What Can Business Leaders Learn From a Football Team?

Learning from sports teams part II

Was I compelled to write this because the Philadelphia Eagles have been my favorite sports team since I was 9 years old? Maybe. But really most of it had to do with the lessons that can be learned from their season, underdog status, challenges and gameplay.

For those of you who didn't hear---the Philadelphia Eagles overcame the loss of several key players through the season, doubters who labeled them underdogs in every single post season matchup and having to face quite possibly the greatest dynasty in NFL history to ultimately win on the biggest stage of their business.

A month later I've listed some observations below that we can take away and apply to our own careers and businesses as leaders.

1. When you lose a star it doesn't mean you have to replace that exact skill-set, the exact role and mold someone new to fit the old shadow. You must adapt to your next person up, understand their strengths and weaknesses and make some design decisions around how you can continue winning and moving the organization forward.

2. When you are up against greatness it helps to have a chip on your shoulder. Even if you feel as though you are on top, even if the record shows you're ahead of the others make moves that defy what's been done in the past, hone your craft and keep educating yourself until your biggest competition becomes you.

3. Trust your colleagues and direct reports, it doesn't necessarily take experience to always make the decisions sometimes it takes the intuition and confidence to get it done that someones only the people on the ground can make the calls that will succeed. So trust those calls every now and then no matter how crazy they sound (Doug Pederson let Nick Foles call the Philly Special play, he heard him looked in his eyes and saw the same vision and ultimately approved his call).

4. Have fun. If you're not having fun you wont focus on the vision, you'll only focus on not having fun. By the way, it's your job as a leader to make sure everyone else is having fun too.

5. Just because it's always been done that way doesn't mean that thats going to get you there every time, there's time for doing it the way it's been done and then there's time to break the rules. Use the data available to find out when to do it the way it's always been done and then use your intuition to make the right pivots.

6. Leave it all out there until you get what you want, then prepare to leave it all out there for the next goal

7. Build a relationship with everything. With your colleagues, with your team, with the competition, with the industry, with the vertical and with the tools you use. Relationships need to be defined and carved to get you there.

8. It helps to have the craziest most insane fans in the world. Embrace your supporters.