HOW THE NFL STRATEGY MAKE ME A BETTER LEADER
As far as I remember, I have always loved football. Native French citizen, I started to play when I was 16 in the suburbs of Paris late in the 80s. At that time, the sport by itself had all my interests; I had no clue about strategy or how to wear and fix my shoulder pads. I just knew we had to go from North to South to score, and this could be done only if played as a team. A few years after, with two national titles (Division II) playing as a Defensive End combined with a few years coaching teenagers and my hospitality expertize, I know what it takes to be successful and without simplifying a complex situation comparing the dynamics of a football team to a business, a few convergent points emerges but I only selected a few. As I could spend all night talking football! American football is the quintessential team sport, where each individual is assigned to a specific task, working together in perfect coordination to perform a comprehensive strategy, resulting in the addition of a sequence of games selected in order to defeat the opponent. This strategy will differ from either you are near your end zone on the left hash marks, 3rd down and 5 yards to go, or close to the red zone (opponent’s field) on a 4th & Goal weak side, leading by only 3 points. Before we go further, we need to clarify what a strategy is so we do not get confuse with all the definition we have heard about for years. A strategy, or the art of troop leader, is a “stream of decisions” (Henry Mintzberg) “in order to compete” (Michael Porter) to “shape the future” (Max McKeown) that “will ensure longterm success if followed faithfully” (Dr Vladimir Kvint) under conditions of uncertainty, which involves: Setting goals Determining actions to achieve the goals
Mobilizing resources to execute the actions
TRY HARD, NEVER GIVE UP Something I have learned from football is when you part of something you have to make something happen, whether it is on the field, off the field or at work. Do not look for excuses, never complain. You can stop playing if you are hurt, not because you have pain! The other things I have learned are that talent is not enough. A person who has got talent was overtaken by someone who worked harder. We might not be expected to play perfectly but the effort has to be perfect to do the job and; One other thing is you learn humility as much coming off of a loss as you do a win and if you cannot reach your objectives but you are in a position to help the one beside you, the rule is to make him shine! Always remember, we are as good as the last breakfast we have served. It also taught me it is ok to fail as long as you learn from your mistakes understanding what went wrong and how it can be done better next time, which helps me constantly improve. YOU CANNOT WIN WITHOUT A GAME PLAN Hall of Fame football coach Paul Brown was a visionary by developing game planning. He planned every single aspect of the game not just to reactively respond to weaknesses of the competitors but also to proactively take an advantage, using videos to scout opposing teams and analyze plays.
In business, a traditional plan consists of successive and specific actions contributing to the overall goal and how it can be achieved which in turn leads a team toward success opposite to someone running around looking for an opportunity. Although each individual play needs to be thought out and executed as well as possible, if one play fails, remember that it was just one play in a long game. The Head Coach (CEO) and the Quarterback (GM) will find the right play within the playbook to perform. Depending on the evolution of the game (defense cover, blitz coming), a hot read will help to adjust the targets, even calling an audible for an option run for example. Do you see the analogies? In business, it is the same. You have to stick to the plan but on route, adjustments will be necessary to stick to the market tendency and remain competitive (pricing strategy, refurbishment, recruitment, packages...)
