Building an Accountable Leader

Posted by Bern Gal on February 10th, 2021

In the movie Remember the Titans, football players Gerry and Julius had a hard time practicing thrice a day. Coach Boone ordered triple practices per day to instill unity in the new team.

However, the two already didn’t like each other in the first place. This made the activity even more difficult. At one point, Julius finally confronted Gerry about the rift but found something more insightful instead.

You can read the dialogue below to see why:

Gerry: Listen, I ain’t runnin’ any more of these three-a-days, ok?

Julius: Well, what I got to say, you really don’t want to hear ‘cause honesty ain’t too high up on your peoples’ priority list, right?

Gerry: Honesty? Do you want honesty? All right, honestly, I think you’re nothin’. Nothin’ but a pure waste of God-given talent. You don’t listen to anybody, man. Not even Doc or Boone! Shiver push on the line every time, man. You blow right past ’em! Push ’em! Pull ’em! Do something! You can’t run over everybody in this league, and every time you do, you leave one of your teammates hanging out to dry – me in particular!

Julius: Why should I give a hoot about you, huh? Or anybody else out there? Do you want to talk about waste? You the captain, right?

Gerry: Right.

Julius: Captain’s supposed to be the leader, right?

Gerry: Right.

Julius: You got a job?

Gerry: I have a job.

Julius: You been doin’ your job?

Gerry: I’ve been doin’ my job.

Julius: Then why don’t you tell your white buddies to block for Rev better? ‘Cause, they have not blocked for him worth a blood nickel, and you know it! Nobody plays! Yourself included! I’m supposed to wear myself out for the team? What team?! No, No. What I’m gonna do is, I’m gonna look out for myself, and I’m gonna get mine.

Gerry: See, man? That’s the worst attitude I ever heard.

Julius: Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.

Leaders are the most crucial foundations of a team. Not only do they have to be competent, but they must also be accountable and engaging. Unfortunately, producing quality leaders have been an ongoing problem in the talent industry.

Some appointed leaders may not have enough experience for heavier responsibilities. Most of them may not also be getting the consistent support that they need. This is a huge problem; with that lack of support, the leaders and their team members will fail from fulfilling their potential.

LHH’s global research also found that 72% of organizations confirm leadership accountability as a critical business issue, while only 31% were reported to be satisfied with their workplace levels.

Investing in leadership training can help bridge the gap and improve accountability within the management. Through an integrated approach, managers and supervisors can be the people worth looking up to in their respective teams. Its solutions are driven by hard work and purpose, with benefits that trickle down to its most junior employees.