OT: Bill Belichick is a Level-5 Executive ('Good to Great')

[maverick4]

Has anyone else read the business book 'Good to Great' by that Stanford business professor guy? It describes qualities that take good organizations to exceptional elite organizations, which do way better than most Fortune 500 companies, and one of the main facets is a Level-5 guy making the decisions.

They describe a Level-5 leader as:
- quiet, not attention seeking, humble, and deflect credit to others.
- can be ruthless, always focusing on the bottom line, not afraid to make highly unpopular or drastic decisions for the benefit of the company.
- always focus on what can be improved, not afraid to brutally confront flaws or mistakes.
- strength of professional will, almost fanatical about the work and the company.
- workmanlike diligence - more of a plow horse than a show horse.
- ambitious for the company, not themselves (money, fame, glory, prestige, etc)

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but notice how similar Bill Belichick was to most of the CEO's profiled in that chapter. Has anyone else read this book?

 

[Disco Volante]

Seems spot on.

 

[richpats]

I read it last year for an MBA course. Really good book. The author is Jim Collins. Another key point in the book is that a "good" company can only become "great" after it overhauls its personnel that are best-suited to fulfill the company's vision. This is similar to the FA acquisitions prior to 2001 or the WR overhaul prior to 2007.

No coincidence that Belichick was an economics major - my managerial economics professor mentioned Belichick in dealing with "Game Theory", specifically going for it on 4th down.

 

[maverick4]

It perfectly describes what has happened to the Pats, too.

We were a playoff team, a winner who had gone to a Superbowl and won a few division championships... but Belichick took them to a whole other level. It is almost a textbook example for this guy's book 'Good to Great'.

We have the highest winning percentage over any 5 year span ever, the only perfect team during the regular season of 16 games, and possibly about to win 4 out of 7.

 

[TK in the UK]

Wow.... this is a thought that caught me by surprize. While I have been lurking around this site for a long time (great place to keep up with my Pats), I've never felt impelled to post before. But I may just have an insight on this issue that is worth sharing.

I was a VP at one of the companies cited by Collins - Circuit City in the late 80's when they went from being a small regional retailer to a dominating national one. While all I know about the Pats organization is what I can read, I think there are more than just one or two parrallels between them and CirCty:

* they both seem to have more than 1 level 5 execs. The Pats have Kraft and BB. CC had a Chairman (Alan Wertzel) and a CEO (Rick Sharp).

* Wertzel's gone now but the comparisons possible with him and Kraft are uncanny. Perhaps the biggest is how they both went out and got the man they wanted to run their organization against great opposition (with many feeling he had selected the wrong man).

* Comparisons between BB and Sharp are not as clear cut but they do have incredible focus on goals, the ability to get their people to share that focus and an absolute inability to accept anything but perfection.

* the organizations themselves also have a number of parrallels. Let me, off the top of my head, run through a quick list.

* the focus on goals is a given. But one unusual shared characteristic is that they both seem to care (and focus) as much on HOW the organization goes about achieving its goal.

* they keep their egos under control. For example, both are willing to drop a strategy if it isn't working and adopt a new one. Now that may seem to be just common sense (an oxymoron if there ever was one) but almost no organisation ever does it until it's far too late.

* they both seem to trust their people to do their jobs -ie, no micro-management but a lot of support and involvment with managers actually sharing in the workload. (think how BB actually coaches without taking authority away from his assistant coaches)

Okay, I could go on but I'm sure this is boring to most of you so I'll stop now. Plus, I left CC almost 20 years ago and the parallels may no longer exists. My thanks to whoever brought the topic up - it's always fun to remember the good old days. (PS - Collins got a number of details wrong but he was right on every single major point. The book is well worth reading)

TK

 

[Pat_the_Patriot]

Great thought... I've read the book and it never occurred to me to apply it to a football team (not sure why, now... it is, after all, very much like a business on the field and VERY MUCH a business off of the field)... but I think that your thoughts are spot on.

Also just want to share that the Pats are lucky to share THREE men that may classified as "5s".... BB, Kraft and Pioli.... Pioli shares a lot of attributes with both BB and Pioli... just a thought there.

 

[GostkowSKI]

Read it for a business class in college, basically one of the main trademarks of a level 5 leader is someone who would rather leave their company in better shape than they got there; instead of obtaining joy by seeing it crumble when they depart. I feel that Belichick would rather see this team be set up for the future after he departs rather than to load up for one final push.

 

[teamplay]

Collins also makes the point that great companies stick to a plan and strategy for the long haul, and eventually they build the momentum of a giant flywheel: an almost unstoppable force. All season, I've been thinking of Collins' flywheel analogy as it applies to the Patriots: what's happened this year (17-0) is the product of 8 years of dedication to the same plan and strategy.

 

[maverick4]

Another thing I was thinking was that Belichick cares very much about what kinds of players he brings in. He wants not just strong, tough, fast players, but those who have a passion for the game and have character. All of these are also attributes of 'good to great' companies, putting the personnel first and then figuring out how to best use your people. Belichick is the same way, he brings the best guys he can, then changes his strategy based on his team's players.

 

[hallfamebrady]

I heard Jim Collins speak once and the comparisions to the Pats are uncanny. The one that stands out is you are either on the bus or off the bus. Collins said that employees who do not fit the mold set in the companies core values fail and are quicky dismissed.

