Joe Paterno’s name often comes to my mind often when thinking of leadership. Some think of him as a failed leader, one who knew the crimes of Jerry Sandusky and didn’t do enough to stop it, or one who inspired hundred if not thousands of his players to be their best, both on and off the field. He had always led by example and he truly believed in his school and the young men he coached and mentored. On the bronze statue that was outside stadium, he is quoted as saying, “They ask me what I’d like written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.” (Paterno, 2001) I think he did.
Mistakes were made, certainly, but you can’t doubt the impact of a man who spent 60 plus years of his life teaching more than just a game. He instilled values on generations of players, expecting that good conduct and morals would guide his players to not only become good football players, but also good people. His philosophy, “believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things” was a driving force in what he believed in.” (Paterno) As his career was winding down and the horrors of Sandusky’s actions were coming into focus, one question of the many questions that come to mind was did Paterno do enough? Yes, he fulfilled legal obligation of telling the Athletic Director and the vice president of the university what he was told, but that was clearly not enough to make sure that the children involved were safe from Sandusky. The other question is, did he do enough morally? Ethics within an organization deal with not only who leaders are, but what leaders do.
Values play an important part in how leaders deal with ethical questions. Since values are formed at an early age, and are contributed to one’s upbringing, education, religion, and geography, I honestly feel that he didn’t realize the severity of the situation at hand. (WC PSYCH 485, L13) I think that definition is an important one with regard to the action that Paterno took regarding Sandusky. I remember seeing an interview right before his death in which he spoke about not understanding this type of heinous crime because he never heard about those things growing up, and although it seems hard for us to understand that since we live in an age of intense media coverage, I believe that certain generations feel that way. I remember speaking to my grandfather about the situation and he said the same thing. Maybe it seems naïve, but I do believe it.
Paterno embodied the principles of leadership that involved respect, service, justice, honesty, and community. (Northouse, 2016) He was not just about football. He embraced the entire community in which he lived and worked and was concerned with the character of the student athletes that he coached. The greatest example of this promotion of community and group identity was his philosophy that “it’s the name on the front of the jersey that matters, not the one on the back.” (Paterno) He valued and instilled the importance of being a team, not just his players on the field but the university as a whole.
In the end, we may never know the whole story and the total truth of what happen during those dark years but I don’t think we can disregard the legacy of a man that changed the lives of so many with his values, ethics, and morals that he showed on and off the field. I find it ironic that in a commencement speech in 1973, Paterno said “We must always act, but when we are wrong, we must be mature enough to realize it and act accordingly. This is where greatness lies and national frustrations end. …We shall act, and we shall act with good intentions. Hopefully, we will be right. But at times, we will be wrong. When we are, let us admit it and immediately try to right the situation.” (Paterno, 1973)
Lisa
Joe Paterno Quotes – Great Quotes from a Great Leader. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://modernservantleader.com/resources/joe-paterno-quotes-great-quotes-from-a-great-leader/
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.
PSU World Campus. (2016). PSYCH 485 Lesson 14 Ethics and Leadership. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su16/psych485/001/content/14_lesson/01_page.html