Bill Belichick is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. When you talk about coaching excellence, Belichek will come up in the same conversation as greats like Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. I have a few issues with his methods and general sportsmanship, but the results speak for themselves. He has won the Superbowl as a coach eight times, and his career record is 329 wins to 165 losses, a winning percentage of two-thirds. Belichick is a winner. Like many successful NFL coaches, he is a grumpy authoritarian who believes winning excuses many transgressions. I want to set aside my feelings about the man and his leadership style to focus on something he preaches to every player who plays for him.
From the biggest superstar to the most lowly practice squad member, Belichick admonishes his players to "Do your F#&%ing job." As long as each player fulfills their role on the team, Belichick is satisfied with them and will keep them around. When someone violates a boundary or does not fulfill their position, the player is often benched and managed out of the organization. It is a ruthless worldview that often treats people like replaceable parts. The clearly defined roles of each player make football easy. A running back blocks and runs with the football, and an offensive lineman prevents others from tackling the quarterback. The list goes on, but all 53 players on an NFL roster have clearly defined roles. Thus, if a player struggles to tackle opposing players or allows the quarterback to get tackled, they are not performing their function.
Many business people think like Belichick. I suspect that many business leaders developed their leadership skills in high school and collegiate athletics. People often use the lens of winning and losing to evaluate decisions. The business often values toughness and determination more than nuance and introspection. It is a hyper-competitive brew that divides the world into winners and losers; no one wants to be associated with a loser.
Environments like this are difficult to navigate because many roles are poorly defined and the product of years of social exchange between people. Does an employee with twenty years of experience take orders from a peer more familiar with the technology fresh out of college? How do people of color navigate cultural stereotypes and misconceptions from more narrow-minded colleagues? Finally, as we attempt to flatten organizations, how are chains of authority and accountability managed? If everyone is accountable, often no one is responsible. The ambiguity of roles creates friction and dysfunction in organizations. Where there is confusion is there is failure to get work completed.
I speak from experience because, for the last ten years, I have served as a scrum master, product owner, or coach on teams. I am in a much different role with a client and have struggled. Moments like this force me to return to L. David Marquet's book "Turn the Ship Around!" for inspiration. In the book, he says that our paradigm for leadership is wrong. We often see the leader as the person in charge giving orders to subordinates who carry out the orders unquestioningly. The job of every successful leader and team member is to develop an environment where everyone shows leadership, from the lowest-ranked sailor cleaning commodes to the ship commander who relies on those sailors to get things done.
It is a radical idea but helpful for a business environment where five generations of workers, from Boomers to Generation Alpha, start working in the same company. Experienced employees often take direction from newly minted MBAs. In Marquet's vision of leadership experience, employees can show the less experienced tips and tricks to improve, while newer leaders can impart new knowledge to the professional staff. If done correctly, it is a cycle of growth and development for both sides.
It is not easy. Leaders need to be clear about a person's role on the team. Throwing someone to the deep end to figure out their role is a disservice to the team and the individual thrown into that role. It also requires humility and emotional intelligence. Not everyone can lead and be in charge, so they must sacrifice some of their ego to be part of a team. This task is more demanding than it sounds. Marquet's "Turn the Ship Around" features a different but equally important kind of leadership. It is the kind of leadership where people actively contribute to the team. In Bill Belichick's words, they do their job well.
Writing about Agile, scrum, and leadership is challenging. You must articulate how you want to improve the world around you and practice that vision in front of others. Fortunately, society has difficult and grumpy people like Bill Belichick to remind us what is essential.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the AgileIndy Conference this Friday, September 22.
Until next time.
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