Bill Belichick Essay

Bill Belichick is debatably one of the best NFL head coaches of all time. He has carefully crafted his leadership abilities throughout his head coaching career, which began with a struggling stint in Cleveland and has continued with a successful ongoing career in New England. His ability to lead and develop great teams comes as no surprise given his immense leadership qualities. Belichick’s is such a great leader because of his ability to innovate and strategically plan, his capability to effectively communicate and inspire those around him, and his extreme commitment to his team and himself.

To begin, Belichick essentially developed his innovative mind developed and strategic planning abilities during his head coaching stint with the Cleveland

Browns from 1991 to 1995. It was here that his original strategy, the “Big Idea”, arose, which was this, “Build [a] one player-evaluation system, for pro and college players alike, that always provided an instant snapshot of who a player was and whether he was capable of helping the Cleveland Browns” (Holley 2). The key to this idea was to improve team communication and create a team identity, so coaches and players alike had something to latch onto (Holley 2). His “Big Idea” was the foundation of his coaching philosophy, something he continued to develop throughout his career, and a main reason why he became the leader he is today.
Further along with his strategic planning abilities, one strategy truly supplemented and improved his “Big Idea”, which focused on his scouting staff, who would ultimately see which players were best for the team.

Michael Holley, author of War Room, described his strategy, “What Belichick needed was the wisdom of the scouts he had, as well as an influx of young, bright employees who would be ‘raised’ in the Cleveland System” (Holley 3). Thus, Belichick proved he can thoroughly analyze a situation and plan accordingly. He knew the importance of having a proven veteran scout on his staff but also appreciated what a young, fresh mind could add. Although he only achieved one winning season with this process in Cleveland, by the time he arrived in New England, he had further established this process and it proved to be a major factor in his success there (Holley

31).
Regarding Belichick’s capability to effectively communicate and inspire others, he does a great job of thoroughly communicating his expectations and at the same time inspiring his players and coaches. Firstly, team-building is always at the top of his to-do-list (Holley 25). By having a strong sense of teamwork, it is easier for Belichick to unite his team and inspire them to succeed. Also, Belichick believes it is a necessity to be prepared at all times and will not make an exception for anyone. In relation to Belichick’s preparation habits, Michael Holley said this, “Anyone who has ever worked with Belichick understands how much of an emphasis he places on being prepared. They also have been told, time and again, that what he wants to know about players is how they will help the Patriots. That’s all that matters.” (Holley 301).
Similarly, Belichick makes it well know what is not accepted on his team, including “no tolerance for excuses and a disdain for employees with a sense of entitlement” (Holley 28). Thus, Belichick is clearly indicating what he thinks will hinder his team-building attitude. In his first year with the Patriots in 2000, one of his first round draft picks showed up two minutes late to the first team meeting of the season and Belichick responded, “Katzenmoyer! Who in the Hell do you think you are? Get your ass outta here! I’ll talk to you after the meeting” (Holley 24). Belichick was trying to prove a point and show how important it is to be prepared and be on time all the time. If players were not willing to do what is necessary to help the team, Belichick has no problem getting rid of them, to send a message and also to make sure no one is complacent in the organization. His notable player cuts include cutting Steve Martin 14 games into the 2002 season and releasing Antowain Smith a week after the Patriot’s Super Bowl win in 2003 (Holley 54,73).
Along with showing his players what is expected of them, Belichick also does a great job of communicating what is expected of coaches. Thomas Dimitroff, one of Belichick’s former scouts, said this about him, “Bill and Scott [Pioli] have a knack for hiring people who are their own worst critics. Those two send a clear message: Do you job as well as you can, do your part, play your role… You never would see anyone with a sense of entitlement there” (Holley 53). Thus, Belichick does a good job of letting coaches know that it is their duty to give their all to help the team improve. Also, he lets coaches know that the media is his responsibility and that they need his permission to speak with them about football operations (Holley 177). Overall, he does a great job of communicating the expectations and responsibilities of both players and coaches, which is something a great leader must do.
Further, Belichick does a great job of inspiring his players and coaches, which is a result of his superb communication skills.

