Leadership Lessons From The Superbowl Champions

It was a fabulous Super Bowl on Sunday as New England edged out Seattle.

Given the scope of the game, there was much written about it. One article by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King talked about the preparation of New England’s offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel. McDaniel said that Belichick reminded them it was like all the other games they coached.

King wrote:   Said McDaniels: “What Bill said was, ‘This game is no different than any other one. It’s a 60-minute football game, and whatever issues we have, let’s make sure we correct them, coach them, and fix them. That’s our job.’

Here’s what I hear in those instructions:

1. Correct issues. Don’t let anything pass. Come up with an alternative. Adjust.

2. Coach them. As the cameras scanned the sidelines, the coaches were coaching. Whiteboards and computer tablets abounded. Communication was intense. The coaches were working diligently with the players to improve the next series. In the NFL, the coaching never stops. There is nothing passive about it.

3. Fix them. The coaches were being told that leaders fix things. If one solution fails, adjust again. Make it happen.

Leadership isn’t passive. It’s active. See problems. Coach until their fixed. Redo.