Productivity Best Practices from Super Bowl LI

Bill Belichick, the coach of the New England Patriots, is often called a "legend" or the "greatest of all time", and his team's win in last night's Super Bowl LI reinforced those beliefs for many who had been thinking that way. At halftime, the National Football Conference champions (the Atlanta Falcons) led the American Football Conference champions (the New England Patriots) by a score of 21 to 3, and most folks were saying the game was over. No team had ever overcome that large of a deficit in the Super Bowl, especially when the lead stretched to 28 versus 3 in the 3rd quarter, but no one counted on the spectacular play of Patriots' supporting cast members, like running back James White, tight end Martellus Bennett, wide receiver Danny Amendola, defensive lineman Trey Flowers and wide receiver Julian Edelman. There are a couple important productivity lessons brought to light by this Patriots' win, and we can implement them to organize for success in our lives.

First, there's no I in TEAM, and, together, everyone achieves more. Although quarterback Tom Brady was awarded the Super Bowl MVP in 2015 and 2017, he acknowledged in both cases that he could never have achieved such a big, hairy, audacious goal without everyone on the team carrying their share of the workload. In 2015, he gave the truck he was awarded as MVP away to Patriots' cornerback Malcolm Butler; then, earlier today, Brady again acknowledged this win coming from a real team effort by saying "I think James White deserves it" in reference to the truck Brady was awarded as the 2017 Super Bowl MVP. Situational football plays a key role in such an epic comeback, and there are so many critical plays that contribute to a team performance of this magnitude: James White set a Super Bowl record with 20 points and 14 receptions; Trey Flowers sacked Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan in a pivotal play late in the 4th quarter, which is one play Ryan truly wishes he could change; Julian Edelman might've saved the day with a miraculous, gravity-defying, history-making and absolutely incredible catch, which you should click here to watch now if you've yet to see it or follow a step-by-step breakdown of the play here. Aristotle said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts", but it is through the culmination of all these players' contributions that the entire Patriots' team won.

Second, focused efforts without distraction over the duration of a project lead to effectively achieving desired results. When trailing by over 8 touchdowns, the Patriots could have easily given up, and most folks could have related to that feeling of being unable to overcome such a large deficit, particularly as such a Super Bowl comeback had never been done before. It's hard to believe you can accomplish something no one has done before, but the Patriots exhibited the mental toughness necessary when it might've been most difficult. One of the mantras for which Coach Belichick is most well known is "Do your job", and, for each member of the Patriots' team, doing his job consisted of diligently and attentively playing football, working beyond his limitations and showing mastery for all aspects of his game throughout the entire 60 minutes of four, 15-minute quarters as well as the first 4 minutes of overtime. No more and no less. Some have said the Falcons' defense appeared tired in the final quarter of the game while others have said the Patriots' offense finally figured out how to overcome what the Falcons' defense had been doing; regardless, the New England Patriots fulfilled Coach Belichick's expectation of doing all the little things it takes to win. Diligently paying attention to details led to the Patriots' success.

The men's basketball team for North Carolina State University was coached by Jim Valvano from 1980 to 1990, after which he famously battled metastatic adenocarcinoma, a type of bone cancer. One of Coach Valvano's most memorable motivational speeches was delivered February 21, 1993, during which Valvano stressed the importance of hope, love and persistence and included his famous quote of "Don't give up, don't ever give up." In last night's Super Bowl LI victory, the Patriots chose to never give up. Couple the Patriots' persistence with teamwork and each team member doing his job with great focus as well as attention to detail, and it's easy to see why the New England Patriots were rewarded with a remarkable Super Bowl victory.

What productivity practices make your organization most successful? Do you practice teamwork? Do you reinforce focusing on the details to do your job well? Do you have a culture of not quitting and not giving up?

Leadership Lessons from Super Bowl 50 Champion, Peyton Manning

Photo Courtesy of NFL Instagram

Whether in his Leadercast conversation with Bill Rancic, his interactions with his teammates or how he handled media relations leading up to yesterday's Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning offers a plethora of leadership lessons for professionals in many different industries. At 39 years old, Manning was the oldest quarterback to start in a super bowl and, therefore, the oldest to win one. After 18 years in the National Football League, Manning has a wealth of knowledge to share; as a huge football fan, I've followed Peyton Manning's career, and here are the top five leadership lessons he's shared that resonate well with me:

1. Learn to thrive on being uncomfortable. As Manning explains, "As much as a quarterback would love a perfect pocket every time, it's not real life." With that in mind, Manning practices "awkward throws", and his coaches push a blocking dummy into his feet to simulate a pass rush. For workplace leaders, the lesson is to escape your comfort zone so you can fuel groundbreaking ideas. You might be amazed by how trying something new or working amidst chaos will push better results.

2. Find a new way to do the old job. After 14 years with the same franchise, the Indianapolis Colts, Manning had to switch to the Denver Broncos at the start of the 2012 season. At the same time, after a year off necessitated by four neck surgeries, Manning had to adjust to a new physical state in some specific ways: he became skilled in throwing shorter routes, learning to get rid of the ball much more quickly. Although some may refer to him as a "game manager", his focus on studying the competition and his team's game plan have proven to be his greatest assets in achieving success at keeping his team in position to win amidst very different circumstances than he's faced ever before. As Manning explains, "I've looked for different ways to move the chains and put us in a position to win"; likewise, for workplace leaders, the world around us is constantly evolving so we must continually tweak our products, services, processes and tools.

3. Work hard. Manning has a legendary work ethic. It has been documented regularly that he would not have succeeded as he has without the hours and hours he has invested in practice, film study and throwing repetitions. He's often the first to arrive and last to leave the stadium, and his teammates point out his intense efforts regularly. For workplace leaders, it is important to be intentional about what we want to improve; then, proactively schedule actions to work towards getting better. Focus on a series of small action steps that you can realistically complete as you work diligently towards achieving your goal, taking baby steps every day.

4. Invest in a coach. When recovering from his neck surgeries, Manning relied on his former position coach at the University of Tennessee, David Cutcliffe, and, to this day, Manning likes working with him because, as Manning explains, "Cutcliffe does not hesitate to yell at me for my mistakes". Likewise, Manning continues to rely on his former head coach at the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy; immediately following his win in Super Bowl 50, Manning quoted his most recent advice from Coach Dungy, and Manning has not wavered in repeating the same refrain. For workplace leaders, once you find someone whose authority you respect, encourage them to push you diligently to meet higher and broader demands of life with each step in your growth and development.

5. Understand how success stems from relationships. Many refer to the old saying of "it takes a village" as a cliche; however, to me, it is a fact of life, and I have found the same to be true for Manning. As he stated, "You can have the swagger of a winner, but never be convinced that your greatest accomplishments are made alone." Manning's greatest joys and successes have resulted from his working with and helping others. For workplace leaders, it is imperative to surround yourself with those who share your mission, vision, values and desire to achieve better. Together, everyone achieves more and can attain much better results.

Looking for more insights from Manning that can better your day-to-day results? Read Brian Dodd's "Live Notes from Leadercast - 56 Leadership Lessons and Quotes from Peyton Manning".

Have you found success using any of these tactics? Which can you implement now for even greater results?