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The following are 45 Definitive Leadership Lessons From Tom Brady, Bill Belichick And The New England Patriots following their Super Bowl LI victory.  After reading, all business leaders and coaches should make sure you pick up my new FREE ebook The Leadership Of Nick Saban: Timeless Truths From The Incomparable Head Coach Of The Alabama Crimson Tide at the bottom of the article:

Sports Illustrated – January 23rd

  1. Great Leaders Make Other People Better – “He made me better than I was.” – former wide receiver Wes Welker on Tom Brady
  2. Great Leaders Put In The Lonely Work, Work No One Sees Or Applauds – “Before he was a starter (at Michigan), we would all be walking off the field after practice and Tom is out there throwing balls into a trash can.” – Wolverine teammate Tai Streets
  3. Your Top Leaders Set The Pace For Your Entire Organizational Culture – “That franchises’s identity is winning.  That starts with Tom.  They’ve created a whole culture that runs through one person.” – former Patriot teammate Austin Collie
  4. Great Leaders Raise The Level Of Professionalism For Your Entire Team – “He taught me how to be a professional, how to treat people in the workplace.” – Julian Edelman

Sports Illustrated – January 30th

  1. Great Teams Are Smart Teams – “They expect you to get up to speed and to know your stuff.  It’s a pretty serious environment.” – Collie
  2. Great Leaders Have Great Attention To Detail – “Attention to detail, consistency – that’s what Scar brings.” – former Patriots center Dan Koppen on offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia
  3. Great Leaders Are Also Great Teachers – “If you’re willing to listen and put in the work, Scar can teach you how to play football.  He could teach a chair, he’s that good.” – Koppen

Sports Illustrated – September 18th, 2016

  1. Great Leaders Have Great Intelligence – “Rob (Gronkowski) is a versatile athlete, but he’s also a versatile guy mentally.  He can handle a lot of different assignments.  Some guys can’t.  Either they mentally can’t do it, or it’s just too much and their game slows down.  They don’t play to the same skill set you see athletically because they’re thinking too much.  That’s not the case with Rob.” – head coach Bill Belichick
  2. Great Leaders Hold Others Accountable – “Tom (Brady) is a teacher.  At first he just tells you what to do.  If you don’t get it right after that, he’ll come at you hard.” – Gronkowski
  3. Great Leaders Positively Affect An Entire Team’s Performance – In 2015, when Gronkowski was in the game, the Patriots averaged 7.27 yards per play.  When he was on the sidelines, the team averaged 5.24 yards per play.

Super Bowl Pre-Game Comments – ESPN’s Coverage

  1. Great Leaders Are Great Planners – “The Pats always has a first half and second half game plan.” – Bill Polian
  2. Great Leaders Keep Things Simple By Reducing Complexity – “They do a great job in these big games…they do a great job in keeping it simple…The more you slow them down mentally..the more chance they’ll do what you don’t want them to do.” – Louis Riddick
  3. Great Teams Limit Unnecessary Mistakes – “We have an incredible winning percentage when we don’t turn the ball over.” – Brady
  4. Great Teams Celebrate Accomplishment, Not Activity – “In championship play, if you’re kicking field goals you’re getting closer to losing.” – Steve Young
  5. Great Leaders Have Great Flexibility – “Bill Belichick’s offense is all about flexibility.” – Young
  6. Great Leaders Delegate Tremendous Responsibility – “Don’t watch numbers (of players where they are lined up).  Watch responsibilities.” – Young
  7. Great Leaders’ Toughest Competition Is Always Themselves – “A personal quest for excellence.  How good can I get?” – Young
  8. Great Leaders Have Competitive Drive – “What separates a good player from a great player is competitive drive.” – Rex Ryan
  9. Great Teams Have Dynamic Tension – “In business, dynamic tension can produce something that can be far greater than the sum of its parts.” – Patriots owner Robert Kraft
  10. Great Leaders Place The Highest Expectations On Their Top Performers – “He (Belichick) has high expectations for us.  He treats me like I am a rookie.” – Brady
  11. Therefore Great Leaders Are Humble And Still Accept Coaching – “To be humble enough to take coaching at this point in his career, that’s the kind of person Tom is.” – Deion Branch

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Super Bowl Pre-Game Comments – Fox’s Terry Bradshaw Interview With Tom Brady

