The Power of Team – Lessons from SuperBowl LV
Dru Lee
Prior to the pandemic of 2020, my wife Shanna and I have been to a NY Giants football game every year for the past 5 years. The 2021 Superbowl Game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs is a game I watched strictly for entertainment purposes, as I’m a fan of neither team.
“It turns out that the key to getting rich (and staying that way) is to avoid doing stupid things. I don't need to do more smart things. I just need to make fewer dumb mistakes.” – Keith Cunningham
Statistically, the game was very similar. Although the final score 31-9 Tampa Bay tells a different story. Let us look further.
KC TB
Time of Possession 28.37 31.23
1stDowns 22 26
Passing Yards 243 195
Rushing Yards 107 145
Total Yards 350 340
Turnovers 2 0
Red Zone (Made-Att) 0-3 3-5
Penalties 11-120 4-39
In the majority of categories, Kansas City would have been declared the winner. Yet, they didn’t need to do more things better, they needed to do fewer things worse. The Chiefs is made up of individual superstar talent. Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady alone now have 11 Championship rings, yet the Buccaneers proved they were the better team versus the most talented individuals.
A great team will beat great individuals every time.
Who you surround yourself with matters. It’s how you lead them that matters even more. Tom Brady knows that everything rises and falls on leadership, so he has a great way to humanize and relate to those around him. As the Quarterback, most plays start the same way, in the huddle.
For those who don’t follow football, a huddle typically happens before each play as an opportunity for the offense to strategize on its next play. The leader on the field, who in Brady’s case just won his 7thSuperbowl, gathers in a circle just like every other team member. In the huddle, it doesn’t comprise of Brady and his team, THEY are the team. Let’s time travel and visit another iconic leader….
King Arthur, also called Arthur Pendragonwho was possibly a fictitious character or folklore, was a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.
Stories a plenty have been told of Camelot, Excalibur and the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere. Yet, the most impactful lesson of all was the simple idea of a round table and King Arthur's selfless contribution to leadership. The famed table in the Arthurian legendwas essentially the board room table for decision-making, around which he and his knights congregated. As its name suggests, the table had no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Robert Wace, who relied on previous depictions of Arthur's fabulous retinue. The symbolism of the Round Table developed over time. By the close of the 12th century, it had come to represent the chivalric order associated with Arthur's court, also referred to as the Knights of the Round Table. Regardless if truth or legend, as a leader, consider how removing yourself from the need of being at the head of the table might alter the culture of the team?
During the dark ages of Medieval England, the countryside was ruled by Noblemen, or Barons, who individually held their own armies. These Noblemen were basically independent kingdoms across England who repeatedly defended onslaughts from both foreign and domestic attacks.In order to defend the country, Arthur knew he needed to unite the country’s warrior leaders. The genius of his leadership started with leading as an equal around the round table.
Tom Brady also knows how important it is to lead as an equal, so he starts with 4 basic words.
From an article on INC.com, ‘The 4 Words Tom Brady Says to Every New Patriots Teammate is a Brilliant Lesson in Emotional Intelligence,’ writer Jeff Haden captures this leadership brilliance.
As a new addition to an NFL Team, ‘Think about walking onto that practice field for the first time and feeling like such a small fish in a very, very large pond. But then think about how you feel when an extremely successful -- and famous -- guy walks all the way across the field to greet you on that first day.’ What you can expect from Brady?
Just a simple introduction using the following 4 Words:
"Hi, I'm Tom Brady."
Haden wrote, ‘Each year -- and even during the season, since the average NFL career spans less than four years -- a significant portion of the team is new. Which means Brady, just like the leader of any successful team, needs to build new relationships extremely quickly. That's why Brady immediately tries to set the right tone. That's why you should, too.
To some of the people you meet, you're a star. You're the owner. You're the boss. You're the key customer. You're somebody. But if you want to set the right tone... act like you're not.’
A very important shift happened this year within the Buccaneers organization. The top leaders came together at the round table, huddled, strategized and became extremely crystal clear of what a winning team looked like and who they needed sitting at their table. They sought out the best-of-the-best and recruited the top players. Let me repeat that, THEY sought out the best-of-the-best. They didn’t wait for talent to approach them. When you seek someone out and gain their trust, they will show up and show out every day to prove and show you why they belong there. This team came together, fought, adjusted, fought, adjusted and finally earned the ultimate trophy. When you become clear of who you need, why you need them and then become unwilling to settle with anything less than the best, you will find the right leader to become a Knight at the Round Table. A member of a team who feels valued will protect and perform at higher levels than someone who thinks they deserve to be there. You don’t deserve to be anywhere, you earn the right to be on the team.
Who is sitting at your round table that shouldn’t be, and who should be that isn’t? Build your team, lead as equals, and surround your table with strong leaders who is willing to do what it takes together to win the game.