10 lessons from Bill Walsh’s “Let the score take care of itself”.

Bill Walsh, the famous head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from years ago, wrote a book called “The Score Takes Care of Itself” (2013). The point of the book was that he would set up the standard of performance in his practices, and do all the planning ahead of time, and when game day came, the things they needed to do would follow naturally.  And it worked! Whereas he went 2-14 in his first year with the 49ers, in his third year he went 13-3 and won Super Bowl 16.

Are you using these principles in your innovation processes?

1) He controlled what he had power over. He didn’t set a timetable for a Super Bowl, rather only a timetable for instilling his philosophy into the organization. 

2) He set his philosophy, his “standard of performance”, and broke it into bite-size pieces for his players. Adherence to the philosophy was more important even than winning. It’s like playing poker -- you might lose the hand, but did you play your cards the best you could, including understanding probabilities?

3) He wanted to be known as a teacher, not a genius. He taught his assistant coaches to become teachers, and about a dozen became successful NFL head coaches. He even taught his players to teach younger players. He knew that the bull-headed know-it-all is a destructive force on the team.

4) He believed in management by walking around. “If you feel uncomfortable walking around the halls, you are a disconnected leader.”

5) He had a system, and all the parts had to work for the whole to succeed. His job was to ensure this happened. He would script the first 15 or so plays, out of a usual 150 plays in an NFL game (i.e., about 10%). The statement, “Plan the work, then work the plan,” comes to mind, although after the opening he adapted based on what he saw.

6) He believed in communicating over and over and over the hill they wanted to take, and the immediate next steps for taking it. The hill was the Standard of Performance, more than the Super Bowl. (This reminds me of John Wooden’s version of success).

7) He wanted every player to know that he expected them to be the best in their area. And he told his benchwarmers -- the 20% of players who seldom see game time -- there would likely come a MOMENT when they would have to go in, step up, and make a play. Be ready.

8) He sought to have a lot of small wins. Many of his plays were 12 yards, and the players would then do whatever they could to get an additional 7 yards in the play. The 7 yards were game changers.

9) He understood that some threats are existential, like Lawrence Taylor. He had to protect Joe Montana from LT with everything he had, both physically and mentally.

10) Walsh always felt like an outsider, and disrespected (e.g., by Tom Landry). He didn’t have the pedigree or credentials of many others. But he prepared to win every single game, to show them otherwise.

I also give his “10 ways to lose your job.”

1 Exhibit patience.  Paralyzing patience.

2 Engage in delegating.  Massive delegating.

3 Act in an overly cautious manner.

4 Be buddies with certain employees.

5 Spend lots of time socializing with superiors or subordinates.

6 Fail to continue hard-nosed performance evaluations for top performers.  Allow them to coast.

7 Fail to work hard to get the right new hires.

8 Trust others to carry out YOUR fundamental duties.

9 Find ways to get out from under the responsibilities of your position.

10 Have an environment that is comfortable laid back.  Free from appropriate levels of tension and urgency.