By Paul T. Ayres
Business, Executive, & Life Coach
Maximize Your Margin, Optimize Your Team, & Rescue Your Time!
Recently the GOAT Tom Brady opined with a Harvard Business School mind, Nitin Nohria with respect to just what leadership is. I was so excited because as you know if you follow my work, I love the sports analogy to business and life. This is part of the catalyst behind THEFITPROFESSIONAL1.
The article published in the Harvard Business Review (Sept-Oct 2024 issue) is a result of Brady's discussion with Mr. Nohria. On one hand, I'm so thankful that a real-life leader has a chance to discuss this topic with academia. So much has impacted the subject of Leadership with substantial drift in both definition and application. Most of the modern discussions on leadership may not be familiar to ‘the greatest generation’ and other old-timers.
I believe this so much you'll be seeing a digital book out from me soon on this subject. So many miss the mark in my most humble opinion. There is this tendency to extrapolate leadership to everyone on the team. This is one example of what I think is wrong with modern leadership teaching and practice in organizations. I think the overlap of what makes a great professional and what makes a leader is significant. Some high percentage. Ninety-something. No, I don't have a study. Just what has been real for me. Also, what I have observed in organizations I have watched and those I have worked in. Also, in interviews with military ranks to General and managers in corporate America including CEOs. Also, with blue-collar high character hard-working operators, drivers, laborers, and clerical staff. It is true. Often what we take in on the leadership subject seems off base.
Try it. Take your latest read on leadership, and mark every concept, attribute, characteristic, practice, discipline, etc. that is also applicable to a professional who is not in a lead position. Yeah, most of them.
So then, we are back to what is a leader. Or at least;
WHAT THEN IS IMPORTANT FOR LEADERSHIP?
‘Talking’ with Brady offered the opportunity to dial in some specifics with regard to leadership, at least in the NFL. Thank you, Mr. Nohria, for pulling this out of the GOAT. On the other hand, Nohria makes sure we talk about everyone. This transgression to what’s a drift with leadership is countered, again, by Brady's reality. It is interesting. Should you pick up the article, you'll first be a bit disappointed in the direct application ideas, but you'll understand this was real for Brady.
It comes from the place that worked for him, in that organization. The science of this, I'll warn, is larger than Tom Brady. You must consider the impact on his experience and opinions with what he refers to as 'formal leaders.' Which in fact created the opportunity for him to influence players the way he did.
Leadership exists often transcending an individual. Floating a bit on the culture it produces, then through successful efforts, multiplies to still a stronger organization. There is a multiplying impact when leadership ‘is right.’
Still, with the power of the experience of this GOAT Brady, even though we remain a bit in the dark, even foggy about what Leadership is, and just how it might matter in our organization, we do gain some insight. Especially, if we work hard to consider the comments with regard to his reality. This must be done to gain the best chance of using these ideas to improve our organizations. You will recognize bits of all points made. The value is in applying great critical thinking to a reached understanding of Brady’s points translated into what you can use. This improvement you seek, well, it’s going to be on you to deliver regardless of your actual formal or informal role in your organization. My comments come from what I see as a reality.
Most organizations are executing on leadership. Some, of course, are better than others. No question. What I think the leadership pundits and peddlers do is take advantage of our desire to impact our organizations with exemplary leaders. We hold this bias or opinion at some level that our leadership is not good enough. That 'only if' we had the best leaders. Often opined by those not in leadership positions to be sure. Note this is plural. Multiple leaders. Not so fast. Brady, if you read between the lines, calls out the importance of the role of every player. And 'those around him,' in particular. He's not 'leading' the owner Mr. Kraft. Rather, Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick are creating the opportunity for Tom to lead those around him. Hold this perspective as you read and in my humble opinion, you’ll get more ideas to implement. Of course, you'll have to subscribe to HBR.
This urge and desire; to be and have a great leader(s), being so powerful, we latch onto the next 'new thing.' Buzzwords, master’s classes, coaches; why? Because it matters! Leadership does in fact create the gap between average and great organizations. But so does every soul in them. Don’t forget that. And this is to me part of the value in Brady’s comments. A focus on everybody. Not as ‘leaders’ but as effective role players. We know this, but many of us forget.
When most of what's published and sold to the ready buyer is retooled it applies to almost every professional. Try my little test again. Simply ask what applies to both leaders and role players. Most everything you consider. So what next? I won't dissect all of Brady's points.
