The vast majority of people in this country spend an inordinate amount of time trying to create a roadmap for success.
Yes, there are those people who don’t expend much thought or effort on anything. They just float through life and rely on the rest of society to pull them along. But, thankfully, they are the minority.
And, admittedly, there is plenty of help for the majority who care enough about success to actually plot their course. There is help financially from financial planners; legally from lawyers, spiritually from the clergy, physically from trainers.
But the bottom line still remains – the individual has to chart a course for success. Solid decisions have to be made. Motion, in the right direction, has to be initiated.
Most recently, another component has been added to the equation – creating a culture that leads to success.
The sports world – well, maybe not in Cleveland – has learned this lesson.
The first time I saw the wrong end of this formula – and, to some extent, the correction of it -- was with the 1980 Phillies.
For the previous three seasons, the Phillies had as much talent as any team in baseball. Probably more. But they were a divided, dysfunctional group of individuals. As a result, they provided this city with three years of bitter disappointment.
Then, two things changed … and so did the results.
Dallas Green – a stern, no-nonsense taskmaster – took over as manager. And Pete Rose took up residence in the clubhouse.
Green set the rules. Rose, mostly by example, made sure the players followed the rules and stayed focused on baseball. In previous years, players loved to talk about wine, kung-fu martial arts, cars and other extra-curricular activities. Rose only talked baseball … all day … every day.
Suddenly, the culture changed and the Phillies started playing like the best team in baseball – on the field, not just on paper. World Championship in 1980. Parade.
Things started on the same track in 1981. The Phillies looked unbeatable. Until the long mid-season strike. The team disbanded and the carefully cultivated culture fell apart.
There have been attempts at creating other cultures over the years. Head Coach Buddy Ryan tried to establish the Eagles as a gruff group of Bad Boys in the ‘90s. It would have worked, if he had any inkling of the importance of cohesive offensive plan, to go along with a staunch defense. The players all “bought in” on the Bad Boy culture.
The Patriots Bill Belechik uses a similar gruff style … but adds a sophisticated offense. His annual mantra is “us against the world.” Again, the players embraced it.
The best example of creating a culture in the last few years comes from head coach Jay Wright at Villanova. After a few years of chasing the best All-American high school basketball players in the country – and seeing them follow individual plans that often culminated in an early departure from college – he started recruiting a different type of kid. Maybe not as highly touted as some others – but of a higher character. They were willing to earn playing time slowly, develop through the years, fill certain roles within a team structure.
It also was interesting to see them follow in his clean-cut footsteps. Without any team mandates on hairstyles, tattoos, etc. his teams started to look and dress like him off the court. They repeat his buzz-phrases about “playing Villanova basketball” and the main goal of “improving every day.”
The culture has been consistent for a number of years. The result was a National Championship in 2016 and recognition as one of the elite programs in the country in the years following.
And then there was the miracle of the Philadelphia Eagles and their long-awaited Super Bowl triumph this year. If anyone says they saw it coming at the beginning of the season … then they also probably claim they predicted Donald Trump would become president back in 2015. Liar, liar … pants on fire.
But head coach Doug Pederson also created a culture for his team … one that some derided at the beginning. Never was there so much talk about a coach loving his players. The players loving their teammates. It was almost shocking for the violent world of football. But it created a close, unselfish, winning culture.
Now, if we only could get towns, cities, states … and our country … to do the same. If we could narrow the divide. If we could create a more common culture … then we all might learn to live without so much acrimony and bitterness. Maybe … instead of elected officials … we need to hire a coach.
Help wanted: Looking for a coach to create a culture that leads to success for America. Experience necessary.
Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.