  1. Great Leaders Are Grateful – “I never imagined being in this situation.  I’ve just been so blessed.  I got to the Patriots at the right time.  In 2000, and Coach Belichick got there and we’ve been on this magical run and I still feel like we’re in it.”
  2. The Most Valuable Resource A Leader Brings Is Energy – “When you get in that huddle and you call those plays, you’ve got 10 other guys that are feeling your energy.”
  3. Leaders Give Their Teams Either Confidence Or Fear – “And what are you putting off?  Are you putting off confidence?  Are you putting off fear?  They can feel all of that”
  4. Great Leaders Give Their Teams The Belief They Can Accomplish Anything – “And when they get in a huddle in me, I want to in their eyes and them feel a belief we’re going to do it.”
  5. Great Leaders Prioritize Their Families First – “They’re my everything…It takes on a greater meaning, a greater purpose because you know how much they’ve put into it too.  They support you to achieve your goals.  They’re focused on your dream.” – Brady on his wife and children
  6.  Great Teams Deliver Great Results – “I’ve got a great football team and I want this team to remembered that way.  But the only way you can is if you win the game.”
  7. Great Leaders Understand Compounding.  The Sweetest Days Are At The End Of A Life Well Lived. –  “There’s no way because I’m having too much fun now.  Now’s the time to capitalize.  I’ve worked too hard to get to this point.” – On if he will retire after he wins his 5th Super Bowl
  8. Great Leaders Rarely Implement Succession Plans.  You Have To Drag Them Away. – “Tom Brady will not go gently into that good night.  His body will give out long before his will to compete.” – Howie Long
  9. Greatness Is Not An Accident.  Great Leaders Want To Be Great. – “What makes him special.  It’s not his physical abilities…it’s Tom Brady’s incredible will to compete and be great.” – Long
  10. Great Leaders Have Great Preparation – “Because of his preparation, because he is a superstar, he raises the level of play of everyone, every player on that team because they’re not going to cut it short and disappoint him.” – Jimmy Johnson

Super Bowl Post-Game Comments – ESPN’s Coverage

  1. Great Leaders Sense And Seize Opportunity – “You only get these opportunities so often.  We have to be at our best.” – Brady
  2. Great Teams And Great Leaders Create Defining Moments – “We’re all going to remember this for the rest of our lives.” – Brady
  3. Leaders With Great Character Have Nothing To Prove – “We don’t need any vindication.  People that know the facts have dropped this craziness a long time ago.” – Tom Brady Sr. on Deflategate
  4. 6 Qualities Of A Great Teammate – “James White – he’s is everything you want in a teammate and football player.  Dependable. Consistent.  Durable.  The best attitude.  Brings it everyday.  We just kept going to him.  I think that speaks for itself.” – Brady
  5. Great Teams Have Great Sophistication – “This is a very sophisticated team.  They understand every angle.” – Young
  6. Great Leaders Are Relentlessly Excellent – “Tom Brady is relentlessly excellent.  You cannot keep him down.” – Young
  7. Big Time Players Play Best When It Matters Most – “These guys played like champions when it counted the most – the fourth quarter and overtime.” – Belichick
  8. Great Leaders Give Their Teams Great Confidence – “We never gave up believing in Tommy.” – Mr. Kraft
  9. If You Want A Better Team, Get A Better Leader – “Football is about this – it’s coaches playing against coaches and the players are the chess pieces.” – Herman Edwards

USA Today, February 6th

  1. Great Teams Are Defined By A Great Work Ethic – “We paid a serious price to get to this point. We put in a lot of work. We’re practicing in pads on Super Bowl week. We’re squatting 80% of our maxes on Super Bowl week. I mean, we worked for this. Our bodies were ready. Our minds were ready, and we just kept believing one another.” – Special teams star Matthew Slater
  2. Great Teams Make Their Own Luck – “That’s where hard work and focus meets luck. … We deserved that luck.” – Defensive End Chris Long on Edelman’s circus catch

More Leadership Insights

  1. Great Leaders Have Great Character – “He’s (Brady) a great, great, great player but he’s a better human being.” – Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in postgame interview for the MMQB podcast
  2. Great Leaders Are Always Looking Forward – “As great as today feels, as great as today is, in all honesty we’re five weeks behind the 2017 season.” – Belichick, February 6th press conference
  3. “NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  NO DAYS OFF!  GO PATS!!!” – Belichick at the Patriots Victory Parade

As mentioned above, to receive more leadership insights from Coach Saban, click HERE or on the image to the left for my new ebook The Leadership Of Nick Saban: Timeless Truths From The Incomparable Head Coach Of The Alabama Crimson Tide.  Enjoy!

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