Sports are a popular past time in the US, whether you are watching a game or playing in one, pretty much every household has a sports fanatic. One of the biggest aspects of a team we do not see though is the leadership behind the scenes. The people behind the scenes build the team from the ground up, they scout out players, and further train them to make them as good as they can possibly be. One such leader is the president of the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein.
Theo had a background in baseball managing before the Cubs, but he faced a different kind of challenge with this team because they had not won a championship in 108 years (Verducci, 2017). His goal was to end this streak of course so he implemented a plan. After managing a successful team (Red Sox) he knew one of the most important aspects of a team, and what the Cubs were missing, was the interpersonal understanding of individual players on the team. People can analyze number and statistics all day long but if your players do not have the motivation and drive needed to succeed then they will ultimately fall apart and lose. Epstein sent his scouts to find new plays with strict instructions to not only asses their playing abilities, but to assess their ability to overcome adversity as well (Verducci, 2017). He wanted them to look both on the field and in their personal lives to get a better understanding on what type of person they were.
This is a great example of how the now controversial psychodynamic approach to leadership theory was successfully implemented in a modern day situation. The psychodynamic approach is focused on the dynamics of human behavior (Northouse, 2016). It specifies that leaders need to understand the ins and outs of their followers thinking and actions in order to effectively lead them to achieve goals. The four premises of this approach are that there is logic behind every persons actions; that people sometimes act without knowing exactly why; that people handle emotions and adversity differently; and that everyone is who they are today because of how they have been shaped by past experiences (Northouse, 2016).
Epstein wanted to know player’s family life, and past experiences for a reason. He cared about the character and chemistry of his players so much because he believed it would turn the athletes into leaders and would then lead them to victory (Verducci, 2017). He was right.
References
Northouse, P. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc
Verducci, T. (2017) Why Theo Epstein And The Cubs Are Fortune’s MVPs This Year. Retrieved from: http://fortune.com/2017/03/23/theo-epstein-chicago-cubs-worlds-greatest-leaders/
Chris Taylor says
I find it compelling that you have decided to delve into the psychodynamic approach to make a connection to the sports world. You often hear so much about the connection between sports and psychology and a quick google search provided me with the knowledge that the APA does recognize sports psychology an area of proficiency. It seems that Theo Epstein must be quite the student of these types of ideas as reflected in his desire to know more about his players than just their skill level on the field. Being interested in the type of person each of his players actually are off the field, I am sure would be valuable information to have when trying to tailor individual coaching plans for specific people. While you successfully point out a connection to the psychodynamic approach, I couldn’t help but make my own connections to a couple of other theories we have covered this far as well.
The first leadership theory that comes to mind is the path-goal theory. With its “tendency to draw from research on what motivates followers” (Northouse, 2016 pg. 115) the connections to the sports world in general are obvious, but in particular it lends itself to Epstein’s desire to have a more intimate knowledge of his players as well. The overarching idea of the path-goal theory is that it explains how leaders, in the case Epstein, can help followers, in this case individuals that make up the team, along a sort of personalized path to reach their goals (Northouse, 2016 pg. 116). The leader does this by adapting their own behaviors after taking into consideration the follower’s individual needs and the situation in which both the leader and follower find themselves in (Northouse, 2016 pg. 116). Equipped with more understanding about who each of his players are, it seems like Epstein will give himself, and by extension the team, a better shot at overall success by being able to create individualized paths for success for his followers.
Another leadership theory that jumped out to me as connected to what Theo Epstein’s desire for more knowledge about his player’s lives was the situational approach. In addition to the obvious connections with the path goal theory’s reference to the situation in which the leader and follower find themselves in, the situation approach requires the leaders to assess the follower’s developmental level and then adapt their style as necessary (Northouse, 2016 pg. 97). One of the key tenants of the situational approach is that “leaders cannot lead using a single style” and “effective leaders are those who can change their style based on the needs of the follower” (Northouse, 2016 pg. 99). What is interesting to me here is that by Epstein making a serious effort to know more about each individual on his team, he is making it easier to his leadership style to fit the situation created by their specific needs.
Thanks again for posting what you did here and opening my mind up to some connections to leadership in areas other than in just work like that which I engage in for a living. I really like the idea of connecting some of these theories and approaches to other places in the world where you may encounter them and sports are certainly a fun a relevant place to do so.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE