Seattle Seahawks Pete Carroll is one of my favorite leaders. He has the unique distinction of not only being the NFL’s oldest head coach, but also perhaps its more energetic. His positive attitude and approach to player development has created one of the league’s most healthy and admired cultures. Coach Carroll is also one of only three men to win both a NCAA National Football Championship and a Super Bowl.
On August 31, 2019, the Seahawks traded for highly-regarded defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Shortly after joining the team, Clowney discussed the team’s culture in a USA Today feature you can read HERE. As I read the article, I gleaned several several insights into how Coach Carroll builds such a wonderful environment for the team’s players to work in.
Also, if you have not read Pete Carroll’s book Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion, order it TODAY by clicking HERE. Coach Carroll explains his coaching and leadership philosophy. It is one of my five favorite sports leadership books.
The following are just 9 Reasons Pete Carroll And The Seattle Seahawks Have Built Such A Healthy Culture. Whether you lead a church, business, non-profit, or athletic organization, these lessons will make your organization a better place to work.
- Learn How To Build A Healthy Culture By Asking The Right People The Right Questions – Notice who Coach Carroll consulted with on creating healthy culture. He said, “I asked John Wooden one time, ‘How did you change your culture?’”. This is a perfect example of asking the right person the right questions.
- You Hire Culture You Want – So what was Coach Wooden’s response? He said, “You don’t change the culture. The players change.”
- Don’t Ask The Leader What Type Of Culture You Have. Ask The Team. – Leaders are biased and will always champion what they helped create. Clowney said, “Talked to Duane Brown and he said he loved it up here.”
- The Leader Is The Embodiment Of The Culture – Part of what makes the Seattle Seahawks such a wonderful workplace is quarterback Russell Wilson. His positive attitude and generous spirit always makes you think the Seahawks have a chance to win. When discussing why he wanted to go to Seattle, Clowney added. “Great quarterback.”
- Great Cultures Are Made Up Of Great Systems – A system is anything you do twice. It is your process for how things operate in your organization. All organizations have a practice system, payroll system, feedback system, order fulfillment system, sales system, hiring system, etc…. Regarding the systems of the Seattle Seahawks, Clowney continued, “Great system.” To see the Seahawks’ practice system, watch the video above.
- Great Leaders Want To Be Part Of Great Cultures – Clowney concluded, “Just wanted to be part of this organization.”
- Healthy Cultures Are Relationship-Based – “They acclimate to us, but we acclimate to them, too,” Coach Carroll said. “This is a relationship-based place here.”
- Successful Cultures Never Deviate From Their Core Values And Objectives. However, They Are Highly Flexible Within Their Systems Based Upon The Personalities And Skills Of Their Team. – Coach Carroll continued, “We’re open. We work with them. The players bring their element to the environment. The (Legion of) Boom thing came out of the wonderful individuals and they spirit they generated.”
- Healthy Cultures Are Always Point To A Brighter Tomorrow – Think about it. If your tomorrow is not brighter than today, why would I want to follow you into the future? Coach Carroll concluded, “I don’t know what it will be this time, but this team has a mentality.”
What is one thing you learned from Coach Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks on building a healthy culture?
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