New England fans may get a little excited (okay, very excited) about our home team—The New England Patriots—but to continuously be a winning team, they must play like a team. Sounds simple, right?
If you couldn’t already tell my love for football from previous posts, we’re about to enter the next level of our relationship. Think as you wish, but I’m going to say it: Bill Belichick is the real GOAT. There it is. Mic dropped. I can hear the “boo’s” all the way here in Boston.
But think about it.
He’s smart. He’s creative. He’s an ultimate mastermind that has led his team to numerous victories. Brady may be the one throwing and gaining yards, Gronk may be the one spiking a touchdown football, but without proper alignment between players—these victories would’ve never happened. Not without Belichick.
At Seismic’s Sales Kick-Off recently, the infamous Tedy Bruschi joined us and gave one heck of an inspiring speech. It wasn’t the typical “hey-rah” or “go team!” speech, and that’s what I appreciated the most. It was real, humbling, and motivating in its own, unique way.
He spoke of working with some of the greatest players in NFL history, overcoming personal battles, and his relationship with Bill Belichick. While most of us see a disgruntled man giving interviews on our television screens, Bruschi assured us there’s so much more to him than that.
The NFL is a business, and Belichick treats it just as that. His players are his associates, his workers that grind every single day for him and their teammates. He instills the “there’s no I in team” mentality into every one of them, and with this focus, has been able to lead his team to multiple championships.
But he also knows that there’s a lot more to teamwork than hustling on the field. Belichick doesn’t believe in egos or always recruiting the star players. He likes his players to be consistent, adaptable, and to make smart, real-time play decisions. This level of humility allows his team to maintain, and then sustain—as players are traded, new guys are constantly coming in, etc.—so they can consistently focus on the same goal and #doyourjob.
That’s how my colleagues and I view our team at Seismic. We know team alignment is crucial to our success. While I may be in marketing, I have a commitment to help my sales team succeed. On the other hand, without my sales team telling me what’s happening during customer conversations or which campaigns and content they prefer, I wouldn’t be successful either.
This open door of communication has provided a chance for honest feedback, shared praise, and an understanding that we all have each other’s backs. With an “us against the world” mentality, it’s made a tremendous difference in our performance. We share the same goals, the same metrics, the same drive. And as Seismic likes to say: Focus. Preparation. Execution. That’s what makes a winning team.
