Sow a thought and you reap an act; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and

you reap
a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny. Charles Reade

This is the idea that entered my mind when I watched the movie Coach Carter. It all
may begin with a thought that may end up with your destiny. Now it depends on the kind of
thought that captured or implanted in your mind. With the students of the Richmond High
School, specifically the student-athletes, they were made to believe that since they are good at
basketball, it doesnt matter whether they fail in their academic subjects. With this, they were not
even encouraged to pursue college which may be a door way for a better future. It all changed
when Coach Carter entered the picture and challenge the prevailing thought of the school and
made a difference in the lives of the students. They were encouraged to pursue better and higher
dreams that they never thought possible.
The same is true with my life. With the kind of family and neighborhood that I had
during my childhood years and with an absentee father, I received no inspiration to pursue higher
dreams. The environment presented to me was to be a future nobody. I had options to be a
drunkard, a drug addict, a jobless person depending on other people for survival or to die young.
Something like Timo Cruz who got involved with the wrong crowd especially his cousin. But it
all changed when I became a Christian at an early age of 17. God placed people in my life who
sowed different thoughts of inspiration and encouragement that gave me a new perspective in
life. A kind of perspective that gave me a passion to make a difference in the lives of other
people by adding value to them through teaching, sharing the love of God and motivating them
to look beyond their present capacity.
Right now, I am the senior pastor of an independent church which is composed mostly of
young people. At the same time, I handle theology and social sciences subjects in Jesus Reigns
Christian College. In these venues, I can exert the right kind of influence in the lives of young
people in order to give them better options in life especially those who almost gave up on life
because of different situations like poverty, dysfunctional family and other problems that can
ruin a persons future. I saw myself in the life of Coach Carter who never got tired of inspiring
his players despite of their stubbornness and hard headedness. In my profession as a pastor and
teacher, I realized that I cannot choose the kind of people that I will encounter to help, encourage

1
and change. As the Bible said, Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when its in
your power to help them.1
Now in order to become more effective in adding value in the lives of people, thus
helping them to make a difference, I also need to improve myself. I firmly believe that you
cannot teach what you do not know and you cannot give what you do not have. With this in
mind, I am pursuing a doctorate degree in Business Management of which I am certain will
enhance and develop both my skills and knowledge. In the movie, Coach Carter had the record
of being one of the best basketball players during his time which paved the way for college
scholarship. This kind of reputation and standing placed him in a credible position to coach and
train the players to become winners themselves. Since being a pastor and teacher constantly
engage with people of every kind, I must have not only the kind of credential that will put me in
a better position to instill influence but also better equipped to teach, train and motivate.
Furthermore, as I also oversee an organization in the form of a church, getting a higher degree of
education, training and exposure will highly improve my managerial and leadership capabilities
which will facilitate a kind of organization that will be true to its mission and vision.
But looking back, I was already satisfied after I completed and finished my Master of
Divinity. The idea of getting a doctorate degree was already difficult to think considering the
resources available specially how to finance it. Also, why will I stress myself by studying
further? My life is already comfortable and at ease. But deep inside my heart there is a yearning
and a passion to learn more. To be challenged in order to improve; to get out of my comfort zone
in order to gain new experiences. Coach Carter already has his business and yet when the job of
coaching an unruly and hard to manage young players was offered, he accepted the task with
excitement. Thats what I did to myself. I challenged myself that if I stop learning, then I will
stop growing which will result of becoming less effective. Through Gods goodness and
provision, the financial side was settled as the college where I teach promised to help with my
tuition fee. Also, I learned that PCU grants scholarships to pastors who are in active service, of
which I will submit my application to support my doctorate degree. Indeed if it is Gods will, He
will provide. As Hudson Taylor said, Gods work, done in Gods way, will never lack Gods
supply.

