Learning from Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots, is considered by many fans, players, and sports media figures to be the best coach in the NFL today. In addition to winning three Super Bowls in the last decade, and appearing in a fourth, Belichick has also been named the NFL coach of the year three times, in 2003, 2007 and 2010.
The success of the Patriots under his leadership is particularly impressive in the NFL, as opposed to other major sports, because the league is dedicated to the concept of parity. There are mechanisms in place, including the structure of the draft and the salary cap, that make it very difficult for teams to sustain greatness over many years. This matters to business owners because many of the principles of Belichick’s management style are applicable to the world of business. Here is a brief summary:
1. Always looking to improve. Belichick is never satisfied with his roster. He’s constantly looking to improve at every position, no matter how good the current player may be. The constant threat of competition motivates players to perform at the highest level, and the amount of talent on the roster ensures that if a player goes down due to injury, another player is ready to step up and take over.
2. Exploiting weaknesses and leveraging strengths. Belichick is always looking for mismatches. Unlike many NFL teams, who run the same basic offensive and defensive packages from game to game, Belichick’s Patriots will dramatically alter their philosophy from game to game in order to best exploit mismatches. If he sees that the next opponent has a weak run defense, he’ll switch away from the usual pass-happy offense and focus on running the ball. Conversely, if he’s aware of weaknesses on his own team, Belichick and his staff will design a scheme to compensate for the weaknesses.
3. Emphasizing preparedness. Belichick and his staff are exceptionally well prepared for each game. While all NFL teams spend significant time studying their opponents, the staff of the Patriots is known to be particularly thorough when it comes to studying the tendencies of opponents and organizing the data into actionable data.
Is your business dominating the competition? If not, maybe it’s time to channel your inner Bill Belichick. Honestly evaluate your organization—is there room for improvement anywhere? What about your strengths—are you leveraging them to the best of your ability, while taking advantage of weaknesses in your competition? And are you doing your homework when it comes to strategic planning and market awareness? Building a great organization requires hard work, vision, and determination—whether the organization is an NFL franchise or your business.