Rather, I'll consider for discussion those points he brings up that I see as 'real' aspects of leadership and are applicable to our non-sport-related professional work environments. This is not to say Brady's comments are not accurate. Far from it. In his realm of the NFL, he truly is a GOAT at the position. However, with the number of championships, it seems a moot point to disagree: He is also likely the best 'quarterback leader' of all time. And that's the key. Quarterback leader. He is not the GOAT outright leader of the Patriots.
HELP THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU PERFORM BETTER
Brady distills this into seven principles with the help of Nohria. We'll get into those later in the article. What is interesting and needs to be noted, is the others 'need to perform better.' The statement is a fact and also a statement of ‘those around me need to perform better.’ It also includes an acceptance by those individuals that they indeed do need to improve AND it’s okay for Brady to point it out. This is not so straightforward in business organizations. Again, some do better than others.
How is your structure around this item? Ultimately people make their own decisions about performance. Especially with regard to work, they must do to create a better result 'in their role.' I'm pleased that through the piece Brady recognizes the roles of others and the responsibility of the individual to improve and produce results.
A TEAM-FOCUSED PHILOSOPHY
- Aren't we all chasing this?
I have been a student of alignment as it relates to organizational success. I think it's the secret sauce. Football teams have a distinct advantage. Literally, NOBODY plays in the NFL without wanting to win Super Bowls every year. Almost nobody is unsure about playing the game of football. And almost no player has a question about playing their position. There is implicit alignment we don't necessarily get in corporate America.
From top to bottom, everyone wants to win and win the Super Bowl. This is real, and we as professionals must recognize this advantage and consider the comments through the sports team lens. Yes, I'm a fan of making my organization more like a sports team. Getting a passionate and completely shared alignment is a lot tougher to do than say. So, again, consider Brady's comments with this implicate organizational alignment and industry advantage.
Brady says leadership comes down to this:
"Do you care about your team, and do you care about winning."
Caring about the team is replicable in business. Not a piece of cake, but we out here in corporate America do a pretty good job with respect to caring. Where we see a breakdown vs. the non-NFL world is when it doesn't work out. Sometimes our 'players' or employees are not performing. We work to 'lead', support, acknowledge, teach, and coach. And they don't come around. We 'fire' them. The NFL 'cuts' them. The NFL team doesn't get questioned. Often in our non-NFL world, we are. However, if we truly communicate performance expectations, and the employee cannot or will not improve, have you ever noticed those employees don't kick back on the way out? Is it that simple? No. But it’s a good point to consider as you examine Brady's experience as different from your own; or not. This is exemplified by our employee retention.
CARING ABOUT WINNING
What is winning for your organization? This is a bit tougher. We need a margin to stay in business. But the margin isn't necessarily a win in your employee’s mind. What is interesting is without margin we definitely 'lose.'
So, a leader in corporate America must define what winning is for each stakeholder. Hmm. Like a football team clearly defining roles and performance expectations including deliverables (catch the ball) and results (get to the endzone for a touchdown). And just like football, a team member can't say, more three-point baskets, because we are not playing basketball, we are playing football. We need field goals, touchdowns, safeties, etc. to win. It is this game. It is our game.
For Brady, it is a game of FOOTBALL.
Winning is having more points at the end of the game.
What is your game? What is scoring in your game? What defines a win? And what defines a win for each person on your team in YOUR game? So, we as leaders need to define what points are and what the game is. Players, or our employees, are still the ones who decide if they are going to play the game. Defining the game and what points are sounds like management. What do you think? Did you ever hear of a quarterback being called a great 'game manager' or he 'managed that drive to score brilliantly?' Yup. So, consider what is the role of management in defining your game and scoring.
LEADERSHIP REQUIRES TRUST
We all know in management and organizations trust is important. We don't need the leadership pundits and peddlers to tell us this. We learn it early. And intimately. Almost stating the obvious, I don't think there is anyone who disputes this in this modern management age.
Trust matters. No one leads, at all, if they are not trusted. We must have trust before anyone can lead. Brady discusses this from his perspective. He takes responsibility for building trust, 'with those around him.' And he goes profoundly personal with all players if they'll let him. What is interesting and a breath of fresh air for this practicing fit professional is where trust comes from according to Brady. Yes, we are personally responsible, but he cites immediately the shared goal. Winning.
Shared goals are a basis for trusting each other. These answer why we are all together in the first place. Again, in corporate America, this is not always so obvious. Therefore, an explicate decision is made by everyone in the organization: ‘Winning is good and I want to win.’ Easily defined in football. Very clear. Not so much in business because winning is often not defined, even brushed under the rug some.
