feels about the staff and team and his connections to people, not just as players, which resonates with everyone. His genuine interactions can be seen any time Coach is in view. I have no reason to doubt that this occurs away from cameras as well.
The final process that Northouse (2016) addresses is the developmental perspective. He quotes Walumbwa et al. (2008) as saying authentic leadership is, “a pattern of behavior that develops from and is grounded in the leader’s positive psychological qualities and strong ethics” (as cited by Northouse, 2016, pg. 196). Famously, CJF has his core values plastered around Lasch Hall as a reminder of his morals that he tries to instill in the team:
:When it comes to application, I think CJF falls into the practical application. Bill George (2003; George &Sims, 2007) states that, “authentic leaders have a genuine desire to desire to serve others, they know themselves and feel free to lead from their values. Specifically, authentic leaders demonstrate five basic characteristics: (1) they understand their purpose, (2) they have strong values about the right thing to do, (3) they establish trusting relationships with others, (4) they demonstrate self-discipline and act on their values, and (5) they are passionate about their mission” (as cited by Northouse, 2016, pg. 197). Again, I fall back to the video where coach talks about why he is at PSU. He talks about how he could coach in the NFL if all he cared about was winning, but relishes in the chance to help mold his players, which I would relate to his purpose. I talked about his values already, though these are specifically related to the football team, which I’m sure he has more that he applies to life in general. The evidence about his doing the right thing is looking at his pattern for disciplinary action. During the biggest game of the year and a chance to showcase the team, CJF had to make the decision to bench two of his star players. He never publicized why he did it, and he could have easily not benched them because the public would have been none the wiser, but in keeping with his values, he made the choice to keep them from playing. I’ve talked repeatedly about his relationships with others and the impact that he makes on others, but this is probably his most important character trait, his ability to impact those he come into contact with. The last point to discuss is his passion, which I think can be summed up in three words that he used at his opening press conference: DOMINATE THE STATE!
Coach may have his flaws and he certainly has people standing by to point them out, but from everything that I’ve seen, CJF is as authentic a big time coach as there is, which emanates through his players and their families.
References:
James Franklin introductory press conference. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://news.psu.edu/story/299995/2014/01/11/athletics/james-franklin-introductory-press-conference
Brennan, M. (2018, May 27). Penn State coach James Franklin’s emotional speech to recruits posted by commit’s parent. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/Article/Penn-State-coach-James-Franklins-emotional-speech-to-recruits-posted-by-commits-parent-118575494/
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Joyce, G. (2015, March 03). Penn State coach James Franklin shares core values with Lehigh Valley football scholar-athletes. Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/03/penn_state_coach_james_frankli_2.html
First of all great post! I love watching football as well and as a coach myself it is great to see someone that is so invested in the kids. I think so people forget that they started coaching for the kids in the first place, not the wins. As Miranda stated, you did a great job connecting authentic leadership and coach Franklin together. Miranda also states that coach Franklin is a transformational leader, I think she does a great analysis of that. But I will make a brief argument on how he may also be a servant leader. I don’t know anything about coach Franklin but based on what you said and that video clip i can absolutely see him as a servant leader. He displays many characteristics of the servant leader. The first would be healing. “Servant leaders care about the personal well-being of their followers” (Northouse, 2016, p. 228). I think it is abundantly clear that he cares about the well being of his players in that video you posted, he states it a few times. The Next trait would be commitment to the growth of people. “Servant leaders are committed to helping each person in the organization grow personally and professionally” (Northouse, 2016, p, 228). Again, in the video coach Franklin states at least two times that he wants to help his players grow into men that can contribute to society.The last trait of servant leadership I will mention is building community. “Servant leaders build community to provide a place where people can feel safe and connected with others, but are still allowed to express their own individuality” (Northouse, 2016, p. 229). I believe you eluded to this and it’s how coach Franklin creates a “family” environment. He also clearly states this in that video clip that his coaches and his players are his family and that they are a family. I think that coach Franklin has many of the servant leader characteristics as well as many of the authentic leadership characteristics. Based on what we have learned about leadership and what I saw in that video clip it seems that coach Franklin is a great leader. Great Post!
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles. Sage Publications.
I, too, am a die-hard Penn State football fan, so I really enjoyed your post. You make great connections between Coach Franklin and authentic leadership. It’s difficult to disagree with your analysis, but I think one could also make the argument that Franklin displays traits of transformational leadership as well. Transformational leadership is emulated when a leader appeals to his/her followers’ values and sense of higher purpose in order to raise their motivation (Williams, 2018).
Another name for transformational leadership is charismatic leadership, and James Franklin has undeniable charisma (Northouse, 2016). Charisma, or idealized influence, are one factor of this type of leadership. This is the emotional component of leadership (Antonakis, 2012 as cited in Northouse, 2016). James Franklin appeals heavily to the emotions of his players and fans. Any Penn Stater can tell you that they have some sort of emotional connection to the university, whether it’s a legacy of family members turned alumni or that they’ve been attending football games since they were a child. Franklin appeals to his players’ emotions by making their dreams come true and giving them incredible opportunities.
The next factor of transformational leadership is called inspirational motivation. This is shown when leaders share high expectations for their followers, which in turn inspire them to work harder in order to achieve their shared vision (Northouse, 2016). Franklin shares a common goal with his players and fans: being the best NCAA football team and winning championships. Franklin also just simply wants his players to succeed, so he pushes them to be the best that they can be, both on and off the field.
The third factor is intellectual stimulation, which is when leaders motivate their subordinates to be innovative and complex in their problem-solving (Northouse, 2016). As a football coach, Franklin allows his quarterback to call some plays completely on his own, forcing the players to solve problems creatively and on-the-fly. This allows his players to develop their skills further and really think for themselves.
The final factor of transformational leadership is called individualized consideration. This factor is displayed when a leader provides emotional support to his/her followers (Northouse, 2016). Coach Franklin must listen to the needs of his players and accommodate them in order for them to perform to their fullest potential on the field. A specific example of this was when former Penn State kicker, Joey Julius, needed his coach’s help dealing with his eating disorder and depression. His coach listened to him and helped him find treatment at a facility in Missouri. Without the emotional support of Coach Franklin and his coworkers, Julius would not have been able to realize his dream of living a healthy lifestyle (Caron, 2017).
Coach James Franklin demonstrates all of the factors of transformational leadership, including charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. All of which help to make him a great coach for the best football team in the NCAA. We are!
References
Caron, E. (2017, July 31). After former Penn State kicker Joey Julius hit bottom, asking for help was the thing that saved him. Retrieved June 22, 2018, from http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/article/20182262/former-penn-state-kicker-joey-julius-opens-struggle-binge-eating-depression
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Transformational Leadership. Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. pp. 161-193.
Williams, J. (2018). Transformational Leadership. Retrieved June 14, 2018, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1940315/modules/items/24597566