Offense or Defense: Super Bowl Strategy Lesson
Tara Rethore
C-Suite Advisor | Global Executive Coach | Keynote Speaker | Award-Winning Author | Brand Ambassador | Guiding leaders to make their strategy real and actionable
In any season of professional American football, the Super Bowl – and its coveted ring – is the Holy Grail. Each a division champ, two teams face off to determine the season’s ultimate victor.
On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles outplayed and outmaneuvered the Kansas City (KC) Chiefs, executing flawlessly. Known for its punishing defense, Philadelphia displayed remarkable skill on the offense, too. They made the very talented KC team look like amateurs.
Offense or defense?
Whether or not you are a football fan (as I am not), the Game and all that surrounds it, can be captivating. For me, Super Bowl LIX highlighted an important strategy question: offense or defense?
The Eagles made it clear why strategy needs both.
Proactive pursuit of opportunities
Offense is the proactive pursuit of opportunities. In any given moment, it requires reading the situation skillfully, then taking decisive action to capitalize on it. Yet, effective offense is also about playing the long game: patiently, methodically, and deliberately laying the foundation needed to accelerate performance and achieve the objective.
In football, quarterbacks construct the “point”. (Knowledgeable football fans will excuse my tennis reference, understanding that) quarterbacks execute a series of plays that put the team in the best position to score the touchdown. Sometimes that requires choosing a field goal or punting to make it harder for the opponent to succeed.
Similarly, executives guide their teams to play offense. They allocate the resources and tools needed to make it work. Staff are directed to outrun, out throw, out maneuver – or all three – as the situation warrants. Successful leaders also systematically acquire, develop, and set the building blocks that create and reinforce the foundation. They embrace the long game.
Keeping the competition at bay
Defense, on the other hand, requires keeping the competition at bay, becoming an impenetrable wall against external threats. Still, while the wall may be impenetrable, it should not be immovable. Strong players must respond to different conditions as they arise.
Some may view defense as purely reactive, wholly dependent upon the situation at hand. The executives I advise – and clearly, Super Bowl-caliber coaches – take time to identify and close potential vulnerabilities. Before they derail progress.
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In other words: defense requires anticipation. Just like its offensive counterpart.
Strategy needs both offense and defense
Successful teams often rely more heavily on one or the other. The best teams excel at both. They know when to deploy aggressive offense, hold the line in defense, and transition smoothly between the two. This is what Philadelphia did on Sunday night to great success. Kansas City relied on its core strength – an explosive offense – and played their game, just as they’d done effectively all season long. No doubt they expected a formidable Philadelphia defense.
Making strategy work requires creating a clear line of sight that allows all staff to connect what’s happening on the ground – or the field – to the strategic objectives set in the boardroom. On Sunday at least, KC lost that connection. Despite playing an outstanding season, the Chiefs were unable to counter the Eagles’ combined defensive and offensive power.
The CEOs I advise attend to both offense and defense. Importantly, they place them in the context of the intended destination – the vision. They equip their teams to continuously relate their work, decisions, and actions to the objective. In this way, everyone is constantly adjusting and aligning strategy and operations.
Strategy needs both offense and defense to be successful.
The executives I advise routinely make their strategies work better. I can help you too.
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?2025 Tara J Rethore.?All rights reserved.?Permission granted to excerpt or reprint with attribution
Executive Director, Modern Language Association
2 周Your Super Bowl analogy was terrific. The Eagles defense forced Kansas City into mistake after mistake, and that was amazing to watch, from such a strong offense. I've never seen a Super Bowl game that was won by a defense before, but it was Philly's defense that kept them in the KC end the whole game and led to all the scoring. I can see real relevance to my own organization in this analysis. Sometimes defense is absolutely what you need, but you have to be prepared to use it to help you grow. Thanks!
Head of Functions Technology Risk & Controls
2 周L