Dr. Spock Rides To The SuperBowl on Colts and Bears

There have been a number of good articles about the management styles of Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and Lovie Smith, coach of the Chicago Bears.

(Public disclosure: I went to the University of Chicago, so I'm rooting for Da Bears.)

It is noteworthy that both of these coaches are African-American, guaranteeing that this year an African-American football coach will win the SuperBowl for the first time (don't you love these win-win scenarios).

Also noteworthy, as my wife points out, is their management styles. We have two coaches (with Smith an offshoot of Dungy's coaching tree, having worked for Dungy in Tampa Bay) who are not chest-thumping, tough-guy screamers. Both men believe that they can direct, lead and motivate their team by calmly giving directions and treating players with respect.

That's like Nelson standing at the Battle of Trafalgar, taking a cannon shot and still leading the navy to victory.

Football players are smart, operate well within systems, make fast decisions and move to close on a point with speed. They seek to differentiate themselves and gain competitive advantage. So, is there really a need to verbally or physically slap these guys upside their heads? Or isn't more effective to get into their heads in the same way that this generation of athletes and executives was raised?

Remember that pediatrician who coached your mom on how to raise you? Dr. Benjamin Spock was the first pediatrician to use psychoanalysis to understand children's needs and family dynamics. To crip from Wikipedia, his ideas about childcare influenced several generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children, and to treat them as individuals.

Mmmnnn. Sounds like Dungy and Smith. Sounds like good managers who have empathy, know what is right, try to understand their employees' needs, direct them with the best strategies for success and provide appropriate goals and measures. And a good situational leader will change their style and approach depending on the readiness of individual employees.

For a generation of professional football coaches and senior managers raised on Dr. Spock, the lessons their parents brought to the crib are the same lessons that can elevate the performance of the team. Now internalized, those lessons remain some of the best ways of improving productivity, creating a prosperous work place and realizing success.

As I have led my teams and worked with them to achieve our goals, I have seen the personal and real value of listening, respect, dialogue, strategy and result. What seems new in these coaches is what we have been instructed and coached on since the nursery. And if we can bring those lessons into the workplace, we will have achieved a true work-life balance.