When it comes to building a high-functioning unit or department which consistently exceeds expectations, or a great team, is there a common thread which leaders should be looking for? I believe the answer is YES!
A Championship Coach and Team
I am currently reading Tom Coughlin’s excellent book A Giant Win: Inside the New York Giants’ Historic Upset over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. One of the many things Coach Coughlin discussed was the Giants’ team building philosophy and how they constructed their championship squad.
Whether you lead an athletic organization, business, ministry, or non-profit, the team’s approach is something all leaders can learn from. You can purchase Coughlin’s book HERE or on the image provided. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
Coach Coughlin felt the strengths of his Super Bowl squad were the offensive and defensive lines. Many great football teams are built from the inside-out but what is interesting is what made these particular units so strong. It was not their size, strength, or speed. Read the following excerpts and see if you notice a common thread:
The Offensive Line
- Left tackle David Diehl – From page 107, “mentally, David was perfectly suited for the position.”
- Left guard Rich Seubert – From page 108, “Richie might have downplayed his intelligence, but the guy was really smart and always made the right decisions on the field.”
- Center Shaun O’Hara – From page 109, “Mr. Personality, well-groomed, extremely smart.”
- Right tackle Kareem McKenzie – From pages 109-110, “He was quiet, proud, and extremely smart – he’d always have a book in his bag. and now he works as a counselor for disadvantaged young people while pursuing his PhD.”
- Right guard Chris Snee – From page 111, “He’s extremely smart too – he was selected for the National Honor Society in high school.”
The Defensive Line
- Defensive end Michael Strahan – From page 141, “the most important of all was that he was smart. He studied the opponent and knew the strengths and weaknesses of the guy he was going against.”
- Defensive end Justin Tuck – From page 150, “He was smart and well-rounded, and could talk about things other than football. An adult… left Notre Dame and then made it in the big city on the biggest stage, who now works for Goldman Sachs, a degree from Wharton in hand.”
The One Common Thread Which Makes A Good Team A Great Team
While each player was extremely talented, hard-working, champions, and in Strahan’s case a Hall-of-Famer, what you notice when you read Coach Coughlin’s evaluation of the team was each players’ intelligence.
Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson said, “Hit me in the head with a hammer the next time I take a dumb guy. I want smart players. They get better and better and better. My first four picks with the Dallas Cowboys (were) all Academic All-Americans.” He added, “The same problem with players getting in trouble on social media are knuckleheads. I don’t see smart players getting in trouble on social media. It’s usually the knuckleheads.”
The lesson is make sure you only hire smart people for your team.
10 Benefits Of Hiring Intelligent People
Intelligent people bring the following benefits to your team:
- Intelligent people have excellent problem-solving skills.
- Intelligent people often self-correct.
- Intelligent people are focused on personal growth and continually improve.
- Intelligent people make good decisions.
- Intelligent people create options for themselves.
- Intelligent people surround themselves with other intelligent people.
- Intelligent people are readers.
- Intelligent people do not make foolish mistakes.
- Intelligent people know the value of hard work.
- Intelligent people are scarce.
Don’t hire knuckleheads. Instead, add only highly-intelligent people to your team.
Tom Coughlin’s book A Giant Win: Inside the New York Giants’ Historic Upset over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII is invaluable in helping you learn how to construct an intelligent team. You can do so by clicking HERE.
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