Hello Leaders,
In honor of the start of a new football season, I thought it appropriate to share some insights I’ve gleaned from “breaking down film.” Living in New England has given me the opportunity to see a great coach and team in action for well over a decade.
The coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick, is known for being publicly “tight lipped” (watch one of his press conferences and you’ll see what I mean). However, he has on rare occasion granted cameras access to the team and his coaching staff in action. After watching more of this footage than I care to admit, I’ve noticed a familiar pattern in what coach Belichick does when he wants to highlight the importance of a particular moment in a game, that I’ve adapted in my consulting practice.
First, the coach calls a timeout before a critical point in the game, followed by a question to ground the player in the present, usually – “What’s the situation?” Once the player answers, the coach follows with a follow- up question – “What’s your role (in a successful outcome)?” Once this question is answered the coach can either correct/refocus the player or affirm their answer, followed by an encouraging send off – “Good! Now go do your job!” The steps look like this:
- Force a quick stop in the action to regroup
- Clarify the situation
- Let the team member(s) define success (re-focus them if needed)
- Encourage execution of the plan – “Do your job well!”
I hope you have as much success using this process as the coach has. May your team succeed and GO PATS! (I couldn’t resist…)
Thanks for reading and be your best self today, Tad