Example: Is profit good or bad in your mind? In the past, 'profit' became bad because executives with huge incentive packages took millions - they often got the personal 'win' even if the team did not. Most durable and successful organizations of today have addressed this. But not all. If it is not clear, there is an explicit and subtle mistrust right out of the gate with regard to 'what's in it for me vs. what's in it for her, etc.' After all, who in your organization would not like to make a little more money?
On the Patriots, do you think the second-team offensive guard was okay with Brady's compensation?
It is really interesting the acceptance by the organization for the quarterback’s compensation in the NFL, win or lose. However, we note that it isn't too many bad games and the QB is on the road. Accountability. The QB if he doesn't perform is quickly replaced. And the big numbers come from the results. As indicated by Brady's rise in compensation parallel with his rise in performance - and the team’s success. Both have to be there. Do we do this in our businesses?
Back to trust. Trust is established by more than the leader.
Tom Brady did not make compensation decisions for other teammates. They are targeted per industry expectations for the respective role. The role's impact on winning, and the person's particular performance in that role. So, quarterbacks are 'more valuable' to winning than a lineman. Per league averages by compensation, this is true and agreed upon. Even the lineman agrees.
Yes, NFL QBs often opine on that new player's compensation, some even give back compensation to provide for obtaining other players.
Are they generous and leading? Or are they focused on winning first and that new player will make the difference for them in the win column, so they are also 'buying' the player? Is that leadership? Depends. Again, likely shades of grey and not black and white, but we must consider what really makes a leader and what really makes a leader effective. The situation they are in, the role, the organization (Not just Belichick or Kraft or Brady, it goes to every corner - that is people competent and executing their role toward the objective).
Leaders create the conditions under which their team members can succeed. Brady completely supports this. Thanks, Tom, the pundits opined on these decades ago. But to put it into practice, that was part of Brady's brilliance and gift to all of us with his validation of this and other principles that impact leadership. Who in the Patriot's organization really delivered these required conditions under which trust can appear? Brady? Belichick, Kraft, others, or combinations of others?
If trust is therefore part organizationally produced, then is it one of the MOST important keys to leadership? Or is a leader simply one that doesn't screw up the environment and expectations under which trust can thrive? And what about the role of the GM and owners? And last but not least, the willingness to trust is brought by every team member; where does this come from? I'm back to alignment.
BRADY'S QUEST
Brady reached out to the professor at Harvard. He feels that his primary success revolves around 'how he helped people around him perform better' was a vital aspect of his success and what he thinks is the center of leadership. I'm not one to argue his points. Again, look at his success. We should listen to him and study the applicability of the principles he noticed to our world. Let’s take a look.
"Team leaders must find ways to draw the best physical, mental, and emotional performance from the players working with them." - Tom Brady
Although the article cites 'seven' leadership requirements, he cites more. Here is a kind of crib note for you on the main points of the article. Again, I invite you to consider Brady's observations with respect to his role and the game of football. He is not Kraft. He is not Belichick, he is the quarterback. Could it be that those of us who are not 'the top formal leaders' are best served to focus on those around us? Or is the ‘around us’ essentially a layer of the organization at a time – simply because this is more practical?
Brady made history with this Core Principle:
We can concoct what we may, but for summary, here are the emphasized points in summary according to Tom Brady, and they are solid:
1. A team-focused philosophy.
Here he talks about trust and trust comes from caring deeply about each other AND is based on a shared belief that winning is about the entire team winning.
2. Tom's Seven:
a. Put the team first, always, even when facing personal adversity.
b. Show appreciation for unsung colleagues.
c. Set the standard and create a culture of 100% effort.
d. Recognize teammates' individual psychology and the best ways to motivate them.
e. Understand and complement the style of the formal leader.
f. Recognize and counteract the external forces that can cause selfish behavior.
g. Create opportunities to connect ‘as people’ outside the office.
3. What can get in the way (or help if handled)?
a. The emotions and behaviors that define individuals are formed early (in their careers).
b. Leaders work within a system.
c. It can be hard for individual team leaders to influence change across large organizations.
d. A leader's style and influence will take time to evolve.
I'm excited about the likelihood of another book by either or both Brady and Nohria. I won't go through all of these, and I already addressed number one. You know you have read already about each and every one in a leadership resource to this point in your career if you found yourself a student of leadership and its application to management science. This is at least likely so. But what I will do in addition to those points I've already opined on is point out some items I think are key to leadership and most often overlooked by the leadership pundits and peddlers.