He is truly able to unite his team together and get them to work towards the betterment of the team, at all costs. His curiosity and desire to know more would also cause inspiration within his team. Bill was known to ask questions and truly question others thought process, but it was always to make the team better. Scott Pioli, one of his former directors, said this about him, “When he’s asking those questions, you know that every fiber in his body is about winning and doing what is best for the team, with no personal and/or selfish motive” (Holley 30). Thus, people knew that his main duty was the team and his pupils would be more willing to do what he asked of them. Also, he was able to inspire by truly caring for his players and coaches and they appreciated this about him. Vince Wilfork, a former player of Belichick, said this about him, “Let’s face it there are two Bills: There’s the coach who can be an asshole, and he knows it, and there’s the man I get to see, who’s nothing like what you see in the media... He’s a very smart guy and he gives good advice, but he’s a great listener. I really feel that I can talk to him about anything.” (Holley 216) As a result of Belichick genuine care for his players and coaches, they were sincerely

inspired.
Finally, Belichick’s commitment to his team and himself are unmatched. First, his coaching and leadership philosophies are open-minded and disciplined (Holley 41). Thus, he is able to open up to others, such as coaches and players, and use their ideas to the advantage of the team. During the 2007 season, Belichick talked strategy multiple times with Jim Johnson, a Philadelphia Eagles coordinator (Holley 118). Similarly, he would listen to the opinions of players, such as former linebacker Teddy Bruschi, who once said this, “Belichick taught us a lot but I also think we taught him some things. He was grateful learning from us, too. I’d share with him how I liked to see things done from a players perspective, and he’d listen to us and see the way we worked” (Holley 79). In any case, Belichick was willing to talk and learn from anyone if it meant helping out his team, which showed his sincere commitment to the team. Belichick once said, “I did what I thought was best for the team” (Holley 310). Just to show his dedication to the team, even after winning Super Bowls he was not content. Scott Pioli said this right after the Patriots won the 2003 Super Bowl, “For whatever reason, what stood out more than the parties and parades was the reality of how far behind we were” (Holley 73). In this case, we was referring to Belichick and Pioli and they both understood that improving was more important than celebrations. Regardless, this attitude shows what a great leader Belichick was and how committed he really was to his team, they were always his number one priority.
Subsequently, Belichick’s extreme commitment to his team came as a result of his even more extreme commitment to himself and the game of football. For a leader to truly be great, they must believe in themselves. His commitment to himself and the game of football was a result of his father Steve, who loved the game and coached himself, teaching Bill everything he knew about the game (Holley 79). Michael Holley states, “One of Belichick’s boyhood memories was going to scout college games with his father, Steve” (Holley 113). Not only did Steve teach Bill about football, he served as his mentor in life. Belichick once said this about his dad, “It just so happened that he was a football coach, but I would have chosen any career that he had” (Holley 86). Thus, Bill really looked up to his dad and followed him in life. Being able to follow others is necessary to be a great leader. In the case of Belichick, having a mentor so close to him was really an advantage and played in important role in how he developed as a leader. As a result of having such a great leader, Bill was committed to football from the start of his career, with his first job out of college being with the Baltimore Colts, only paying $1,300 annually, 15% of the national average (Holley 214). Even with the low salary, it did not halt his desire to become better. As a result of his commitment to the game, he gradually moved up the ranks and is now considered one of the best coaches of all time.
Bill Belichick has won 5 Super Bowls as a head coach, giving him the most titles of any head coach ever. These wins alone show how great of a leader he is, but there is much more to his leadership abilities than just these wins. He has an astounding ability to strategically plan, communicate and inspire, and commit himself to the task ahead of him, which has created one of the greatest leaders in football history