Now that the Super Bowl is over, most Americans, including myself, are set to reallocate their Sunday time in front of the television to more productive pursuits. I know my wife has a list of household to-dos that have been accumulating since August that I’ll be tackling (pun intended). No longer will, “I’m sorry, the Packers play at noon” be an excuse for not taking my kids to swimming.
What I wasn’t expecting was to still be thinking about this particular game now weeks later, and I’m not talking about the commercials or halftime show.
As a former football coach, I often find myself analyzing the strategy of the game, but it’s not that either. I’m not even talking about the quality of the game, the tremendous comeback made by the Chiefs or some of the questionable decisions made by the 49ers down the stretch that may have cost them the game.
I simply can’t stop thinking about how overwhelmingly happy people were for Kansas City head coach Andy Reid to win his first Super Bowl.
It Begins & Ends with Leadership
Typically, when the final buzzer sounds on the biggest sporting event of the year, it’s the players’ performances that receive praise and attention from fans and media alike, but this year was different. Reporters asked players what it meant to them to win this for their coach. And players were not shy in heaping praise on Reid.
Chiefs fans could even be heard chanting “An-dy, An-dy, An-dy” in the waning moments of the game.
Reid has been one of the most successful head coaches in the NFL since taking over the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 and then moving to Kansas City in 2013. He has the seventh most wins in league history, his teams have made the playoffs in 15 of his 21 seasons as a head coach and regardless of whether or not he had won Super Bowl LIV, he was a likely inductee in the Hall of Fame.
In a results-driven business based on managing multi-million-dollar egos while also providing strategy and guidance in a brutally physical game, it’s very difficult to have that sort of sustained success without being an extraordinary leader.
On the surface, there are very few commonalities between a head football coach and a school business official. I can’t devise an offensive scheme to beat the Seahawks Cover-3 defense and I’m fairly certain if you asked Reid his thoughts on Evidence-Based Funding the best way to describe the look you would get back would be quizzical.
But when you boil down what both do, it begins and ends with leadership: how do we both lead, inspire, teach, influence, collaborate with others to accomplish a goal.
There's Something About Andy
So how does Reid do it? How does he inspire so many others to follow his lead? How did he bring his team the sport’s ultimate prize? How did he persevere and adapt during a lengthy and successful career?
For this particular post, I looked at four leadership themes present in interviews with Reid’s players and colleagues before and after the Super Bowl and how those themes can carry over to any of us trying to lead our own team.
As I continue to develop my own leadership skills, whether it’s through the Illinois ASBO Leadership Institute, observation of the many colleagues I look up to or my own reading and research, the points below have all been exhibited as common themes I’ve found valuable.
1. Delegate and Empower Others
Tom Melvin, Chiefs tight ends coach: “In Philly he ended up being the GM and had to give up some of the football to do that. It got away from him. It's like in the business world when you keep getting elevated to the point where you are out of touch with the day-to-day stuff the company does. So now, coming here, it's all football for Andy and the gleam is back . . . He's like a kid in a candy store. Now he's got a big whiteboard in his office that's just completely covered with plays and ideas.”
Reid realized after adding the general manager title to his head coaching responsibilities where he was tasked with not only coaching the players, but also selecting which players were on the team, it was taking away from what he did best. This shows a certain adaptability and relinquishing of ego that is necessary for success in any profession. More importantly, it shows his ability to delegate to others.
It's not foreign for any of us to take too much on. Often times it’s how we’re wired. It’s also not weird to want control over everything going on. But getting stretched too thin is not good for yourself or your organization. Having a strong belief that you can take on a lot is not necessarily a short-coming, but if that belief takes away from you doing something well or shows a lack of confidence in members of your own team, you’re doing everyone a disservice.
2. Learn from Mistakes and Look Forward
Mitchell Schwartz, Chiefs offensive tackle: “The outside world was talking about the offside thing with the Patriots, but he was talking about how everyone in this room was probably 4 inches off at some point in the game. We all could have been 4 inches better. That was his message.”
Steve Spagnuolo, Chiefs defensive coordinator: "I talked to him three days after the loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. I don't think the conversation ever went back to the game. All he wanted to talk about was going forward. Typical Andy."
