Chapter 103 - The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Today’s Chapter is based on the book “The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership” by Bill Walsh.
Bill Walsh was a renowned American football coach best known for his transformative role with the San Francisco 49ers, where he popularized the "West Coast offense" and led the team to three Super Bowl victories (1981, 1984, and 1988) during his tenure from 1979 to 1988. His coaching record of 102 wins against 63 losses, along with ten postseason victories, established him as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, earning him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Here’s what I learned:
Standard of Performance
“The culture is the only acceptable standard of performance.”
— Urban Meyer
Bill Walsh's philosophy begins with an unwavering commitment to a Standard of Performance that permeates every level of the organization. This isn't simply about winning; it's about establishing a culture of professionalism, meticulous attention to detail, and a relentless pursuit of "routine perfection." Every individual, from the star quarterback to the receptionist answering phones, plays a crucial role in upholding this standard.
Walsh believed in setting high expectations and pushing individuals beyond their comfort zones. He instilled a sense of pride and ownership in every member of the organization, fostering a belief that they were part of something special.
"Regardless of your specific job, it is vital to our team that you do that job at the highest possible level in all its various aspects, both mental and physical (i.e., good talent with bad attitude equals bad talent)."
— Bill Walsh
When he first started his job with the San Francisco 49ers, he had one priority; “to implement what I call the Standard of Performance. It was a way of doing things, a leadership philosophy that has as much to do with core values, principles, and ideals as with blocking, tackling, and passing.” To build this environment, Walsh focused on teaching every individual what to do and how to think. He stated, “To put it bluntly, I would teach each person in the organization what to do and how to think. The short-term results would contribute both symbolically and functionally to a new and productive self-image and environment.” By instilling a culture of excellence, Walsh sought to reshape the identity of the 49ers from a struggling team to one characterized by pride and high expectations.
Furthermore, Walsh understood that a winning culture is built on a foundation of respect and professionalism. He emphasized the importance of treating everyone within the organization with dignity, from star players to support staff. He mentions that "Scouts, usually considered outliers who stopped by occasionally with information and opinions on prospects, were treated right by us. They came to feel like real members of our organization, rather than pizza delivery boys who showed up when called with hot tips about players." He understood that a winning team is built not just on talent, but on a shared commitment to excellence in all things, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
"In fact, to encourage positive thinking, pride, and self-esteem, I insisted that specific equipment carrying the emblem of the San Francisco 49ers be treated with respect. For example, players were told their practice helmets, which carried our emblem, should never be tossed around, sat on, or thrown in the bottom of their lockers: “Wear it, hold it, or put it on the shelf in your locker.”"
— Bill Walsh
This concept of “Standard of Performance” reminds me of how powerful culture can be in sports and in business. As we have learned previously, Richard Farmer believed that Cintas’ ultimate competitive advantage is their corporate culture. He explains that “Our culture is rare, invisible, and difficult—if not impossible—to replicate.Competitors can copy our sales material, our products and even some of our systems, but they cannot copy our culture.”
“I swore that I would do whatever it took to develop obvious and authentic competitive advantages. Today, we recognize that our most significant competitive advantage is very rare, intangible, and impossible to replicate. I'm talking—again—about our corporate culture.”
— Richard Farmer
However, in order to implement a great corporate culture at Cintas, it was primordial for Farmer to create a vision for the company to lead his employees. Cintas’s vision was the following:
1. To be known as a company that insists on absolute honesty and integrity in everything we do.
2. To have a highly talented and diverse workforce which is harmonious and compatible with our corporate culture.
3. To have a uniform rental presence in every city in the United States.
4. To leverage that field presence to provide our customers with additional products and services.
5. To expand our uniform business into segments of industry we don't normally service (such as hospitality, transportation, restaurants, and so forth).
Farmer explains that it is important for a company to have a vision and to share it to its employees. In fact, he explains that “employees are not just doing a job. They're sharing a vision. If they share a vision, a job is more than a job.”
