How do we mimic elite organizations that have maintained a sustained competitive advantage? Mike Reiss discusses "The Patriot Way." It doesn't always work.
10. No shying away from tough decisions. The Patriots have cut ties with a number of elite players through the years. Sometimes a player has to go.
9. Reaction to adversity/clutch situations helps define greatness. How do we respond to challenges like illness or injury? What is our level of preparedness for close and late situations, with or without timeouts?
8. Public relations 101. How skilled are we and our players at communication? Do we credit role players publicly.
7. Fun is allowed and encouraged at times. Can and do we vary our communication substance and style? We have to PLAY basketball.
6. Leadership takes on different forms. We can be 'on task' (all business) at times and relationship-focused ('player's coach) at others. We can be quiet or demonstrative; but we players need to know that we're on their side.
5. It’s all about the details. No organization flourishes without knowledge of its people, market, its product, and its competition. But it begins with people.
4. Always choose comfort on the sideline. This isn't really relevant to most of us but we need to be comfortable in our own skin. The "hoodie" becomes metaphorical for comfort with ourselves.
3. Hardcore preparation and adjusting on the fly. I've always believed in detailed practice schedules and information sheets for players. But I've seen detailed game plans where players either forgot or never learned assignments and failed to execute when the situations arrived.
2. Power of the team. No coach teaches the power of the individual over the welfare of the team. But the paradox is that maximizing player skill maximizes the potential of a team, as long as players willingly subjugate themselves to the team.
1. Do Your Job. Success demands teamwork, but also requires winning the individual battles inherent to sport. Slogans only matter when they translate into action.