🏈 Bill Belichick's #1 Job Everyday Is To Monitor And Maintain His Culture

Don't Let Your Culture Slip

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them.” 
- Ray Bradbury

Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State for Richard Nixon writes at the beginning of his memoirs:  “When you move to Washington, you borrow on your intellectual capital you bring, and cannot renew it while you are there.”  You don’t have to work in Washington or politics to appreciate Kissinger’s comments. 

As Ray Bradbury tells us today, the quickest way to destroy the building of a culture is to stop reading, stop learning, and stop being curious.  As a coach or leader, one of your many job requirements each day is to check the culture.  Most people feel Bill Belichick’s role as the leader of the Patriots is to come up with new plays, or new players; however, his number one job is to monitor and maintain his culture continually.  If he lets his culture slip just a little bit, then it will not matter what new plays he might have, or what new players he can add to the team. 

How does Belichick do this?  Whenever he gets the chance to re-enforce the culture through the media, he takes advantage. Here is what he had to say when star tight end Rob Gronkowski retired: "Rob's impact on our team and organization was felt in many ways," Belichick said. "In the ultimate team sport, Rob was a great, great teammate. His production spoke for itself, but his daily attitude and unmistakable positive energy wherever he went and toward whoever he touched will never be forgotten. Rob will leave an indelible mark on the Patriots organization and the game, among the best and most complete players at his position to ever play."

He called him a great teammate, a hard worker and the first sentence of his release is more about what Gronk did for the culture, then what Gronk did on the field. With his constant dedication to finding players that fit into his “team first” concept, but also by educating the players on what a great culture can provide.  He never assumes the players understand the culture, so he teaches a class each morning on culture.  Some days he might spend five minutes, others he might use thirty.  Nonetheless, in Belichick’s morning talk to the team, culture education reigns supreme. 

Belichick does this by using an example of actions that won’t be tolerated, off and on the field, and by praising the actions that will.  Everyone need to learn to understand the expectations, and if you as their coach/leader aren’t teaching what you expect, how can you expect to have a winning culture?  We never can assume players understand; we must prepare them to understand. 

Don’t become a Washington politician.  Read and learn new ways to maintain what took so long to build.

---

Please forward and share this email with your friends and family.