Each of Tom’s points might deserve a chapter in my book or an entire newsletter/blog. Not so much because they are ‘his.’ I say they are not his. I believe you can find related literature, even studies, on most if not all of these. But because we all know them to be true, and we still struggle with the mastery of application to make a difference. Here Brady excelled in his environment. Tough in any environment. Again, Brady’s validation of these in his world is where the brilliance is. I'll get to these principles, and more, in the future. For now, I'll very briefly focus on what I believe can help all professionals, not just those in formal or informal leadership positions.
UNDERSTAND AND COMPLEMENT THE STYLE OF THE FORMAL LEADER
This, to me, is a great catch and observation of Brady over his career. There is much to communicate here to me. The first, being his precise and comprehensive understanding of his role with respect to this phenomenon we call leadership.
He was a ‘quarterback leader.’ Not the GM. Not the Coach. The quarterback leader.
In that role, he applied his tactics and cared for his teammates. He did what he could as he says, ‘to help each player improve and be the best they could be.’ He didn't question leaders in other roles. He didn't have to. He trusted them to do their jobs. And he knew they were aligned. It was the ‘game of football’ and the goal was a Super Bowl win every year. I wasn't in the locker room or on the field. But it's fair speculation this occurred given the success. And certainly, things were not always wonderful.
Certainly, there were disagreements and conflicts. But what ruled the day was not the 'formal leader' but the alignment to the goal. And maybe that culture of 100% effort. This means everyone, including not slacking by the 'formal leaders,' did their jobs. And that is within their role. Just like Brady can't throw and catch the pass, the coach can't block for Brady.
And it tumbles down the organizational chart in a positive manner. With acceptance of the direction and coaching of the formal leader. At most there is a translation and support from the 'quarterback leader' bringing those on board. Checking back in line with the alignment with all players is so important.
To ponder this, I leave you with:
What is the equivalent process in your organization?
How clear are roles?
Are downline organizational team members explaining and justifying the direction of formal leadership toward objectives?
Are the 'teammates around you' aligned with the objective?
What can you do to move them toward that?
LEADERS WORK WITHIN A SYSTEM
More brilliance. Leaders don't 'question everything.' It’s funny, Brady is a Michigan alum, and so is one of my sons. At his orientation a good decade or more post-Brady era, the message for the parents addressed by faculty at orientation was essentially that. ‘We're going to teach your kids to question everything.’ Yes, I'm taking some liberties and possibly extrapolating the message to some. But to make a point. How can an organization focus on winning when the system and most everything in it is questioned? It cannot win. Questioning everything all the time is a recipe for disaster.
Years ago, business books popularized the idea of deconstructing, even blowing up your business to get the change that was needed. The truth is there are better ways. Again, this is a good place to insert 'there are exceptions to virtually every statement in business.' A system. Another source of trust. Do you think a player going into college football in 2024, trusts Ohio State's or Purdue's football system more? I'm a Purdue alum, so this is hard to say. They are preseason ranked at the bottom of the expanded conference going into the 2024 season. Bummer. I remain a fan and hopeful. But, a star recruit has an opinion of the system. Besides the brand. Besides history.
What is the system and what does it enable employees/teammates to accomplish? And what does it allow manager leaders to accomplish? A great system provides the opportunity to lead because fundamentals are handled excellently. It’s similar to having food, water, and shelter before you can read a book. The system also contributes to providing the opportunity to lead and for all to be successful.
There is so much more! Leadership is not simple. But what you need to, and can do, to lead can often be simple. Consistency matters. Discipline matters. All of it is sourced from the individual, not outside.
The organization winning is the North Star. Let that rule your day. All we can do outside our employees/teammates’ minds is create and support the conditions for employees/players to make the choice to do what's needed to be successful in contributing to organizational success.
Yeah, ‘individual psychology’ as Brady says. That is real.
So, for all of us whether or not in a leadership role:
Work on your alignment with your organization.
Work to understand your formal leaders and your organization's 'game' and objectives. Even use the language, "What does winning mean for me, our company, our department, and our location?"
And, take the ball and bring honor, dignity, character, discipline, and hard work to your role as it supports winning for you and your organization.
I look forward to sharing more on the subject of ‘LEADERSHIP’ in the future. It is fascinating and enjoyable to study and apply what we learn. As always, if you'd like to start the transformation of your organization to an aligned team focused on your version of winning, contact me!👉 Email: paul@thefitprofessional1.com
Or, Connect with me on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitpro1coach/
In the meantime, I wish you success and lots of wins!
Paul T. Ayres
Business, Executive, & Life Coach
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