It can be argued that no organization in the National Football League has been more successful than the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the “modern era” of professional football, your organization’s accomplishments are measured by one metric: winning the Super Bowl. No one has done that more than black and gold.
Since 1970, our team has a better record than the Steelers. They have not only won the most regular season games, but also the most playoff games, division titles, played in the most conference championships, and are tied for the most Super Bowl appearances. Not surprisingly, no team has sent more players to the Pro Bowl in the history of the game.
However, the Steelers are not in a huge market. They don’t sign the best free agents. They typically sit at the lower end of the talent pool. Their coaches stay on board for a long time, somehow managing to continuously get their message across, even after their players should have long ignored them. Even when their best players are injured, they somehow manage to have more talent waiting in the wings. Team members rarely speak out against the club, and Steelers fans are among the most rabid and loyal in all of professional sports. How they did it?
Like all great institutions, they have a model of success from which they do not stray.
1. They commit to the “long-term vision.”
The Rooney family has owned the Pittsburgh Steelers since their inception in 1933. Since 1969, they have had exactly 3 head coaches: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. All have won the NFL Coach of the Year award. As a point of comparison, the Washington Redskins have had 13 head coaches in that span.
They find the right person for their system and give them the time and support to succeed. Clearly having a consistent message has led players to understand exactly what is expected of them. They are not confused about what it means to represent the team, what their role is, who is in charge, and what will not be tolerated. Each team member appears to be pulling on the “same side of the rope.”
2. It’s not about getting superstars. It’s about finding players who fit better with the culture.
The Steelers aren’t just patient with their coaches. That philosophy also extends to the players. They don’t focus on college apparatus, 40-yard dash stats, or bench press reps. What do they measure? Character. reliability. trainability Do they fit the scheme? How will they fit in with the other players? Eric Berry, a top draft pick a few years ago, commented that the Steelers were the only team measuring knee size. It’s that kind of focus that gives them the players they need to excel.
Once they find their targets, they give them time to develop, rather than looking for “quick fixes” or hot free agent players. They don’t trade draft picks for superstars. In fact, the Steelers haven’t been without a first-round pick since 1967. They look for potential and develop it better than anyone.
3. Your opponent can’t win if you score more than him.
We all love exciting and high scoring games. However, if your opponent can’t score, then you can never lose. When your nickname becomes “Iron Curtain”, it’s obvious that defense is a priority. After all, defense wins championships in most cases.
The Steelers have been honored with 7 Defensive Player of the Year awards since 1972. Their style of play has been consistently aggressive, fast, and blitz happy. While that style of play presents some risk, it also puts enormous pressure on your opponents, which can lead to turnovers.
In 1976, the Steelers’ defensive “front four” was featured on the cover of Time magazine, arguably the greatest defensive team ever assembled. That year, they posted five shutouts and only gave up 28 points in their last 9 games. When you make zero mistakes, winning is much easier.
4. Running the ball successfully is important, but you have to shoot to score.
Some of the most iconic players in Steelers history have been running backs like Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Rocky Bleier. But the most honored Steelers have been their quarterbacks, Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger. Because? Because they made plays that won championships. After all, Super Bowl highlight reels rarely emphasize the three-yard run up the middle that eased the pass rush that gave the quarterback time to make a play. They contain Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes scoring touchdowns.
5. Despite external circumstances, the “standard” is the “standard”.
Injuries ravaged the Steelers in 2011. Yet they never used it as an excuse for a bad game. His “standard” is that when a player goes down, the next person in line has a duty to maintain the same level of play.
After a heavy loss in their first game, the media began using words like “Old and Slow”, “Sieve-like Offensive Line”, “Lost Their Edge”, and “Walking Wounded”. In the next game, they defeated their opponent. And you can trace the reason why back to another traditional cliché: the standard is the standard.
The translation of “The Standard” is simple: injuries are no excuse. He plays above the line. He plays winning soccer.
6. Never betray your “tribe”.
Few teams travel better than the Steelers. No matter which stadium they play in away from Pittsburgh, you can be sure to see your share of “Terrible Towels” gold in the stands.
Some have said that when the steel industry collapsed in Pittsburgh, Steeler fans scattered across the country, looking elsewhere for work. Maybe so, but I think it goes further.
I think most of us like to think that we are strong. I think we like to believe that hard work, dedication and a tough mindset will lead to success. And no team embodies that like the Steelers do.
More importantly, they always deliver what we expect. When we see the black helmet with the US Steel logo, we expect to see tough and aggressive play. We demand that they give their best effort and put everything on the line. Although they don’t always win, we always feel like we got our money’s worth.
When I was at Rutgers University in the early 1990s, I was talking to a former Scarlet Knight named Alcides Catanho at a local bar. He had been playing with the Patriots that year and I was picking at his brain about what the NFL was like, and especially about a game he played that year against Pittsburgh. He said something I’ll never forget: “Nobody hits harder than the Steelers.”
So what does all of this have to do with building your organization?
1. Is your leadership committed to a long-term vision or just for the next quarter? Are you investing today in people and strategies that will pay off for years to come, or are you sacrificing future growth by jumping to “quick fixes”? Is your message clear?
2. How are you identifying talent? Are you only hiring people within your industry, or only those who have the largest rolodex? Do you have a training program that is continuous? Are you using psychometric tests to identify potential, or looking through a stack of resumes? Are you giving people the tools and time to develop, or are you giving them a phone book to call?
3. Are you reactive? Are you resting on yesterday’s laurels or putting pressure on your competition with innovation? Are you losing customers or retaining them?
4. Does it have the ability to get big sales or is it positioned as a commodity? Do you have the people and processes to make a big impact in the marketplace?
5. Are you making excuses? Are you blaming the economy, the industry, or the employees you have? Or is your strategy based on how to capitalize on the opportunities that exist?
6. Are you creating “raving fans”? Are your customers visiting your website, reading your blogs, and lining up for your next product launch? Will you lose your customers by a dime, or will they stick with you? When they write about you, what will they say? How are you improving the customer experience?
And always remember, “standard” is “standard.” What’s yours?