Last season, the Chiefs were essentially one play away from playing in the Super Bowl. A late game penalty went in the opposition’s favor and eventually led to a loss by the Chiefs. One small mistake by one of their own seemingly prevented them from reaching their ultimate goal. But what Coach Reid chose to focus on was not that one play. Instead, it was about how there were other things that happened in the game that could have prevented that play from even happening in the first place. There was no dwelling on the past. It was learning from mistakes and looking forward.
Often, when something bad happens or a mistake takes place, we look at the mistake itself rather than the actions leading to that mistake. Leaders look at their own team and say, “What can we do to improve? How can we be better and not worry about things out of our control? How can we learn from the past and prevent it from happening again?”
3. Put Your Employees in a Position to Succeed
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City quarterback: “He listens and he understands what each QB is good at and what each QB needs to improve on. He doesn't put the QB in a bad situation.”
Brett Favre, former Green Bay quarterback: “It's simple. He calls plays that expose the strengths of his players.”
Reid’s biggest resume booster before being given a head coaching opportunity was a seven-year run as an offensive line and quarterbacks coach with the Green Bay Packers. Although he is the head coach in charge of everything for the Chiefs currently, the offensive side of the ball, namely the quarterback position, gets the most attention. And one thing that has remained constant throughout that entire time is that he doesn’t devise a strategy and then ask his players to carry out that strategy. He finds out what his players’ strengths are and then devises a strategy around that, which in turn empowers his players to be themselves.
In a school business office, an employee’s strengths are more often than not vetted in the interview process or through evaluations. However, through the course of working with your employees, you may notice areas of weakness that are being exposed due to the current systems in place or areas of strengths that are not being utilized correctly. Recognizing those areas and adapting the work environment so that those employees may see success while empowering them to do great work and maintain an efficient workplace is the role of a leader.
4. Respect Others and Be Authentic
Andy Reid: “Respecting people is an important part of life whether it’s the person doing the janitorial work or the person above you. It doesn’t matter who you are. I’m going to respect you.”
Vinny Curry, former Eagles defensive end: “It didn't matter if you were new to the team, that man knew your name, your family's names, where you were from, everything. He would just call random guys up -- undrafted guys -- and ask them, "Hey, how's Betty?" And guys would be like, "Oh s---, how did he know? Big Red just asked me how my mom is doing."
Reid: “Those nine grandkids are awesome. They make you feel young, and at the same time, they make you feel old. It’s kind of like sweet and sour pork.”
Reid unapologetically is who he is. He wears Hawaiian shirts to press conferences and league meetings. As seen in the quote above, he often references his love of food. After the Chiefs beat the Titans to clinch their spot in the Super Bowl, he said he celebrated by having a cheeseburger and going to bed. He followed that up telling the NFL Network following their Super Bowl win that he was going to get the biggest cheeseburger he could find. There is nothing manufactured, no façade you have to break down to get to the real Andy Reid, but that alone isn’t alone what endears him to others.
Be Your Authentic Self
The respect Reid has for everyone in the organization, regardless of their role, shines through. Quotes like the one above aren’t a recent development. From all accounts, everyone that works with Reid points to his qualities as a human being before anything else. Being the head coach of a football team isn’t what defines him. Being a person that cares for others and builds relationships with others builds that bridge between leader and employee.
Now I’m not saying all of us should start quoting our food interests or dropping one-liners at the next board meeting. As public officials, we aren’t afforded the same type of leeway a professional coach may have, but being your true authentic self is possible for all of us. Everyone in your school district, regardless of their role, is there to ensure our students receive a high quality educational experience. Develop those relationships. Let others see you care. Be your true self and show others a level of respect and attention that you would like to see from others.
This is where the difference lies; the difference between calling yourself a leader and actually getting others to follow your lead toward your common goal.
“I did not want to let that man down. I think that every coach and player feels that way…"
- Steve Spagnuolo, Chiefs defensive coordinator
By Jeff Feyerer
Business Manager
Fairview South SD 72
If you have a topic you would like to share on the Leadership Center Blog, please contact Laura Turnroth at lturnroth@iasbo.org.