I do not like the New England Patriots. I can't really say why, but I just do not like them. That is why I will be rooting for the Atlanta Falcons in today's Super Bowl LI. Don't misunderstand me - I still think the Patriots are a great team, and I can appreciate what they have done. Since taking over as Head Coach, Bill Belichick has led the team to a 201-71 winning record with 14 Division titles, 7 AFC Championships, and 4 Super Bowl victories. While he has been the Head Coach, the New England Patriots have played in six Super Bowls (today will be the seventh) and 10 AFC Championship games. Coach Belichick has clearly built a culture of winning in the Patriots organization. Of interest, he has not always been successful as a Head Coach. During the five seasons that he was Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns, he had only one winning season (the 1994 Cleveland Browns had a record of 11-5 and finished 2nd in the AFC Central Division, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Division Play-offs), with an overall record of 36-44.
So what is the difference between Bill Belichick as the Coach of the Cleveland Browns versus Bill Belichick as Coach of the New England Patriots? Well, for one, the Patriots' version of Bill Belichick has arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks (some would say he is the greatest) to ever play the game in Tom Brady. After all, after tonight's game, Tom Brady will have played in seven Super Bowls during a career that so far has spanned 17 NFL seasons. In other words, Brady has reached the Super Bowl in nearly half of the seasons he has played in the NFL! Don't get me wrong, one of the key elements in any winning formula for the NFL is to have a good quarterback - having a future Hall of Fame quarterback definitely helps! But I think there is more to it than just Tom Brady.
I think the Patriots' success starts with the last of the three Navy core values - commitment. Everyone in the entire organization, from the coaches to the players to the equipment managers (yes, even the guys who reportedly deflated the footballs in the AFC Championship game in January, 2015, "Deflategate") are fully committed to winning. The culture throughout the Patriots' organization is one of winning. If you play for the Patriots, you learn very quickly that there is a right way and a wrong way to act, to think, to practice, and to play. It is all about the culture - the "Patriot Way". Tim Tebow, who briefly played for the Patriots during training camp in 2013 recently talked about the "Patriot Way" in an interview this past week. Tebow said, "When people talk about the Patriot Way, it's not a cliché they're just trying to use. It's actually the truth. It's a different level. It's a different level of focus, of study, of preparation than a lot of other teams. That's also another reason why they keep going to the Super Bowl." The phrase ("Patriot Way") has been around for some time (probably since at least 2010), but it summarizes what I think is at the heart of why the Patriots keep going to the Super Bowl. It's all about "commitment." Each member of the Patriots' organization has fully committed to being the best player, coach, equipment manager, trainer, owner that he or she can possibly be. They have fully committed to the team and to each other. The Patriots practice what has been called "200% accountability" - they are not only accountable for their own attitudes, but also for the attitudes of those around them.
One last comment. I think it is instructive that Coach Belichick never outlined the elements in "the Patriot Way" in a book or on a dry erase board for all the players to see. He never said to his team, "this is how I am going to define the Patriot Way and I want you to all buy into it." Rather, the culture developed over time and then (only then) someone from outside the organization labeled it "the Patriot Way." In other words, leaders should set the tone for the culture, but the culture itself has to develop from the "bottom up" (and not from the "top down"). It's not like a leader can stand in front of the organization and say, "This is the Company Way" (substitute the organization or company name for the word "company") and then expect the rest of the members of the organization to buy into it. Leaders have to set the vision and support it (and demonstrate it) so that the rest of the organization can build the culture. It is a very subtle difference, but I think it is a very important one nonetheless. Set the tone. Drive the culture. And then (only then) label it. Never vice versa.
Commitment. It is a promise - really a pledge - to give everything you possibly can give to a greater cause. It is a complete buy-in to the organization's mission, vision, and values with 200% accountability. And it is at the heart of the "Patriot Way."
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