Maybe it’s because of the simplicity of their mission (to win football games) and the incredible visibility of everything that goes into that effort on a moment by moment basis under extreme pressure. Whatever the reason, the organizational structures and management methods in top-level professional football are often, in my opinion, more progressive and effective than those in many companies. Here are a few examples of what you can learn from football.

1.    Define and Enforce Your Culture

The best NFL teams have a well-defined and consistently enforced culture. So much so that when players change teams, the first thing they often comment on is the different atmosphere in the locker room and the unique attitude and behaviors of the players on their new team. Some common NFL team values are (1) team first ahead of personal interests, (2) knowing and doing your job, (3) focusing on winning, (4) not dwelling in the past but continuously improving, and (5) supporting the community. On the best teams, players who undermine the culture are quickly disciplined or gone.

Culture is just as important in a business but often not clearly defined or consistently enforced. Compare the company-wide understanding and strength of your company’s culture to that of your favorite (successful) NFL team. 

2.    Organize and Manage Both Horizontally and Vertically

Businesses are most often managed vertically—by function. Reporting to the CEO are typically heads of functional departments (sales, marketing, finance, operations, etc.) who in turn manage their staff members. NFL teams too have functional coaches for each player grouping—offensive line, defensive line, wide receivers, linebackers, and so on. But in addition they have “process owners” who coach across positions—offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator. The functional coaches develop the positional skills of the players, the coordinators coach the cross-functional interactions that produce the desired end results—the “core processes” of football.

I believe that businesses too need both functional management and process management. We combined the two successfully in my company, The First Years. Our department heads developed their staff’s functional skills like sales techniques, consumer communication, purchasing negotiation, financial analysis, etc. But we had process owners who oversaw from start to finish the critical cross-functional processes of the business—product development, customer creation and retention, order fulfillment, and so on. In smaller companies, individual managers may simultaneously oversee one or more departments and one or more processes. But, what’s important is to make sure both types of “coaching” are taking place on an ongoing basis.    

3.    Constantly Search for New Talent

One of the most important roles of successful NFL coaches is to be constantly searching for and acquiring talent suited to the team. Yes, there are directors of player personnel who are the HR directors of professional sports teams. But the best coaches are personally active all year round visiting colleges, watching other teams’ players, bringing in prospects for tryouts.

Especially today where employees change companies more frequently than in the past, business CEOs and other managers need to be constantly looking for the next candidates to fill key positions—before the need arises. Like a football team, you can’t afford to have vacancies for very long.

4.    Teach, Teach, Teach

NFL coaches inherently recognize that it’s their job to enable the players to be successful. They are very clear about roles--coaches coach and players play. In practices and during games, head coaches, position coaches and the coordinators are continuously teaching techniques, guiding actions, and motivating performance.

Some business managers mistakenly believe their job is to hire the right people and get out of their way. Wrong! Managers need to manage just like coaches need to coach. And management is about doing what’s necessary to enable the “players” in your company to be successful.

Next Steps

While enjoying the NFL season this year, watch how the head coaches and the rest of the coaching staff on the various teams perform their jobs. See if there’s anything about what they do that you could adopt for your company. And be thankful that you don’t have a camera watching your every move and reporters second-guessing every decision you make.

If you’d like more information or assistance from me regarding your unique challenges, consider taking advantage of JPMA’s Executive Mentor Program. Check the JPMA web site for more information or contact Steve Clark at sclark@jpma.org.