Last night millions of people witnessed the greatest comeback in NFL Super Bowl history as the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to win their 5th Super Bowl. Whether you love the Patriots or hate them, they have undoubtedly built a winning culture.
In an age of “super teams” comprised of marquee players all going to the same team to win a championship, the Patriots have quite the opposite philosophy. In fact, most their players, and often the players that make the most impact, are people you’ve never heard of.
I asked myself, “what makes them so successful, year after year, with a constant rotation of players?” The answer lies in the mentality of the organization which is most evident in their trademark phrases that they build a philosophy around.
You can apply these to your life, your team and your organization to get championship results as well.
DO YOUR JOB
Everyone in the organization has one job to do – THEIR JOB. Be better the man in front of you and always push to be the best at whatever it is that you do. Too often we focus on what everyone else around us is doing and compare ourselves to the perception of other’s success. I’ve learned the surest way to consistent failure and unhappiness is to live a life based on how you think you stack up to other people.
The Patriots don’t operate that way. They have a singular goal, to win the Super Bowl, and everyone knows they have an obligation to be the absolute best at their position and trust that everyone else is doing their best in their role as well.
When everyone on your team, each with different skill sets and abilities, hyper focuses on doing their part, the collective sum of individual efforts creates sustainable success far greater than everyone could accomplish alone.
To get championship level results, you don’t have to have the “smartest, biggest, strongest, fastest” or whatever adjective you believe is holding you back, each member of your team must focus on honing their skill and giving it to the team, every day.
NEXT MAN UP
This trademarked phrase is the foundation, or “secret sauce,” of the Patriots. Too often in our businesses and teams, we rely on a few “superstars” to carry the load. Everyone caters to the top salesman, the best athletes, or consistent leaders. What happens when those stars fail? When organizations rely on individual people, they often succeed or fail based on that one person.
Is that a bet you want to take?
The Patriots take the opposite approach. Everyone on the team, from Tom Brady (the quarterback who solidified himself as the greatest quarterback of all-time with the victory) to the last man on the bench play for the name on the front of the Jersey, not the back. Everyone there is committed to helping the PATRIOTS get the glory, not themselves.
Everyone practices as if they are going to be called on to be the star. Imagine how much different you would prepare if you knew your organization was going to DEPEND on you at some point? The adage “if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready” is prevalent in the Patriots organization. Because everyone puts their selfish desires aside and fully commits to the team, if someone on the team goes down with an injury or isn’t performing, it’s ok, because the Next Man Up is ready to step in and do his job to keep the Patriots engine moving forward.
To win, it takes a fully committed team effort. No one does it alone. Be sure you are surrounding yourself with members who are more committed to the Team than they are to their personal interests. See to it that everyone has a role and that everyone works to be the best at their individual role.
Much like a great orchestra, when each instrument completely filling its space on the wave spectrum, the result is a symphony the whole world can enjoy.
Fill the world with your song and trademark your success!
#wintality