1
Proverbs 3:27 New Living Translation

2
 ON LEADERSHIP
Leadership is an integral factor in every organization especially in providing vision and
motivation for people to follow. But the person who leads must have influence in the
organization or group in order to secure the support of his people. John Maxwell said, The true
measure of leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less.2 If you dont have influence,
people in your organization will either ignore you or follow you because of your position. In the
movie, Coach Carter has to establish influence with the players before he was able to effectively
make them do the things he asked them to do. In the beginning, he used scare tactics or forces to
make them follow him by making them sign a contract which stated his conditions if the players
wanted to continue playing with the team. Failure to meet the conditions exacts a corresponding
penalty. This was even recognized by Principal Garrison as scare tactics to force the students.
But later on, when the players proved the authenticity of Coach Carters concern for them, not
just as players but as people, they willingly did the things he asked them to do. That is influence.
If you have influence, you dont need to mention and stress out your position in the organization
or group for people to follow you. They will be willing to do what you asked them simply
because of that influence. As Miranda said, While it goes without saying a manager may have
the authority to direct and guide the work of others, nevertheless, the exercise of influence is
another matter. It implies persuasion rather than the use of force, coercion, threats, fear or
command. The concept of influence connotes the ability to accomplish much more in association
with others than the strictly formal components of organizational action would appear to
permit.3
Another thing about leadership other than influence is the kind of leadership a person
have. Throughout history we can see different kinds of leaders who displayed different styles of
leadership which achieved a certain degree of success. Hitler was a leader as well as Napoleon
Bonaparte. But they were the kind of leaders, despite of their apparent success, which were
tyrannical which forced people to follow them. In my personal opinion, the kind of leadership
style that is effective is transformational leadership. Since leadership is not telling someone what
to do, which is dictatorship but rather leading the people towards the desired goal/s while at the

2
John Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow them and people will follow you, (Nashville,
Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2007) p. 11.
3
Gregoria S. Miranda and Carmelita M. Miranda-Gow, Management: Principles and Practices, (L & G Business
House, 2002) p. 245.

3
same time showing what to do and modeling the kind of life one has to live. Dictators says, Do
this, do that while leaders says, Come, follow me and I will show you how to do it. It has
been said that Transformational leaders reenergize troubled organization, pushing them to a
new strategic directions and engineering wholesale changes in operational processes or
organization architecture and culture.4 They are the change who energize and direct
employees to a new set of corporate values and behaviors.5
This kind of transformational leadership was displayed by Coach Carter when he
transformed the unruly and sort of rebellious Richmond Oilers players to a team that eventually
became champions. The Oilers only got four wins last season before Ken Carter took the
coaching job. They even lost to St. Francis because they dont listen and did whatever they want
to do while fighting among themselves. It all changed when Coach Carter implemented new
values and raised up the level of expectations which eventually proved to be a success despite of
the many obstacles and oppositions that came from different sources. They were not only
transformed as players but also as students when they won different games and some of them got
scholarships in different colleges. All these became possible through the transformational
leadership of Coach Carter.

ON MANAGEMENT
In any organization, key people must not only be effective leaders but managers as well.
These two should be distinguished in order not to confuse one over the other. Leaders may not be
necessarily managers and managers may not be leaders but both should be present in a single
person in order for him to effectuate genuine changes and bring the organization to the desired
goals through people. If leaders inspire people towards a given vision, managers on the other
hand are simply getting things done through people. In defining management, it is said to be the
effective and efficient of organizational goals through planning, organizing, leading and
controlling organizational resources.6 These are the so called functions of management. And
these functions were clearly seen in the life of Coach Carter both in his family life, business and
his coaching job. He was able to manage his family together with his business and coaching job.
Thinking about it, the managers responsibilities are not easy as others may think.

4
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) pp. 416 - 417
5
Ibid.
6
Richard l. Daft and Dorothy Marcic, Understanding Management, 5 th Edition, (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2006) p. 7

4
 Now though the responsibilities of managers are not easy they are challenging and
fulfilling. Daft said, Making a difference as a manager today and tomorrow requires
integrating solid, tried-and-true management skills with innovative approaches that emphasize
the human touch, enhance flexibility, and engage employees hearts and minds as well as their
bodies.7 Making an impact in the lives of the people you are working with is fulfilling though
challenging since they came from different backgrounds with different perspectives. It has been
said that it is easy to manage 100 carabaos than manage 10 people. The difference is that 100
carabaos only have one mind: a carabaos mind. They only like one thing: grass. But with people
its different. Each person has specific likes different than others and a perspective totally
distinct from another. But once you see the changes in people you are managing, that in itself is
already a reward. An example of which is the transformation of Timo Cruz who was very
stubborn at first. But since the management style of Coach Carter involves genuine concern for
people, he was changed and accepted the changes that need to be made.
Also, management is not doing things alone as a manager. He must work with people
towards the fulfillment of the organizations objectives. As it is, management is defined simply
as the art of getting things done through people.8 So the managers work is one who
contributes to the organizations goals indirectly by directing the efforts of others not by
performing the task himself. 9 The movie Coach Carter is a model of good management where a
Coach was not only able to transform the group of players into a team but also enabled them to
fulfill their desired objectives.