He uses the following anecdote to explain the importance of having a common vision among a company:
“I used to tell the story about a man walking down the street in the middle of a big city and how he came upon a construction site. Bulldozers and earthmoving machines were busy on the site. People were working hard. He came across three men in a ditch. He asked the first man, "What are you doing?"
"I'm digging a ditch," the first man said.
Our protagonist asked the second man, "What are you doing?"
"We're digging a ditch for the water line for that building going up over there, the second man said.
Our protagonist asked the third man, "What are you doing?"
The man looked up and replied, “We're building a cathedral. It will be a big beautiful cathedral with five big tall spires and beautiful stained glass windows. It will seat 500 people. It will be the most beautiful church in this city. That's what we're doing."
Every time I'd tell that story, I'd ask my audience which of those men do you think is most motivated. Obviously the man building a beautiful church will be more committed than the others because he shares a vision. He may be in a ditch, but he is proud of what he is doing. That simple story demonstrates why it's important to have a vision and share it with everyone.”
— Richard Farmer
Process Over Outcome
“The process is everything, the outcome is nothing.”
— Bruce Lee
One of the most profound themes in Walsh’s leadership philosophy is the emphasis on process over results. He understood that focusing solely on winning can create undue pressure and lead to suboptimal performance. Instead, Walsh advocated for a concentration on the processes that drive success. Especially at the beginning of his reign as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Walsh insisted “to channel the concentration of the 49ers toward improving performance on the field and throughout the organization.”
As a matter of fact, he believed that when teams obsess over their execution and the quality of their thinking, success will inevitably follow. He once said, “I directed our focus less to the prize of victory than to the process of improving—obsessing, perhaps, about the quality of our execution and the content of our thinking.” This approach allows for a sustainable path to achievement, where improved performance becomes the primary goal rather than fleeting victories.
Walsh admits that this is difficult to execute especially due to external pressures, such as media scrutiny or fan expectations which can distract from this focus. Instead, Walsh cultivated an atmosphere where individuals could thrive without the paralyzing fear of failure. His philosophy encourages leaders to cultivate patience and persistence by emphasizing that that the true measure of success lies in continuous improvement rather than immediate results. He believed that when individuals are committed to their processes, the outcomes—both on and off the field—will take care of themselves.
"Consequently, the score wasn’t the crushing issue that overrode everything else; the record didn’t mean as much as the season progressed, because we were immersed in building the inventory of skills, both attitudinal and physical, that would lead to improved execution. That was the key."
— Bill Walsh
This mentality of focusing on the process rather than the outcome allowed the 49ers to weather temporary setbacks and maintain a long-term perspective. Walsh knew that even in defeat, there were valuable lessons to be learned and opportunities for growth. He mentions the fact that “a resolute and resourceful leader understands that there are a multitude of means to increase the probability of success. And that’s what it all comes down to, namely, intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing in a competitive environment. When you do that, the score will take care of itself."
In fact, according to Bill Walsh, failure is not merely a setback but a critical component of success. He mentions that “When the inevitable setback, loss, failure, or defeat comes crashing down on you—allow yourself the ‘grieving time,’ but then recognize that the road to recovery and victory lies in having the strength to get up off the mat and start planning your next move.” Ultimately, the capacity to learn and adapt defines a champion’s journey. The lessons learned from failure foster a unique strength.
“When you stand and overcome a significant setback, you’ll find an increasing inner confidence and self-assurance that has been created by conquering defeat.”
— Bill Walsh
This reminds me of what we have learned previously from Joe Montana, the Hall of Fame quarterback that played under Bill Walsh. Montana mentions that “committing errors is how we learn to be better. Failure is an integral part of success.” He explains that after every single game, he would go into the film room to see what he did wrong and not what he did right, even in games he won. As he would mention, “You can’t learn how to get better if you don’t understand what you did wrong.”
Montana brings the example of Thomas Edison who used more than ten thousand materials as filaments before inventing the lightbulb. While questioned on how he remained positive in the face of so much failure, Edison replied that he didn’t fail, but he did achieve in eliminating ten thousand elements that did not work.
