Lombardi on Leadership

Since "coaching" is a model that we use for developing sales leadership skills, we are always interested in learning more about great coaches. When David Maraniss’ When Pride Still Mattered appeared on the New York Times best seller list, it immediately registered as a must read. Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer for The Washington Post. His subject is the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers.

What we can learn about leadership from the coach who guided his team to victory in the first Super Bowl, not only transcends sports, but is still relevant as the countdown to Super Bowl thirty-four is underway.

Know your players "There are other coaches who know more about X’s and O’s," Lombardi once remarked. "But I’ve got an edge. I know more about football players than they do."

Use different motivational strategies for different Guard Jerry Kramer once joked, " Lombardi treated us all the same, like dogs." It’s a funny line that wasn’t true. The part about being treated the same, anyway. He knew that players like Paul Hornung didn’t mind being taken to task during practice. Others like Willie Davis and Fuzzy Thurston couldn’t stand being singled out. Accordingly, he would blast Hornung anytime he screwed-up (usually for being late for curfews) and talk privately with Davis and Thurston.

Quarterback Bart Starr was one of those who preferred private conversations. He approached Lombardi and told him he felt his leadership effectiveness was undermined whenever he got his butt chewed at practice. From then on, Lombardi held his tongue and reserved all of his concerns for quarterback to coach talks. Starr’s performance took off and the Packers started to win.

Lombardi had an uncanny knack for "reading" people. SST® provides a model for all leaders to improve their understanding of their "players". There are also "tools" for customizing communication and reward strategies.

Use rewards that fit the culture Selling and football have a lot in common. In fact, Lombardi once appeared in a film on that subject. One of the big differences, however, is that game day performance on the football field is recorded on film. Lombardi and his staff would break down the performance of every player on every play and grade it as a zero, one or two.

Lombardi then conducted an "Awards Ceremony" and called the names of the players with the highest ratings and most improvement to the front of the room. There he would pull crisp bills form his wallet and pass them out to the honorees. The amount of the bills? First five and eventually ten dollars.

What mattered was what the ceremony represented in the culture: being recognized for doing an excellent job by your boss in front of your peers. The money was secondary. Tight end Gary Knafelc said, "It was amazing how prideful you would become. It could have been five thousand dollars it meant so much."

Consequences as well as rewards Every client we know has a rewards system. Yet, more than you would imagine have no system of consequences for team members not meeting expectations. Lombardi’s players receiving the crisp bills for consistent level "two" performance and improvement felt prideful and honored. However, those with zeros on their report card knew there would be consequences.

Winning through preparation We break down sales leadership into two fundamental components: skills and strategy. Lombardi’s emphasis on grading film performance is an illustration of his emphasis on skills. He personally rode the blocking sled during practice.

He also thoroughly researched his opponent during the week. He would then involve his staff in developing the game plan, or strategy.

With the skills honed through repetition and with the strategy set and communicated, there was little to do on the actual game day. In fact his players joked that, once the game started, he was the most useless guy on the sideline. On game day, It was up to them and they knew it.

Don’t forget the basics Lombardi once opened pre-season camp by holding up a ball and saying, "Gentleman, this is a football." To which team cut up Max McGee replied, "Can you slow down coach. You are going a little fast."

Never take yourself too seriously Even Lombardi laughed at McGee’s remark.

Your team will respect you for the stands you take Lombardi was a native New Yorker. Born near Brooklyn, he went to college at Fordham where he was one of the legendary "Seven Blocks of Granite". He first coached at an area high school and then was an assistant at West Point. Lombardi broke in with the pros as an assistant with the New York Giants before taking over the reins at Green Bay.

On one of his first road trips with the Packers he encountered segregated housing and feeding arrangements for his players. When he returned to Green Bay, he personally visited every restaurant and tavern that had a reputation for segregation. His message was clear. Discriminate against any Packer and the place would be off limits to all Packers. On the next southern road trip he used his West Point connections to make arrangements for the entire team to stay at a local army base.

Know when to change the plays When Lombardi came to the New York Giants he introduced an offense that had been successful at West Point. Old pros like Charlie Connerly and gifted new ones like Frank Gifford could not hide their skepticism. Rather than jamming it down their throats, he visited with them in their pre-season residence hall rooms and asked for their help. He earned their respect and loyalty and the Giant’s offense became one of the best in the league.

Know when to make personnel changes Packer center Jim Ringo brought an agent with him to his annual contract conference with Lombardi. The agent pushed Lombardi for a raise for his client. Lombardi excused himself from his office. When he returned a few minutes later he said, "Take it up with the Eagles. I just traded Mr. Ringo to them."

Teamwork Following a rare loss, Lombardi gathered his team around him and said, "Let it be an example to all of us. The Green Bay Packers are no better than anyone else when they aren’t ready, when they play as individuals and not as one … Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Winning Selling and football are two fields where there are winners and losers. Perhaps the most famous saying attributed to Lombardi is, "Winning isn’t everything. It is the only thing." Maraniss provides a fairly extensive treatment of the origin of that quote. It was actually uttered by a young actress playing a football coach’s daughter. Lombardi saw the movie and, sure it hung on the locker room walls of the Packers. But, the saying appeared at other NFL camps as well.

What about this emphasis on winning? Critics have said it has been over emphasized. My take on Lombardi and winning is that his real emphasis was on "playing to win." There is a subtle but important difference. Lombardi wasn’t the kind of coach who berated his team after they lost. He would, in fact be a consoling influence. Before long, he would be looking ahead to prepare for the next game, or even season. He surprised his players by how quickly he tried to lighten the mood after a loss.

Ever catch yourself or your team going through the motions instead of playing to win? Playing to win means recognizing that your objective is to win the game, or the account, by executing the best skills and strategy each and every time.

Perhaps Paul Hornung put it best in a letter he wrote to his coach once his playing days had ended. "I believe the greatest thing I learned from your Football has not only been the idea of winning but WHY you want to win."

And, the WHY is winning instills pride. "Everybody has ability, but pride in performance is what makes the difference. Now, how do you develop pride. Pride is developed from a winning tradition."

When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. Does pride still matter in your team?

Summary Are there any leaders among us who couldn’t improve their performance by:

SST® Type

Wondering about Lombardi’s personality type?

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