ON MOTIVATION
It takes a great deal to motivate and inspire others. You must be the kind of person who
will continually hope and persevere even in the midst of complex situation. It is said that
motivation represents the forces within a person that affect his or her direction, intensity and
persistence of voluntary behavior.10 So if you are a person who oversees people, you must have
this kind of quality so you will be able to inspire others to do things not because they must but
because they want to. In a way, a leader or manager must be motivated himself otherwise he will

7
Richard Daft, Management 8th Ed., (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2008) p. 6.
8
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 4.
9
P.C. Tripathi and P.N. Reddy, Principles of Management, 5th ed. (Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2012) p. 2.
10
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 316

5
only see defeat or quit when the going gets tough. Just like Coach Carter who believed that he
can change his players not only in terms of playing basketball but also in their academic
performances. At the end of the movie, a number of players were able to get scholarship in
college because of Carters motivation.
But the thing with motivation in order to work is the acceptance of people to change for
the better. If the people are not willing to modify or change their behavior, perspective and
actions, nothing will happen even in the presence of a great leader or manager. Daft said,
motivation is a challenge for managers because motivation arises from within employees and
typically differs for each person.11 So the leader or manager must know what kind of
motivation to use for each person. But it depends on the kind of organization. Like in the field of
business, Miranda pointed out, executives and employees are motivated by a number of things
such as money, achievement, rewards, recognition and others.12 When Coach Carter used the
contract to enforce discipline among the players, many reacted negatively and two leading
scorers immediately leave the team including Timo Cruz. But later on, Carter used the
opportunity to have a college degree as motivation to the likes of Kenyon Stone and Jason Lyle
which proved to be effective. In the case of Timo Cruz, genuine concern from Coach Carter
became the motivating factor that changed him after his cousin was shot dead.

ON SUPPORT SYSTEM
John Donne said, No man is an island. This is true for every one since everyone need
other people in his or her life. From the very beginning when we were born, we already need
others to survive or to provide what we need like parents, siblings and others. In life, we need a
kind of support system which can help us in times when we need encouragement, direction and
guidance or a shoulder to cry on. Support system can also be related to a mentoring system
where the inexperienced can learn from those who are matured or wiser individuals. It is said
that when a young person joins an organization he needs some senior person for emotional and
moral support and guidance.13 This was the case with Damien Carter when he decided to leave
the team of St. Francis and join the Richmond Oilers because he wanted to play with his dad.
11
Richard Daft, Management 8th Ed., (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2008) p. 521.
12
Gregoria S. Miranda and Carmelita M. Miranda-Gow, Management: Principles and Practices, (L & G Business
House, 2002) p. 333.
13
P.C. Tripathi and P.N. Reddy, Principles of Management, 5th ed. (Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2012) p.
238

6
Damien received a wise guidance when he asked his dad to sign his paper giving approval for
him to play with the Oilers.
Other than mentoring, support system can be likened to a team where each member can
provide support to other team members when they need encouragement or help. A team is
defined as groups of people who interact and influence each other, are mutually accountable
for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives, and perceive themselves
as a social entity within an organization.14 Bayanihan is a symbol of teamwork among
Filipinos. It depicts how we support one another in reaching the desired objectives. This kind of
spirit was displayed by Jason Lyle and followed by the rest of the team when they offered their
support in doing push-ups and suicides so that Timo Cruz can return to play. Without them
realizing, it was the result of how they were trained by Coach Carter to bear the burden of the
mistake of one team member. They were trained that for the mistake of one, the penalty is to be
carried by everyone. This kind of support system by being a team did not happen overnight but
underwent a process. That is why it is said that team development is not random but evolves
over definitive stages.15

ON CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
In every organization conflicts may arise because of the reality of differences in people.
We are different in terms of perspectives, cultures, tradition and beliefs, likes or dislikes,
backgrounds, and many others. As a manager and leader, someone has to recognize the
differences among people and work towards developing cooperation and team work despite of
this reality. According to Daft, acceptance of diversity is becoming especially important
because of globalization, sociocultural changes, and the changing work force. Diversity in the
workplace reflects diversity in the larger environment.16 This point of view is new for some
especially who treat or considered conflict as a disadvantage or detrimental to an organization.
Many people do not like conflict which is defined as a process in which one party perceives
that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.17 Some
conservative and traditional managers or leaders want an easy going flow for the organization

14
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 256
15
Richard Daft, Management 8th Ed., (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2008) p. 605
16
Ibid. p. 440.
17
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 274.

