Coach Mike Tomlin's Leadership Style: Work Hard, Talk Less

Coach Mike Tomlin’s Leadership Style: Work Hard, Talk Less

During the current crisis, no team has been more impacted than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Have you heard Tomlin complain? Not at all, he continues to preach to his team to “be nimble during these times.” He has led the 2020 Steelers to a perfect 10-0 record. Recently, he also surpassed one of his mentors, Tony Dungy, for the most wins by a Black Head Coach in NFL history. Coach Tomlin has never had a losing season since starting as the Steelers’ head coach since 2007 which is the longest streak in the history of the NFL.

We live and breathe with our sports teams in Western/Central PA especially our beloved Steelers. There are so many great Tomlinism’s we have embraced as Steelers’ fans: 

o  Next Man Up

o  The Standard is the Standard

o  The Proof is in the Pudding

o  Work Harder, Talk Less

o  Live in the Here and Now

o  Excuses are the Tools of the Incompetent

o  We don’t Live in our Fears

In the past, Coach Tomlin’s Steelers have been known for playing up or down to the competition. They seemed to manage to lose against teams they should beat, and then play well when playing as the underdog especially at home or in prime-time. Tomlin in the past has had perceived issues managing the clock late in games, but he has a proven track record of winning. He’s been to two Super Bowls, won one, and his players LOVE to play for him. My guess would be that if you polled the entire NFL, he would be the coach most players would most want to play for.

Some fans may have an issue with Tomlin’s style, and Terry Bradshaw famously called Tomlin a glorified cheerleader instead of a coach which he has since backed down those comments. You cannot argue with his results especially this year when the team like many of us has faced so much adversity.

Gone are many of the headaches of the last few years – AB, Lev Bell, and we are seeing Tomlin and his team at their best, being light on their feet, adapting to the constantly changing rules/regulations, NO EXCUSES. Today’s Steelers led by Tomlin have done a phenomenal job managing through the noise. Chase Claypool said recently, “I think the most surprising thing is how he keeps his energy consistent each week.”

As a dad, I have also always respected Tomlin for his yearly Man-Up faith based conferences for fathers. For years, I had posted in my office his USA Today article where he speaks on being a father first, then focuses on football second. Bottom line, Tomlin should be talked about amongst the greatest coaches of our generation, OBVIOUSLY…

Congratulations Coach Tomlin and this year's Steelers for a great start 11-0!