"We Are Marshall" is a film that portrays the plane crash that killed the Marshall University football team in 1970. The story focuses on the resilience and resilience of the team, the community, and the institution's leaders in the face of the loss of loved ones and the need to rebuild the team. The film addresses themes of leadership, teamwork, empathy, and perseverance, showing how unity and dedication can overcome even the greatest adversity.
Meaning of Somos Marshall: the story of overcoming and unity of the community in crisis.
The film "We Are Marshall" tells the true story of the Marshall University football team, which suffers a tragic plane crash, resulting in the loss of nearly all of its players, coaches, and staff. The community of Huntington, West Virginia, is shaken by the tragedy and must find the strength to overcome its grief and move forward.
The film's central message is about sheer determination and unity in times of crisis. Under the leadership of new coach Jack Lengyel, played by Matthew McConaughey, the community comes together to rebuild the team and honor the memory of those who were lost. Through sport, they find a way to heal their wounds and move forward.
Furthermore, the film highlights the importance of leadership in difficult times. Coach Lengyel demonstrates courage, determination, and empathy in leading the team and motivating the community not to give up. His ability to inspire others and keep hope alive is fundamental to overcoming the crisis.
In short, "We Are Marshall" is a moving story that shows us how unity, leadership, and determination can help a community overcome the most difficult adversities. It's a powerful reminder of what's possible when we come together in times of crisis and work together toward a common goal.
What was the fate of the Marshall team?
An analysis of the film "We Are Marshall" reveals the fate of the Marshall University football team after a tragic plane crash. The film tells the true story of the team, which lost all its players, coaches, and support staff in a 1970 plane crash. The tragedy devastated the community, but also demonstrated the strength and resilience of the team and the city of Huntington, West Virginia.
After the accident, Marshall University faced the difficult decision of whether to discontinue its football program or rebuild from scratch. Under the leadership of coach Jack Lengyel, played by Matthew McConaughey in the film, the community rallied to support the team's rebuilding. Lengyel brought in new players and helped the team rebuild, overcoming adversity and honoring the memory of those lost.
The Marshall team's destiny was shaped by Jack Lengyel's determination, team spirit, and exemplary leadership. The film "We Are Marshall" highlights the importance of resilience, solidarity, and resilience in the face of adversity. The Marshall team's inspiring story continues to be remembered as an example of how unity and determination can overcome even the most devastating tragedies.
We Are Marshall (Leadership Film) Review
We Are Marshall tells the story of the West Virginia Marshall University football team, which survived a plane crash in which all members of the team died.
The goal of this article is to help you understand leadership. It will begin by defining what a leader is and explaining why leadership is necessary and important.
Next, we will analyze the leadership behavior of the protagonist in the film "Marshall Team" (Spain), "We are Marshall" (Argentina), or "We are Marshall" (USA and the rest of the world).
Film analysis
In 1970, the Marshall University of West Virginia football team was involved in a plane crash in which all members of the team died: 37 players, 8 coaches, University staff, crew, and 25 citizens.
The character played by Matthew McConaughey (Jack Lengyel) is an outsider who, after the accident, takes on the role of coach, helping to restructure the team with optimism, hope, and, in general, a democratic leadership style.
Interactions and dialogues
To better understand what this style consists of, we will name each of the interactions that the coach establishes with his technical team and his players, referring to the adjectives that define the coach's personality.
1 – When the team manager meets at his home, the coach shows that he does not want to train for his own interest, but because he believes he can help and take the team forward.
2-At the press conference for his presentation as the team's coach (38:20), faced with the involved questions of a journalist, "What are your expectations for this season?" and "What would you say to the citizens who think that reforming the team is disrespectful?" He doesn't lose his cool, he is confident and shows that he can be trusted in difficult situations.
3-Nonverbal language (relaxed posture, gentle hand movements with palms up, eye contact but not fixed, lots of body contact) indicates sincerity and closeness.
4 – In the coach’s presentation to the 3 players who survived the accident (40:27), the coach is optimistic, encouraging and makes the players understand that they trust them.
He never focuses on the negative aspects, such as the fact that only three players remain alive if he doesn't learn their names and remind them that they won't be abandoned in the new sports course.
He also shows qualities such as sociability and kindness; He invites them to dinner at his house.
He takes the entire group into account and doesn't show favoritism; he tells the three players that he will learn their names. It's important that you learn your players' names so you can become familiar and get to know them better.
This is repeated in a later scene, where, in a training session, he asks the entire team to come with their name on their helmet the next day.