7
and treat conflict as a hindrance that will prevent or make difficult their way towards fulfilling
their desired objectives.
But today, leaders and managers alike view conflict as something that is healthy for an
organization. What will it be like if all people in a group will have similar thoughts or ideas?
Will there be a possibility of improvement? Yet it all depends on the kind of conflict one has to
deal with. Needless to say, there are conflicts that are detrimental to the organization and there
are others that will promote growth and health. The bottom line is, the manager or leader must
know how to distinguish between a conflict that will be damaging and conflict that will be
beneficial to the organization. Here is where conflict management enters. Accordingly, there are
two kinds of conflict that a manager must be aware of: task related conflict and relational
conflict. It has been said that task related conflict (also called constructive conflict) occurs
when team members perceive that the conflict is in the task or problem rather than in each other.
Team members view the problem as something out there that needs to be resolved and the
employees are merely messengers in this discussion. In contrast, relationship conflict occurs
when team members view differences as personal attacks that threaten their self-esteem and
resources.18 For Coach Carter, the conflicts which he encountered in coaching the Richmond
Oilers were both relational and task related. There is relational conflict in the sense that the
players are fighting among themselves which affected the results of their games. Task related,
because they lack the necessary discipline, focus and training in order to win their games. In both
situations, Coach Carter well managed the conflicts and resolved them by recognizing what
needs to be done and how to do it which paved the way for favorable results. That is why it has
been said that conflicts are not discrete situations, with clear beginning and end. Every conflict
episodes leaves a result that affects the course of succeeding episodes. If the conflict is genuinely
resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, the basis for a more cooperative relationship may be
laid.19
ON ATTITUDES / VALUES
I saw a quotation by Zig Ziglar that said your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine
your altitude. And maybe he is right. Attitude is defined as a feeling or way of thinking that

18
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 274
19
P.C. Tripathi and P.N. Reddy, Principles of Management, 5th ed. (Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2012) p.
423.

8
affects a persons behavior.20 So whatever mental state or position you have will affect how
you manage your life and affairs. This comes to the realization that it is not what we think but
how we think things that affect what we do in life. Out of your attitudes comes your enjoyment
and gratitude in life or your frustrations, hate and negative perception of things. Daft defines
attitude as an evaluation either positive or negative that predisposes a person to act in a
certain way.21 And come to think of it, we are faced everyday by forces that challenges our
attitude and how we will react on those situations. If we have a positive attitude, then we will be
able to overcome those situations and come out victors. But if our attitude is harmful or
pessimistic, then we will end up defeated and frustrated.
In the case of Coach Carter, he not only wanted to have his players win the games they
played but also to help them to have better education by going to college. He was confronted
with challenges and hindrances not only from parents of the players but even from some officials
of the school. He was even asked to resign and be removed (through the school boards council
meeting with the parents and teachers) from being the coach but he never gave up. He has that
positive attitude that made him persistent to fight for the players to be in college. Another time
was when he confronted Principal Garrison who argued about the low percentage of passing
from among the players to which he replied that the job of the school is to educate the students
and for them to do their job. He refused to resign and chose to go against the popular opinion that
there was no hope for the players to be better in terms of academic performance.
So for a manager or leader, he must recognize the kind of attitudes being displayed by his
people. Because the kind of attitude they exhibit will affect not only their performance but also
the performance of the other members. Daft said, Understanding employee attitudes is
important to managers because attitudes determine how people perceive the work environment,
interact with others and behave on the job.22 So when you recognize that there is a negative
attitude among your people, you must do something to change it and reinforce a positive attitude
in the process, otherwise youll end up allowing your other people to be affected with the
negative one. Coach Carter recognized this among his players like Timo Cruz and Junior Battle
and made the necessary actions despite of the difficulty of implementing them in order to reverse

20
Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
21
Richard Daft, Management 8th Ed., (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2008) p. 454.
22
Richard l. Daft and Dorothy Marcic, Understanding Management, 5th Edition, (Mason, OH: Thomson, 2006) p.
373.

