CHAPTER 1
Is Culture Powerful? Ask a Football Coach

Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.

- Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why

Football was the first "team" that taught me about culture.

As a football player at Indiana University, I first discovered the extraordinary power and capacity of culture. Terry Hoeppner, my head coach at the time, was one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Coach Hep, as we called him, was a special, inspiring, and passionate man whom I wrote extensively about in my first book, Winning Plays.

We were the laughingstock of the Big Ten Conference for football when Coach Hep first arrived at Indiana. We were known more for throwing one of the best tailgate parties in the conference than for providing an electrifying atmosphere to watch Big Ten college football.

The energy and enthusiasm for the future of Indiana Football began to shift after Coach Hep arrived and took charge of our team. Coach Hep had an almost magical aura about him, and when people were with him, they felt an openness, kindness, and friendliness. He was convinced that our football program had the potential to be great one day, and he acted accordingly. He continually talked to us about changing the culture of Indiana Football and setting new expectations for us as players. Everything he did, whether it was sharing his favorite poems or quotes before every team meeting, constantly breaking down the program's future vision, or encouraging and coaching us up at every opportunity, was geared toward changing the program's old beliefs.

Coach Hep died from a lingering illness during my sophomore year. When he passed away, I don't think there was a dry eye in Indiana because he was truly one of the greats. Everyone was left with fond, heartfelt memories and an indelible impression of him.

Our football team dedicated the upcoming season in his honor. We carried his passion, vision, and spirit with us on the field and ended up going to a Bowl game that year. This was our first Bowl game appearance in fourteen years. Yes, you read that correctly. Fourteen years! We didn't have an extreme upgrade in talent. So, it wasn't the talent on the roster that helped us break the fourteen-year curse of making it to a Bowl game. And we had the same schedule of facing some of the best teams in college football, including perennial powerhouses like Ohio State and Michigan. So, it wasn't because of an easier schedule and weaker opponents.

Simply, it was due to the dedication and leadership of one man who worked diligently day and night to alter the perception and culture of Indiana Football. Coach Hep instilled in us a passionate culture with new mindsets, visions, beliefs, and behaviors that we carried over onto the football field. That is the power of a passionate leader who prioritizes culture-building and how it can have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives, whether in sports, business, society, or education.

Success Leaves Clues

I learned so many valuable lessons from playing the game of football. From the time I started playing as a little kid, all the way through high school, college, and eventually the NFL, the life lessons accumulated from the game have benefited my life in so many ways.

Over time, I realized that the same characteristics that distinguish the best football teams are also required to succeed in business. A strong commitment to excellence, an emphasis on teamwork, practicing like a champion every day, and perseverance in the face of adversity are a few of these traits. Those same characteristics have been invaluable not only in helping me build my own thriving consulting and speaking business, but also in transforming the organizational and cultural performance of many leading companies.

Adopting some of the key learnings from the game of football and implementing certain aspects of them in the business world is now a large part of the culture work that I conduct for organizations. I am very passionate about the idea that all business leaders should research their favorite sports coaches. Some business leaders and managers clearly understand the power of culture, but most allow it to become a flavor of the month rather than developing the consistency required to build a great one. Even if you aren't a sports fan but currently lead or manage others, I believe there is tremendous insight to be gained from studying the best teams and coaches in athletics.

Great coaches understand the power of culture better than anyone else. In June 2021, The Athletic magazine published an excellent article about how some of the best coaches prioritize building a strong team culture and just how important it is to their team's success.1

Joe Smith, an Athletic staff writer, spoke with Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians, and Los Angeles Angels Manager Joe Maddon. Smith wrote in the article, "Turns out, culture isn't a buzzword to them. It's bedrock."

There is no telling what could happen if more business leaders had the same perspective on culture as some of the greatest sports coaches. Not only do I believe we would build more workplaces that don't struggle to attract top talent, but I also believe we would see more companies play a significant role in making the world a better place and positively shaping every aspect of their employees' lives.

Let's examine three key lessons from great sports coaches that business leaders at all levels can apply as we move forward on the culture-building journey.

1. Develop a burning desire to improve culture.
2. Generate and bring positive energy daily.
3. Don't just manage people, coach your people.

Develop a Burning Desire to Improve Culture

I have never yet met a great coach who did not have a burning desire to improve their team's culture. Whether the team had a fantastic or a terrible season the previous year, their passion and desire for cultural improvement never wavered. It's something I've always admired about the great coaches I've had throughout my football career. Every day, they poured everything they had into building the culture. They linked it to every teaching point, whether it was on the recruiting trail, during a game, in practice, or even while watching film.

You can't just be interested in creating a great culture. Leaders who are committed outperform leaders who are only "mildly" interested. Most coaches are obsessed with culture because a mentor or another coach taught them its value. For example, Nick Saban, the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide and one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, said that he learned about the importance of culture from Bill Belichick, the legendary head coach of the New England Patriots.

Make it a priority as a leader to learn from other leaders who are exceptional builders of culture. Whether those leaders are from within or outside of your industry, study them, and become fanatical about following the way they utilize cultural best practices.

Generate and Bring Positive Energy Daily

As a leader, you are directly responsible for generating energy and setting the tone for the rest of the organization daily. I am continually astounded by how many leaders vastly underestimate the value of the energy they convey to their workforce on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I'm not suggesting you change or modify your personality, but this is something that all great sports coaches understand and intentionally practice. The daily energy you inject into the organization either fuels the execution of your culture or impedes the growth and development of your efforts.

There are going to be many things that happen throughout the course of a day that you will have no control over. Don't let a controllable event-something we do have control over-be up for questioning. Building a healthy, positive, and thriving culture is extremely hard work. There is nothing easy about it. If you are going to alter the mindsets, behaviors, and attitudes of those whom you lead, it is going to demand a certain level of bold, positive energy from you as the leader of an organization.

When Coach Hep began to gradually alter the culture of the football team, it was his daily demonstration of positive energy, rather than the words that came out of his mouth, that had the greatest impact. He cared, and it was obvious. For successful change initiatives not only to work, but also to keep going forward, positive energy must be generated throughout the whole organization.

Don't Just Manage People, Coach Your People

You must lead the way, manage the process, and then relentlessly coach your people. Ask any current or former athlete about the best coach they've ever had. Chances are that they will tell you that their best coach did a whole lot more than establish the team's vision or oversee the day-to-day operations of the team. They will almost certainly tell you that their lives were profoundly changed, both personally and professionally, because of how that coach brought out the best in them. That coach was probably tough on them, but it was only because they wanted the best for their team and...