AN ORGANIZATION CAN PERFORM ONLY WITH PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS Either in business or in Football, managing success involves organizational charts, employee handbooks, contracts, and other written, visual, and structural documents. Team members must know and understand what is expected of them and at the same time what to expect from each other. A business can perform only if processes and systems are implemented and detailed (Standards Operational Procedures - SOP’s). And Controlled. PREPARATION – EXCELLENCE DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT Never underestimate the value of preparation because there is a direct correlation with your performance. You need to take the time to prepare for a meeting, an interview or product launch to put yourself in the right mindset to handle any situation as you would prepare for any sports competition. Giving 99% of yourself is not the perfect effort. 100% is. Most of the time, some people do not succeed not because of a lack of talent or natural ability but because they do not have the discipline to become the best at what they do. After a few years “away” from the operations working as a Purchasing Manager, I took on a job as deputy general manager in a 4* hotel on the French Riviera , International touristy destination, extremely competitive with a very demanding top class clientele. I had worked with the GM in the past and he knew my skills but above all he knew my potential. When I signed the contract, in order to perform the challenge, a huge amount of personal work was needed. And during the first two years, I worked nearly 4000 hours extra time!!! It can
seem to be enormous but as previously said, I know what it takes to be successful. And remember, I am trained to perform until and including the 4th quarter and to score even on a 4th and Long. But do not be afraid, I did not work with my helmet. This is just an example so now you understand that drive and discipline may turn someone with less natural ability into the real superstar. Which I am not, the team is. I have always been fortunate to work with great team members. “The will to prepare is more important than the will to succeed.” Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys)
SCOUTING – COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE All football teams utilize all available information to build defense, offense and special team’s game plans. The amount of sports data available is huge and the precision of the stats is just amazingly ridiculous. With the video, we can review which play works best on 2rd and 3 or 1st and goal, which cover to defend in our own territory, if we double cover “Z”. The solutions are limitless. Business is no different. As in sports, scouting your competition (it should include your own data) everyday will allow you to cover and understand a zone/market, which to a certain extent will prevent them from closing a deal because you will intercept precious “intel” to better perform once in the red zone, even to “scoopnscore” (the ball is picked by the defensive player and takes it straight to score in the end zone). In business, you can translate the last analogy taking a contract from your competition and seal the deal. "The only thing a prevent defense prevents is a win." John Madden HUDDLE – WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CALLED FOR A MEETING? A huddle is a vital on-field meeting of players to communicate instructions before each upcoming play. The leader of the huddle is the team captain (the quarterback for the offense and usually the linebacker for the defense). Imagine if the O-Line had no clue if the game is going to be a pass or a dive: it would be chaos on the field as no one would protect the quarterback properly (poor him!). The same apply to a business team. You would not imagine starting the day without knowing what happen last night and what are the issues of the day? Information sharing can be accomplished through meetings. Involve your team in the process. For any team, it’s important for the leader to set clear expectations and exemplify the qualities you want to see in your employees.
Call a morning briefing every day, Head of Departments’ meetings every week and department’s meetings every month. It is of course not necessary to specify, pre-service briefings are not a plus, that’s compulsory.
I am a strong believer in the team dynamic and 11 minds are much better than one. Talk to your people, all the time, from the most senior to the 7th round pick. Leaders listen to people and make them realize they are valued team members. Encourage them to have a strong voice in any given situation as only Teams win. LEADERSHIP - WHAT MAKES A GOOD HEAD COACH / MANAGER? Staying on top requires the same commitment to excellence that it took to get there! Remember, Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. It would be very easy for me to select as a model Bill Belichick, the iconic head coach of the New England Patriots. He won 3 times the Super Bowl with the “Pats” and 2 other rings as Defensive Coordinator with NY Giants. Not to forget he reached 11th times the playoffs during the last 14 years!!! And because champions attract champion, the best players want to play are looking at wearing the same jersey.
One skill I retain from him is what I call “corporate shuffle” (a Donald Trump’s specialty too as well as mine). For your team to be the strongest possible, you can ask one of the employees to take on a role that has not been filled or to cover for someone.
