Vince Lombardi When you think about the Super Bowl what thoughts come to mind? You might think about parties, half time shows, or even commercials, but did you know that the Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi? Today I am going to take you on a journey of why Coach Lombardi was a Visionary Leader. He took the worst team in the league and turned them into champions by using his methodical patterns by going above and beyond to know all aspects of his football team. He watched every play and analyzed each player to know their strengths and weaknesses.
Next, he used inspirational motivation to get buyin from his players, coaches, and fans based on his vision to win. Furthermore, I will discuss how he was an Ethical Leader. Coach Lombardi had competing values based off of his Catholic values, but he had openly gay players on his team. Moreover, he used intellectual perseverance by his critical thinking. He co during the civil rights movement and he removed players or coaches if they used derogatory words to other races. Lastly, I will explain how these examples are relevant to my career.
I will show through my personal relevance when I used methodical patterns in my inspection preparation, that lead to my team winning “Superior Team Award. ” Next, I will explain when I failed to use inspiration motivation when I had my flight members conduct PT and I didn’t attend. Also, how I had competing values when my best SrA got two driving under the influence (DUI) and I had to choose from my personal and professional beliefs and values. Finally, my intellectual perseverance was challenged when I had a transgender in the ranks and I showed courage to write her paperwork when my leadership didn’t want me to.
Now you know what we will discuss, let’s take the journey of how Coach Lombardi was a visionary leader. Visionary Leader Coach Lombardi exhibited himself as a visionary leader by his hard work, dedication, and his will to win. Through my research I discovered he used methodical patterns in his approach. According to Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (BCEE, 2016d)”methodical pattern is when you prefer to follow a step-by-step process, examining the details, and thinking things over carefully before acting” (p9). He took over the Green Bay Packers in 1959. Their record the previous year was 1-10-1.
When receiving the position as head coach and general manager, he hit the ground running. He spent every waking moment watching game film. According to Phillips, (2001), “He took extensive notes and, on yellow writing pads, charted each play for both offense and defense. Then he organized everything into an orderly and easily accessible filing system. Next, he graded everyone, wrote a report on each of them, compared reports, and then made judgments as to whether each player should stay or go. This allowed him to know the ins and outs of his opponents, and his player’s strength and weaknesses” (p15).
Next, he spent a month touring the state of Wisconsin to sell his winning message to the fans and to hear what their expectations of the team were. He used, this time, to inspire and motivate the fans, then with their wants in mind he finalized his vision. According to (BCEE, 2016c) “inspirational motivation behavior motivates and inspires their followers via spoken word, although loud and positive words are not enough. The status quo is unacceptable” (p15). He then found coaches that believed in his vision to win. They wanted to be on his team, because they knew his team was going to be successful.
Finally, he sat down each player and spoke to them one-on-one, explaining his vision on how they are going to become a championship team. According to When pride still mattered by (Maraniss, 1999) “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only. thing” and this motivated his team to give 100% for him, to win. Ethical Leader Vince Lombardi was an ethical leader because he accepted you for who you were, not the color of your skin or sexual orientation. According to (BCEE, 2016b) “competing values are the core beliefs we hold regarding what’s right and fair in terms of our actions and our interactions with other” (p9).
Coach Lombardi grew up in a strict Catholic household and even went to school to be a priest. In the Bible, it is a sin to have same-sex relationships. However, Coach Lombardi had openly gay players on this team. According to (Smith, 2013) “Ray McDonald was arrested for having sex with another man in public. Coach Lombardi told his assistant coaches he wanted them to work with McDonald to help him make the team and if anyone made reference to his manhood you would be out of here before your butt hits the ground” (p1).
Despite his competing values, he was an ethical leader by accepting players on his team even if their values conflicted with his religious upbringing. He chose to win, and his plavers made that possible. Next, according to (BCEE, 2016a)“intellectual perseverance trait, involves being aware of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations you may have or face” (p27). He had the courage to treat all his players the same no matter what the personal and professional ramifications were.
He coached during the civil rights movements and his nonwhite players would get denied service to local establishments. When Coach Lombardi heard of this, according to (Maraniss,1999) he would make that establishment off limits to the entire team. He had a zero discrimination tolerance letter and removed players and coaches from the team when they violated it. Also, Coach Lombardi arranged for his African American players to go to Milwaukee and Chicago to get haircuts because they didn’t have anyone local that knew how to cut their hair.
He had the insight to see the frustrations his players had. Personal Relevance I support and respect his approach to leadership. He held himself accountable and ensured he had the vision for his men to follow. I look up to how he motivated his players outside their comfort zone and they would do anything for him and the team. As I progress as a leader and a manager in the Air Force, I need to follow Vince Lombardi’s example. I used methodical patterns in my inspection preparation during our Nuclear Surety Inspection, and this pattern led to my team winning “Superior Team Award.
Furthermore, my troops followed that example and won awards during the Combined Unit Inspection and two Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspections. I created new continuity binders with two supporting documents for each checklist item. I exercised all applicable practical applications and verified that my troops’ programs were held to the same standard. I was very methodical by this approach and I ensured our programs were in full compliance. Next, I did not use inspirational motivation when I failed to inspire my sections to participate in physical training.
I would make my subordinates go to PT and give them all the pros to help them understand why it is important and I would make excuses for not going. Soon after I stopped going, and so did my section. One of my TSgts pulled me to the side and explained that they don’t go because I wasn’t going and they didn’t see the purpose in it. | learned in order to motivate my guys I needed to do what I told them to do. This caused them to lose trust in me. PT will now be mandatory and I will be there to motivate and inspire my team.
Similar to Coach Lombardi, I had competing values between my personal beliefs and my values. While stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO, I had one SrA that produced more than his peers and even some SSgt’s. He won Airman of the Year and garnered the ‘Exceptionally Well Qualified Award’ on his standards and evaluation tests. He also won multiple ‘Superior Performer Awards’ during Nuclear Surety Inspections. He called me one Sunday night after his shift, asking to talk face-to-face. When I got to the office, he told me that over the past two years, he received two citations for DUI in a neighboring town.
He took leave to spend a week in jail, and never told anyone. He had six months remaining in the Air Force. He could have kept silent and no one would have found out, but he didn’t want to live with the guilt anymore. I was left with a decision: I could have kept this information to myself and allowed him to finish his time with no accountability for his action or inform the First Sergeant. I believe in the Core Values and the NCO creed, so | informed the First Sergeant. I believed in him for the work he did and the accolades he won, so I fought for him to stay in the
