Finding the Winning Edge - Leadership

Last time I mentioned what this series of episodes would be about, a breakdown of the various sections in legendary 49ers HC Bill Walsh’s book Finding the Winning Edge and how they apply to team building in general. What we’ll also keep in mind throughout all these episodes are the two main principles Walsh demonstrated, having a singular focus on perfection and viewing coaching as teaching.  

This first episode starts where Walsh started with his book: Leadership. The first step to successful leadership comes from the leader’s philosophy. A successful head coach handles challenges (more on that in a second), Walsh writes:

Several factors impact his ability in this regard. Perhaps, none is more important than the dictates of his personal beliefs. Collectively, these beliefs comprise his philosophy…

His philosophy is the aggregate of his attitudes toward fundamental matters. It is derived from a process of consciously thinking about critical issues and developing rational reasons for holding one particular belief (position) rather than another…

A leader who has a focused philosophy is more likely to know what the "right" decision is and to have the courage to make it. This point has been made clear to me on a number of occasions in my coaching career…

Coaching is an enriching endeavor that can involve pronounced challenges. In order to handle those challenges successfully, the head coach must have the insight to know what needs to be done and must possess the capabilities and the conviction to do whatever is necessary.

For those familiar with Michael Lombardi’s work (he’s a great football mind who served as an NFL GM, has won multiple super bowl rings, and provides unique insights weekly on his GM Shuffle podcast), he’s always referencing the head coach of a team as the Chief Figure-it-out Officer. The reason being that nobody will have a solution to all the problems a head coach faces, but they have to be able to figure it out. That doesn’t mean they’re the person solving the problem firsthand, but being able to delegate and effectively manage resources to get the job done.

Back to the book, this is a point that I believe ties into his singular focus, he writes, “to a point, a head coach should measure success in terms of how well he is able to carry out his responsibilities relative to what he feels coaching is all about.”

This is a huge point. In sports, there’s often ambiguity from the fan’s perspective on what a team is trying to accomplish. Are they trying to maximize wins? Profits? Job security? Once that’s known, people running an organization should start there, from the end goal, and work backwards. As an aside this whole starting from the end and working backwards principle has served me so well. Whether it’s designing an interview process to hire a candidate who best fits the team’s needs, planning out this podcast series, or anything in between. Far better to work backwards than to figure things out on the fly. 

Ok back to the book again, here’s a section on Walsh describing the qualities a leader should embody:

Be yourself. Throughout your career, you will have the opportunity to observe and work with other coaches. While it is important that you learn whatever you can from each one of them, you must recognize the fact that you can't be any one of them.

You should work to take advantage of your strengths and to diminish your weaknesses. For example, you can become more knowledgeable. You can enhance your ability to apply that knowledge in the fulfillment of your professional responsibility. At any given moment in time, however, "you are who you are."

If you try to be someone you're not or act as someone you want to be, the effort will typically be perceived as phony — by both your assistants and your players. In the process, everyone may lose respect for you. As a result, your ability to lead effectively will be severely compromised.

Your approach to coaching football should be a natural extension of your personality and your philosophy. Some great coaches are extroverts, others are introverts. The important thing is to approach every task in a sincere and honest manner.

Recently, friend of the podcast Joe Spaziani published his dissertation on “Crafting Expertise: A Qualitative Exploration of Coaching Development in College Football.” Part of his research involved interviewing dozens of Division I college football head coaches. One thing nearly, if not all, mentioned was the importance of authenticity. 

Be committed to excellence.To a point, you must be willing to work extremely hard and make whatever reasonable sacrifices are necessary to achieve the organizational goals that have been established for the team. At the same time, you must ensure that every member of your staff and all of your players fully understand that the commitment to excellence can never willingly be compromised.

At all times, the focus must be on doing things properly. Every play. Every practice. Every meeting. Every situation. Every time.

In reality, the talent level of most NFL teams is relatively even. As such, one of the critical keys to success is execution. Players making plays is what wins football games. More often than not, the primary catalyst for the occurrence of such plays is an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Be positive. One of the most important things a head coach can do is to adopt a positive attitude. Your staff and your players will respond better to a positive environment than to a negative one.

While it is often very easy to accentuate the negative aspects of a particular situation or set of circumstances, such an approach typically accomplishes little (if anything) other than to serve as a means to let you vent your feelings. In most instances, what it really achieves is to establish a mental barrier between you and your staff and your players that inhibits their ability to maintain the proper focus and to communicate effectively with you.

Be prepared. No aspect of coaching is more important than preparation.While coaches cannot actually control which team wins a game, they can determine how their teams prepare to win.

Good fortune on the playing field (i.e., performing well, winning, etc.) is a product of design. Accordingly, you must develop a plan to ensure that your team is properly prepared to handle every contingency and possible situation.

