What CEOs Can Learn From Bill Belichick…

February 3, 2012

As we know this is Super Bowl week and all the hype that goes with it.

However one thing that stands out between the teams playing is the ongoing high level of success the Patriots have had since Bill Belichick became their coach.

 

During the interviews that have been written, I read Kevin Faulk’s response to a question about the Patriots success and Bill Belichick… “His consistency. His determination. His passion for coming in each and every year and having a different mindset to a season, having a different mindset to the team – understanding that it has to be different. Understand that each team is different and that he has to get each team’s attention in different ways.”

 

The key things that CEOs can learn from Bill Belichick are:

  • Consistency
    • Having consistency in how you approach the business, how you lead the team, how you treat people day in day out is the mark of a successful coach and CEOs
  • Determination
    • Having the determination to overcome adversity, turning obstacles into opportunities, learning from your mistakes is the mark of a successful coach and CEOs
  • Passion
    • Having the passion to come to work, the desire and enthusiasm every day to strive for excellence and build something great that no on else has done before is the mark of a successful coach and CEO
  • Every new year having a different mindset to the season
    • Coming in every year and understanding that you can’t rest on last years success that you have to be different if you expect to succeed. Understanding that your competition will be different, your products will be different, your customer needs will be different and that your team will be different is the mark of a successful coach and CEO
  • Every year having a different mindset/approach to the team
    • Every year a teams players and coaches change. Coaches leave and new coaches join, players grow older and skills diminish, players leave and new players join. Being able to understand the team dynamics and get the best from your coaches and players based on that years environment and competition is the mark of a successful coach and CEO’s

I wrote this before the Super Bowl but regardless of whether the Patriots win or lose against the Giants this Sunday, Bill Belichick is arguably the best NFL coach in modern times. We can all learn from the way he approaches coaching and managing the Patriots.

 

All the best!

 

G

Venture Partner

<strong>George Roberts</strong> is a Venture Partner at OpenView. He enjoys partnering with companies and helping them achieve their goals through strategy, focus and operational execution. From 1990 to 2003, George spent 13 years at Oracle Corporation, most recently having served as Executive Vice President of North American Sales. While at Oracle, George was responsible for over $1 billion in revenue and more than 2,000 employees, reporting directly to the company’s CEO and Chairman, Larry Ellison.