Montana also shares a story of Thomas Watson Jr., the former CEO of IBM. One of Watson’s executive once spent $12 million on a new project that failed. When the executive gave Watson his resignation letter, he responded with, “I don’t want your resignation, I just invested twelve million dollars in your education. Get back to work.” While it is often easy to give up when faced with adversity or problems, Montana explains that successful people see setbacks as opportunities to improve. As Henry J. Kaiser once said, “problems are only opportunities in work clothes.”
And more importantly, Montana mentions that things are only considered a failure when one gives up or does not even try. While success is never guaranteed, it is the pursuit of it that matters and one can achieve a lot despite not winning the ultimate prize. As Michael Jordan once said, “I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way"
— Marcus Aurelius
Power of Preparation
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
— Seneca
Bill Walsh was a meticulous planner, believing that thorough preparation is the key to success in any endeavor. He meticulously scripted plays, anticipating every possible scenario and ensuring his team was prepared for any eventuality. He didn’t believe in relying on luck or spontaneous brilliance; he believed in the power of preparation.
He explains that he “began calling the plays for the game before the game was played.” This foresight not only prepared the team for various scenarios but also instilled a sense of confidence. By visualizing the game and anticipating any challenges that may come up, Walsh created a tactical advantage that set his team apart. In fact, Walsh understood that “the key to performing under pressure at the highest possible level, regardless of circumstance, is preparation.”
Furthermore, Walsh firmly believed that a significant portion of a game’s outcome is influenced by factors within one’s control. As such, there is no excuse to not be prepared before a game. He truly believed that one could control its own luck through the power of preparation. This principle applies to all leadership contexts. Whether in sports or business, being prepared allows leaders and their teams to navigate uncertainty with composure and clarity.
“I accepted the fact that I couldn’t control that 20 percent of each game. However, the rest of it—80 percent—could be under my control with comprehensive planning and preparation.”
— Bill Walsh
This reminds me of how Napoleon believed that being lucky is the ability to exploit accidents. He once said, “A consecutive series of great actions never is the result of chance and luck; it always is the product of planning and genius. Great men are rarely known to fail in their most perilous enterprises. . . . Is it because they are lucky that they become great? No, but being great, they have been able to master luck.”
Similarly, Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United gaffer was also a firm believer that preparation was essential to success in sports. As he once said, “Part of the pursuit of excellence involves eliminating as many surprises as possible because life is full of the unexpected.“
The most important aspect of the entire Manchester United system was the training: anything that happened during games often occurred during preparation on the training ground. As Ferguson once said, “our training ground was where the real work was done.” And this all starts with the players, they had to take preparation seriously in order for good things to happen.
It is not surprising that the best players on Manchester United were the ones who practiced the most. Ferguson mentions that “David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney would all stay after training to perfect their free kicks. They would not disappear for a long bath, or a massage, or be straight out the door because they had to run down to a car dealership. They would be religious about spending an extra 30 minutes trying to bend balls around a row of mannequins and past the goalkeeper.”
Finally, Ferguson believed that good preparation is the best way to encounter risk. As a matter of fact, he explains that “The way to win battles, wars and games is by attacking and overrunning the opposing side.”, but to do so, one must wait patiently for the opportunities to present themselves.
While Ferguson’s Manchester United teams were well known for scoring late minute equaliser or winner, hence the term “Fergie Time”, he explains that in truth, it all came down “to careful preparation and having a deliberate and thoughtful approach to risk.” He would often ask his players to leave nothing to chance and to wait patiently for opportunities before attacking.
Beyond the Book
Read "To Build a Winning Team: An Interview with Head Coach Bill Walsh" by Richard Rapaport
Read "Turning Adversity Into Advantage" by Farnam Street
Read "Improving Your Luck" by Farnam Street
Listen "#2 Michael Lombardi: Leadership on the Field" by The Knowledge Project
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