Sound like the Pats

 

[Michigan Dave]

Yup. Goof to Great is one of the books on our executive development plans. I read the following article, which is somewhat relevant and was brought up at a seminar I attended:

Why HR Should Love the New England Patriots
You might ask what the Pats have to do with HR. The answer is that they have a team-based culture that survives despite 30 percent annualized turnover. And they’re 16-0. Here’s how you can be a Patriot too.
By Kris Dunn

n case you missed it, the Patriots did just enough at the end of the NFL season to get past the Giants and become the first pro football team in history to go 16-0. You can hate them, as many NFL fans do. You can’t deny their success.

Here’s another thing Patriots haters can’t deny: The Patriots have the strongest "team first" culture in all of professional sports. These aren’t the Yankees or the Red Sox, writing big checks to ensure they have the best talent in the league. No, this is the NFL, with a hard salary cap. That means that on a year-to-year basis, around 30 percent of the Patriots’ roster turns over, and they have to go find more talent. Just like you.

That’s right: The Patriots are one of the biggest employment brands in professional sports, and they have 30 percent turnover. That’s what a hard salary cap does to an organization. Just like in your business, when you decide not to match that stellar offer an employee has to work elsewhere, the Patriots have to decide the best way to dole out their fixed payroll. That means a lot of players shuffle in and out on an annual basis.

But the team-first culture of the Patriots survives. Why?

The easy answer is the presence of a megastar like quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots are incredibly fortunate to have a player like Brady in that key role, and he is the poster child for world-class performance laced with humility. The guy has never missed a chance in interviews to talk about his teammates or to deflect praise to the organization.

But the easy answer doesn’t satisfy the probing mind. Lots of teams have stars, but no pro sports franchise in recent history has enjoyed such a sustained run of success with "team as the theme."

Here is my take on four critical components driving the strength of the team culture in New England and the squad’s sustained success:

The Patriots believe in behavioral interviews with an emphasis on "motivational fit." OK, I’ll admit I have no clue if the Patriots actually use behavioral interviewing. But the Patriots seem to understand the need to match players with the philosophy of their organization. Where else could average talents like Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Kevin Faulk have such a huge impact across three world championship teams? This talent core performs on the field, but more important, it epitomizes the team concept and leads in the locker room, where dissension usually begins—just like the break room or hallways at your company. I can almost hear coach Bill Belichick asking prospective draft choices or free agents, "Tell me about a time that you were most satisfied with your college career," then listening for the themes of "we" and "me" to decide if they are a fit.

The Patriots have the ability to assimilate stars into their culture. It’s good to have average talent that is dedicated to the cause, but you need rainmakers to win it all. With that in mind, I have two words for you: Randy Moss. Not familiar with Moss? He’s the guy who did a simulated "mooning" of the Green Bay crowd after a playoff touchdown for the Vikings a few years ago. Widely seen as a "me first" cancer on a team, he joined the Patriots this season and set the single-season touchdown record for a wide receiver. More important, he’s been performing with ZERO controversy, outlandishness, etc. Without exception, the Patriots are the best in the league at assimilating talent into their cultural system. My take is that it goes beyond initial onboarding, and that the team approach is re-emphasized at every turn. Part of the talent selection process is undoubtedly selecting role players (like Vrabel and Bruschi) who are vocal and will pressure fringe stars like Moss back to the "team first" theme when they stray.

Managerial talent focused on results, not media hype or controversy. All organizations look to their leaders to set the tempo. In a sports landscape littered with the narcissistic images of Jerry Jones (owner of the Cowboys), Bill Parcells (now VP of football operations for the Dolphins) and Brian Billick (ex-Ravens coach), players expect competition for the cameras from their owners/management. Not so with the Patriots. You rarely see an interview with Robert Kraft (owner of the Patriots), and watching a press conference with Belichick is like having a toenail removed. Their focus on results, the next opponent and the team culture reinforces the message throughout the organization. And players fall in line.

The team theme rules, even when the system promotes stars. I’m from Missouri, which means I’m a St. Louis Rams fan. A few years ago, the Rams were hot and won the Super Bowl with the greatest show on turf (lots of passing and individual stars: Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, etc.). The next year they faced an upstart, underdog Patriots team in the early stages of the culture the Patriots have built. The game was getting ready to start, and I was watching the player introductions. The Rams went first, introducing the individual starters for their incredible offense one at a time. Next up, the Patriots started their introductions, and instead of shining the lights on their individual players for a little recognition and glory, they came out as a team and ran through the tunnel together.

I thought to myself, "That felt different."

Game over: The Patriots upset the Rams and it was the start of the New England dynasty. The Patriots still come out as a team to this day.

Love them or hate them, the Patriots are different. Not different like the Yankees, but different like in Jerry Maguire, when Jerry hugs Rod Tidwell in the tunnel after his breakout game. You watch that scene and you wish your workplace could be like that. A sense of team, and of purpose, all while still getting great results.

Here’s hoping you and I get a chance to build that kind of culture in our careers.

Workforce Management Online, January 2008 -- Register Now!


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Kris Dunn is vice president of human resources for SourceMedical in Birmingham, Alabama. His blog is www.hrcapitalist.com. To comment, e-mail [email protected].