Issue #25: 3 Leadership Lessons the Detroit Lions Just Taught All of Us

This NFL season is special for many reasons (present tense, because we’re still in it).?

It hasn’t been more than 36 hours since the Detroit Lions hosted their first home playoff game in 30 years and won their first playoff game since 1992, and I can’t help but think out loud with you all “How did this happen?” (I mean, seriously, WHAT DO I DO WITH MY HANDS?!)?

In each of the now-13-wins so far this season, I find myself consuming the plethora of media coverage, including, but not limited to, post-game press conferences, on-the-field player comments, ESPN sound bites, 97.1 The Ticket recaps with Mike Valenti, and locker room celebrations.

And while we can debate about talent versus tactics (i.e. Amon Ra St. Brown - the Yards-After-Catch king - or the schematic intelligence of the Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson), at least one reason is apparent for this turnaround in three years: leadership.

Specifically, I found three lessons that we as sales leaders should notice as we look to build for our own teams’ successes in 2024:?

1. When things go right, leaders defer the credit to the people they lead. The pomp and circumstance that goes on inside a Detroit Lions locker room after a win is a sight to see (in case you missed it - here’s the one from this past Sunday, but this one is probably my most favorite this season).?

Hugs. Laughs. High fives. And at least one “game ball” given to the person in the room that had the strongest impact during the game (or the moments leading up to it). It isn’t enough to just give a ball to someone and call their name out - Dan takes it further, and mentions something specific about why this player is being called out amongst their teammates - in essence, connecting them to the larger picture and a factor for why the whole team won.?

The lesson for leaders: positive feedback and reinforcement is only as impactful as it is specific and timely. In order to create a culture that drives performance, leaders must go out of their way to celebrate great work (not just the result - that’s too easy - but how the result came together). After all, sales is a team sport.

2. When things go poorly, leaders own it. In the post-game press conferences in the five losses the Detroit Lions had this season, Head Coach Dan Campbell only pointed the finger at one person: himself. He often said “I didn’t have them ready,” or “That’s on me.”?

Dan Campbell consistently owned it when things didn’t go the right way and vowed publicly to correct mistakes and get his players ready for the next game. As a result, the Detroit Lions never lost in back-to-back weeks this season.?

The lesson for leaders: Leadership is about full ownership, and this means taking the blame when things don’t go the way we expect them to. Good leaders own up to it; great leaders understand and clearly communicate what needs to change (and how to do it), starting with themselves. When things don’t go right, we as leaders have a choice to either (a) pass the blame, or (b) challenge ourselves and ask “What can I do to put them in a better position to win next time?”?

3. Despite the noise, leaders stick with the details. If we rated the success of the Dan Campbell tenure after one season, anyone could easily call him a failure (the Detroit Lions went 0-10-1 before winning their first game). In a world where everything seems like “win now, or else,” being steady at the helm and consistently encouraging the motions will make us successful (even though we may not be just yet) is a large factor in how we build long-term, replicable success.

The lesson for leaders: Setting a strong, clear vision for what success looks like (called the “north star” in many organizations) only helps in creating clarity for those seeking to contribute to it. In a sales environment, building blocks like KPIs (ex: pipeline movements or number of customer calls per week) can all be leading indicators of success when managed and coached against in the right way. Dan Campbell calls it “managing the details and discipline.”?

“...especially after the first year here in 2021, where we just got ravaged. And you’re like ‘OK, look. You can go one way or another. You can either say ‘woe is me’ or ‘this is the world you’re in and what are you going to do about it?’” - Dan Campbell, Week 18 post-game press conference (YouTube )

Leaders lead.

Let’s get after it (and get another win next Sunday!)

KL