Attention to detail is critical in this regard. You must address all aspects of your team's efforts to prepare mentally, physically, fundamentally and strategically in as thorough a manner as possible.

Be organized.It is critical that you make the best possible use of the available time and resources. Being organized is the single best way to avoid wasting either.

Fortunately, the effort needed to be organized is not that extensive. The process of becoming organized essentially requires two qualities: a disciplined mind and the ability to think clearly. However much energy you spend on the process, it is time well invested.

Getting organized can provide substantial benefits (e.g., it frees up time; relieves stress and pressure; and helps engender confidence in your competence from other individuals). Given the axiom that "luck is merely preparation meeting opportunity," the more well organized you are, the more likely you will be "lucky."

Be accountable. You must accept responsibility for those matters over which you are in charge. Deflecting blame, even if you are not responsible for a particular occurrence, is often viewed as a sign of weakness by both your staff and your players.

Whatever the situation, offering apparently well­-reasoned excuses and plausible alibis to explain your failings is simply irresponsible. "Passing the buck" when times get tough will not enhance the level of respect you engender from others. If you expect loyalty from your staff and your players, you must show it to them first by being accountable for your own actions.

The factor that is most often at the heart of accountability issues is the team's win-­loss record. However unfair it may seem that you are held responsible for something that is not totally within your control, the responsibility comes with the position. If the team wins, you get much of the credit; if it loses, you get most of the criticism.

You should remember that ultimately, you are responsible for the performance of your players. As such, fair or not, it is logical that you would be held accountable for whether their performances led to the requisite number of victories.

One of my favorite books, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, goes into depth on this principle and how it applies to everything. My favorite story from the book involves two teams of Navy SEALS competing against each other in a variety of competitions. Each team had 1 leader and 4 other teammates. One team kept winning over and over, the leader of the losing team then goes up to the instructor and says the teams weren’t balanced. The instructor switched the leaders of each team, but then the leader of the team that initially kept winning continued to win on his new team. 

Be a leader. From a leadership standpoint, an effective head coach is someone who is able to develop a vision on how the team should operate, is able to establish a strategy for achieving that plan, and is able to inspire everyone (staff and players) to carry it out successfully.

An effective leader is an expert in his field. His actions embolden confidence and respect for him by those with whom he works. He cares about people and treats them fairly. He demands that all staff members meet the highest possible standards. He prefers positive reinforcement, rather than the "big stick" approach.

He knows that results are what count — not the number of hours spent on a task. He does not second guess himself on decisions that were made with integrity, intelligence and a "team-­first" attitude. He is able to identify appropriate priorities. He doesn't coach "caution"; he coaches to win.

So many different ways to be that, sticking to football you’ve got Dan Campbell, Mike McCarthy, Bill Belichick. Outside of football works the same.

Be focused. You must be able to keep everything in the proper perspective and to concentrate on the appropriate task at hand. Everything should be viewed in terms of how it affects the team and the organization—not how it affects you.

All factors considered, your focus must be results-­oriented. To the extent possible, these results should be measurable. All efforts and plans should be considered not only in terms of their short run effect, but also how they might impact the team and the organization in the long term.

Be ethical. You must have a strong value system. Your values serve as your moral compass. Morally sound values engender respect from others and enhance the likelihood that your decisions and your behavior will reflect high principles. Your values also help to determine what things you choose to pay attention to and how hard you will work at them. In that regard, the welfare of the organization and the well being of the players and your assistants must be among your preeminent concerns.

You must have the character to abide by a morally sound code of conduct regardless of the circumstances. In that regard, you must exhibit integrity in all of your dealings with others. Furthermore, you should believe that it is important that your team wins in a manner that is a credit to the organization.

Be flexible. You must have the ability to respond and adapt to changing circumstances. While consistency is important, if the situation changes, you must change with it.

One of the most important areas of coaching in which flexibility is essential involves the need to give your team the tools to win. Within the specific framework of your system, you must be bold, creative and willing to take risks when necessary.

I’m sure what’ll also come up many times over this series is my favorite piece of wisdom that I’ve heard from Bill Belichick, and it’s a quote from Dwight Eisenhower, “plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Believe in yourself. You must have confidence in yourself and your system.It Is also important that you sell your program to your players. They must believe in you in order for them to be able to make the sacrifices that will be required of them.

Everyone in the organization (e.g., your staff, the players, the athletic trainers, the team managers, etc.) must believe that your plan for success will be effective if it is carried out as directed. They must also feel that you have their best interests at heart.

That’s what Coach Walsh had to say about the leadership principles a head coach should embody. 

Next time: what do you do as an organization (sports, business, etc)? You compete.