"The nice thing about football is that you have a scoreboard to show you how you've done. In other things in life, you don't. At least not one you can see."
–Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach
The scoreboard doesn't lie. It doesn't matter what the sportsbook says ahead of time, it's what the scoreboard says at the end of play.
We're in the midst of the NFL playoffs, and it's win-or-go-home season. Usually the better team wins, but not always.
Going into the playoffs, the Detroit Lions were the favorite to win the NFC. The Lions were upset by the Washington team on Saturday in the Divisional Round.
As with life, there are no guarantees in the world of professional football. So if people think that the Lions will automatically "build" on their 15-win season—the best regular season in franchise history—they may have another thing coming.
Many factors play into how the Lions will do next season, but it starts with how the team, particularly head coach Dan Campbell, handles the loss.
For context, Bill Walsh, the Hall of Fame San Francisco 49ers head coach, had seven “Don’ts” after a tough loss. Good advice for any leader to follow.
Don’t whine — Campbell was emotional and near tears in his press conference, but ultimately made himself accountable for his team's performance.
Don’t ask “Why me?” Campbell said about the players, "A lot of people don't know what they go through." This turned the focus to the grit of those on the roster and what the Lions overcame to have a remarkable and otherwise positive season.
Don’t expect sympathy. "We just didn't play great, and I mentioned we didn't complement each other and that's the same thing," said Campbell. "It's hard to look at it."
Don’t keep accepting condolences. As the NFC postseason favorite, Campbell didn't place any extra importance upon the Lions No. 1 seed. "I don't care if you're the seven seed, six seed, five seed, one seed, because I've lost at all of them damn near and it stings. And it hurts."
Don’t blame injuries or the officials. Noting that the beginning of the game was "odd," and that Detroit's starting cornerback will undergo surgery Sunday after breaking his arm on the defense's second play, Campbell did not give any excuses. "No. It just hurts to lose, man."
Don’t ignore the media. Coach Campbell stood up at his press conference and answered all the questions aimed at him.
Don’t blame the team. "At the end of the day, I didn't have them ready," said Campbell.
The Lions appear to have good leadership under Campbell. It looks like he handled the loss well and is a strong presence as a head coach.
The Lions offense lead the NFL in scoring during the regular season. And this year they earned their second straight NFC North championship.
But every year is a new one. We'll see what the future holds, but it's not automatic. Every NFL season is unique and it doesn't matter what you did last year or what your potential is for the future.
Coach Jerry Glanville once remarked on the fickle nature of pro football, "NFL stands for Not For Long." A strong culture can abate that and keep a team around for longer than expected.
To achieve more than a few consecutive winning seasons is a rarity in pro football. The Kansas City Chiefs are going to make their seventh consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.
Winning is a testament to a strong culture.
Which makes it even more puzzling that Bill Belichick, the one coach with the clear philosophy and track-record on how "culture" affects an organization, was given short shrift by the NFL last off-season—getting fired by New England and not hired by many franchises who could have used him.
Coach Belichick now appears content to ride into the sunset coaching college ball at North Carolina, but we'll see how the pigskin winds blow in the next few weeks and months.
Most folks—in sports or business or regular life—don't take the time or the effort analyze how or why their culture succeeds or fails. Through the vehicles of sport and entrepreneurship over the last twenty-plus years, I've made it a practice to figure out how and why culture affects individuals and organizations.
I'm no Belichick, Andy Reid, or Chuck Noll by any means, though I will help anyone and everyone when it comes to figuring out culture within their organization.
Sometimes it's not a fit, however. And thanks to help from many other coaches over the years, I am now aware that one of my talents is knowing that if I can't help you, I am able to direct you to someone who can.
Free 30 minute call to figure it out …
As always,
Brian