9
the effect in the team. He did not allow them to play unless they are willing to make changes in
their attitudes. Junior Battle was even forced to bring his mom to talk to Coach Carter and make
a promise to do what is being asked. Timo Cruz on the other hand has to learn it the hard way
when his cousin was shot dead because of drugs. But when they changed their attitudes, they
even ended up playing in college.
ON PEER PRESSURE
It is pretty common for anyone to desire to belong and feel part of a particular group. But
this desire can put a lot of pressure on anyone to act on a certain way. When we are influenced to
act and do beyond what we normally do or prevented to do what we like to do just to be accepted
by a particular group, then we are moving towards the peer pressure territory. The apostle Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 15:33, Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character.23 With
this in mind, it is very important to choose your friends or associates because whether you like it
or not, they will influence you in one way or the other. Negative examples are rampant when it
comes to peer pressure. In the movie, Damien Carter who was a good kid and normally would
not do something that will solicit the anger of his dad came to a party with the other players of
the Oilers. There, since he wanted to blend in, became drunk and begun to misbehave by coming
to the pool with girls and kiss them. What a disappointment it was for Coach Carter when he saw
Damien in the pool kissing girls.
But when we talk about peer pressure, it may not always be in a negative sense. There
can also be positive effects of peer pressure provided that you are in the right group of people.
That is why even in other organizations formation of groups is encouraged in order to foster and
promote good quality performance. Groups create norms for other members to follow. It is said
that group norms become the bench-mark by which the behavior patterns of every individual
member are measured. Those who follow the group norms closely or enjoy high external status
or play a valuable role in achieving the groups objectives or occupy strategic positions in the
groups communication network or possess affable and charming personalities are acclaimed as
informal leaders. Others in the group position themselves in the hierarchy in terms of the
decreasing degrees to which they meet these determinants. In this way, the group comes to

23
New International Version

10
acquire sufficient stability and capacity for collective performance.24 This was seen when the
Oilers faced St. Francis for the second time. They may have lost the game but they gained
something better: a life that is changed for the better and a team who will be willing to support
them no matter what.
ON DISCIPLINE
Desiring to accomplish something significant is different from actually doing it. One of
the main keys in doing significant thing is discipline. Whether you are a student, a professional
or whatever craft you are in, you need discipline. Without discipline it will be difficult for you to
achieve anything at all. This is the reason why high ethical standards are observed in any
organization in order for it to reach their desired objectives. They are called business ethics. It is
defined as accepted principles of right or wrong governing the conduct of business people.25
And in order for this to become reality, people in an organization must undergo training to instill
the kind of discipline that is required. It has been said that After the selection of people for
various jobs, the next function of management is to arrange for their training and development.
This is because a person, however carefully selected is not moulded to specifications and rarely
meets the demands of his job adequately. Formerly, it was thought that the training of personnel
was unnecessary on the ground that the new employees would gradually pick up all the
particulars of the job. But as the processes and techniques of production are becoming more and
more complicated, it is being increasingly realized that the formal training is important not only
for new recruits but also for existing employees. Training function, in fact, has become the
corner stone of sound management.26
For the Richmond Oilers, it is obvious that the players have the skills to play basketball
but they lack the necessary discipline to become winners and champion. Coach Carter knew it.
This is the reason why he asked them to sign a contract to enforce the discipline needed to
transform them to a winning team. Two players other than Timo Cruz reacted violently because
they dont want to make the necessary adjustment and discipline themselves. If Coach Carter did
not implement and compelled them to do it, they will remain as losers. Even with the issue of
prioritizing their academic performance, Coach Carter closed the gym and cancelled several
24
P.C. Tripathi and P.N. Reddy, Principles of Management, 5th ed. (Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2012) p.
192.
25
Charles Hill and Steven McShane, Principles of Management, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008) p. 86.
26
P.C. Tripathi and P.N. Reddy, Principles of Management, 5th ed. (Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2012) p.
223

11
games to show that he meant business. Later, the players themselves realized the main idea and
went to the gym not to practice but to study with their teachers.

12