But what make him stands out from the other coaches? First of all, he knows how to motivate and inspire a large group of people to work together and execute for each other every day toward the same goal as the only superstar is the team. He talks to all of them and have all the players to express themselves, from Senior Executive to the 7th round draft newly recruited. He’s demanding of everybody, but not in a way that is hard to be around. Kind of person you like to work with because it’s all about winning and that’s all that really matters.” “They call it coaching, but it is teaching. You do not just tell them [. . .] you show them the reasons.” Vince Lombardi For a clear perception of what makes a great leader, I like to refer to All Time Pro CEO Lee Iacocca’s 9 C’s. You will find the link at the end of this article. IT’S ABOUT THE TEAM, THE TEAM AND THE TEAM Sorry Conrad (Hilton), I had to adapt your quote to the situation but of course, “location, location and location” remain important. American Football teams understand they are in the people business even if obviously organizational success is paramount. Each employee, aware of their performance goals, receives:
Training and insight into the department’s goals and for the overall organization Guidance for their weekly actions Individual success recognized Continuous feedback on performance
Failures are expected but the organizations have a clear is in a constant mindset of improvement and team success. In our businesses, the time spent optimizing the performance of our associates must prevail. 4TH QUARTER “Ninety percent of the game is half mental”. Peter Berra (former American baseball player) It is popular to say during the 4h quarter, everyone gets tired, losing vision, not respecting assignments, losing temper and focus on what we have been trained for. In 2010, the NY Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles. In the last quarter, NY leads 31-10. Only 7:46 left, and Michael “GM” Vick is going to execute one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, to finally win the game. Final Score: 38-31.
During this game, like would any business do, the QB led his team by being: - Opportunistic: the Tight End catches the ball in an open field, ceases the chance to score and did it = touchdown - Creative: an onside kick recovered followed by a touchdown - Responsible: the QB took responsibility as a GM during rough times and carried the ball up to the red zone, then score. - Patient: the returner finally catches the ball, observes quickly what’s going on and thanks to everyone on the team respecting their assignments, goes straight to the goal line to score and seal the deal, and the victory. What we learn from this game is short-term success is not synonymous of victory and emerges from a potential losing team committed players and leaders. They played the game, not the score and gave everything they had. They finally ended up scoring… The Giants, like some sales reps making a good sale, abandoned too early thinking that’s it, we won. But when you make a good deal, it is the time to go out to close another sale, and another one. That’s your momentum and you are in a process of making money. No matter what the situation is, consistency is credibility.
RED ZONE CONVERSION The red zone is the area of the field between the 20-yard line and the goal line, where the chances of scoring are statistically higher. Performance in the Red Zone clearly is an indicator for success in football. The defense locks down and has fewer fields to cover, so the offense has fewer options for how to score. Everyone and everything on your team should be functioning perfectly in order to score. Once a team crosses their opponent’s 20 yard line they want to do everything in their power to capitalize on this field position and not leave without putting some points on the scoreboard. This is where the team (and coaches) really bear down and focus on delivering. Businesses have very similar patterns. For hotels, that’s where you optimize your RevPar, makes sales and generate revenue! The defense is the Resistance, the uncertainty of closing the sale or optimizing the occupancy with the right ADR (7 points) and not only 3 points (with a field goal). Or you can even convert with a 2 extra points instead of 1 for a total of 8 points. It’s critical that the team is focused and that you have a clear plan for how you close that sale. The team plays hard all the time, but they need to step it up even more when they’re in the red zone.
WHAT’S NEXT THEN? I could keep on sharing my passion for football and pertinent analogies we face every day (the blind “back up of the GM” side, the 12th “customers/fan” man, the “sales” blitz, the creativity of coach Bear Bryant who led Crimson to several victories implementing the “wishbone” offence (nothing to do with the fishbone from Ishikawa). With my partner, Stade Experts, when we organize team building sessions, we utilize NFL Strategies to further develop executives’ skills and attitude. Once again, not to worry, no contact are involved. What we need to remember is that none of us is as important as all of us. Clear goals and expectations, along with the right tools provided to the team to perform, will help you to succeed if you: -
are engaged communicate clearly have the right mindset
Prepare yourself with consistency and work hard to reach your goals. More importantly, have fun and passion in what you do.
We help you to build a culture of Growth! Roger Godin roger@rg-lhcc.com – www.rg-lhcc.com SOURCES & PUBLICATIONS & CREDITS Mintzberg, Henry and, Quinn, James Brian (1996). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Cases. Hall.1981). ISBN 978-0-132-340304 Contexts, Henderson, BrucePrentice (1 January "The Concept of Strategy". Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved 18 April 2014 Browns Scrapbook: A Fond Look Back at Five Decades of Football, author Chuck Heaton http://www.leeiacocca.com/scorecard/scorecard.pdf