Bill Walsh, the legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers, passed away yesterday. He was only 75 years old. For those of you who don’t follow football, Bill Walsh not only turned around one of the worst franchises in history, he changed the game of football forever with his innovative ideas.
Walsh took over the 49ers in 1979 after they won just 2 games the previous season. In just 3 seasons the 49ers won the Super Bowl. They then went on to win 5 Super Bowls in the 1980s, a record that still stands today. So what does coaching a soccer team have to do with building a successful business?
It has everything to do with building a successful business. Bill Walsh created the 49er dynasty by creating a positive atmosphere based on trust and integrity. He was constant and always true to his word. He had high expectations and everyone on the team knew they had to consistently meet those expectations if they wanted to stay on the team.
Bill was fair to everyone and brought out the best in them. He believed in his players and knew they could succeed. Many of the greatest players in football history said that Bill was the reason they succeeded. They thought they were average players, but Bill believed they could be great players. Bill’s encouragement and guidance made them perform well beyond their own expectations.
Joe Montana and Steve Young were average college football players. Neither of them were drafted very high because no professional scouts thought they were very good. Neither Joe nor Steve believed they were more than average players. But Bill Walsh saw something in both. He worked with them and made them believe that they were great. Between them they won 5 Super Bowls and both are in the Hall of Fame today.
Bill stood for fairness, consistency, quality, perfection, execution, and always giving 100% effort. Look at the most successful companies today. Don’t they defend the same things? Is your business consistent? Do you provide a product or service of the highest quality? Do you always give 100% effort to satisfy your customers? What about your employees? Think about how you can learn from Bill Walsh and turn your business into a Hall of Fame business.