5-At minute 40:47, he asks the team director to ask the NCAA to make an exception by letting them play with first-year students, but he doesn't do it directly unless he's explaining the anecdote that there's always a first time, like when he had to change his son's diapers.
6-The same thing he does when he tries to convince the former second coach to return to the team to continue his task; he makes the comment that the train that just passed in front of them derailed a while ago and is still on its way.
He says goodbye, reminding you that he has open doors and that he will take your sporting advice (trust in others) into account.
7-When the 2nd coach comes to his office to tell him that he can grant him a year with a decadent, sad and discouraged attitude, the coach smiles and says: "if that's all the time we have to start now", demonstrating a marked optimism supported by a handshake that reminds him that he is welcome.
8 minutes 52:50. When the principal tells him that he is not allowed to play with the freshmen, the coach reminds him that there is no more time and encourages him to continue with his goal of convincing him to come in person to speak with the school's administrators. NCAA
However, this influence tactic isn't based on pressure, legitimacy, or coalition building, but on rational persuasion: Do you have a wife? Would you ask him to marry you over the phone? When they finally allow the first-year players to compete, they enthusiastically encourage and congratulate the director.
The same firm and gentle attitude shows when you ask and request activities and exercises from your players.
9-After a training, he decides that the Y training tactic they are using is not working and gathers his technical team to ask their opinion on what they can do to make the team function properly (democratic).
They decide to try VIER training and request information about a rival team, a difficult situation that, despite everything, they handle with optimism and confidence.
This behavior also shows an important quality; the foresight that allows avoiding a possible failure with a formation that was not working.
Here, he uses a tactical influence of consultation: he asks for participation and considers the ideas and suggestions of his coworkers.
10 – In the first game, he knows which players have experience and who he can leave responsibility to (Nate Ruffin) to perform important tasks; in this case, motivate the team and take them to the playing field: “everyone stands, it’s 60 minutes and we play until the whistle blows…” (1:11:45).
From the perspective of Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory, the best leader is the one who knows how to adapt his style to the maturity level of the group members.
In this situation, the coach acts by effectively delegating responsibility to a self-sufficient member.
11-It is important to review the difference in qualities between the first coach and the second.
The first is optimistic, trusting, supportive, confident, and courageous. The second, on the contrary; he lacks confidence, is pessimistic, deteriorated, and doesn't support his players (except at the end, when the first coach asks him to).
12- (1:39:00). His pre-game speech to a struggling team helps motivate the team and boost their self-esteem. It also demonstrates a catalytic quality that leads the group to feel united and act together.
Why is leadership important?
- It acquires greater importance in crisis situations.
- It is recognized that well-managed organizations have high levels of performance, something that poorly managed organizations lack.
- The main reason people leave companies is that their bosses don't treat them well. Those who remain in jobs with bad bosses feel less satisfied with their work and life, feel less committed to the company, and experience more conflicts at work and in their family; as a result, they experience psychological distress.
The words “leader and leadership” unequivocally allude to someone who is and/or behaves in a prominent and distinguished manner, always leading a group of people.
Organizational leadership can be understood as the situation of superiority in which some people are in their respective organizations because, due to their remarkable qualities and / or personal actions, they manage to lead the teams in the leadership in the fulfillment of organizational objectives.
In organizational science research, leadership traditionally has three different meanings: an attribute of a position, a characteristic of a person, and a category of behavior.
Currently, organizational leadership is reserved for business organizations, where it has been simply identified with occupying a managerial position—usually that of a supervisor—while the effectiveness of leaders is judged by criteria that do not reflect, but rather the interests of the companies' top management.
Effective leaders influence followers to think not in their own interests, but in the interests of the organization.
Leadership occurs when followers accept the influence of someone who motivates them to do things ethically and in a way that is beneficial to themselves and the organization.
Taking advantage of subordinates for personal gain is not part of leadership. Organizational members must work together, focused on a result that the leader and followers motivate to achieve.
Leaders lead and, with the input of followers, set challenging goals, which lead to higher levels of performance.
Are there identifiable leadership behaviors?
In their studies, Kurt Lewin and his collaborators at the University of Iowa analyzed three behaviors or styles of leaders: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire.
- The autocratic style corresponds to the leader who tends to centralize his authority, dictate work methods, make decisions unilaterally and limit employee participation.
- The laissez-faire leader leaves his employees free to make decisions and do the work they think best, simply providing materials and answering questions.
- A democratic leader is one who takes into account the opinions of the rest of the team, but also reinforces his or her authority.