Coach Vince Lombardi: Memorable Axioms on Winning and Leadership (Part II)

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The full text of “Coach Vince Lombardi: Memorable Axioms on Winning and Leadership (Part II)” by Al Bruno, from the Vol 3 — Winter 2018 issue.

N o head coach in NFL history has been quoted more on winning and leadership axioms than Lombardi; Lombardi was really ahead of his time in the 1960s, creating a winning system as a classic model of leadership for all professions and occupations to emulate. Nowadays, mention “Lombardi” and a certain magic still lingers in the name. When speaking about winning and character-building in organizations, Lombardi comes to mind.

If business people speak about the importance of punctuality and preparedness, they are re - minded about “Lombardi time” (i.e. 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time) and a “commitment to excellence,” sacrificing for the greater good, the organizational goal, to insure enhanced quality of a person’s life, for examples.

It does not stop there; Lombardisms, they almost could be called, have permeated every sector of society, instilling confidence and achievement efforts among employees in organizations throughout America. Lombardisms invoke a call for action, a call for winning at all cost. By Al Bruno, Teacher and Writer Coach Vince Lombardi: Memorable Axioms on Winning and Leadership (Part II) “Being part of a football team is no different than being a part of any other organization – an army, a political party.

The objective is to win, to beat the other guy. You think that is hard or cruel – I don’t think it is. I do think it is a reality of life that men are competitive, and the more compet - itive the business, the more competitive the men. They know the rules, and they know the objective, and they get in the game. And the objective is to win – fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules, but to win.”

There will probably never be a coach and leader with a better ability to organize, rally the troops, and win. In many school, sport - ing, and corporate structures, Lombardi contributions are revived every time there is a call for team improvement and winning. What a tremendous accolade for a deserv - ing and great coach, but it was not without plenty of sacrifice and hard work on his part.

Lombardi learned from his parents, his re - ligion (Catholicism), the Jesuits at Ford - ham, and great coaches like Fordham’s Jim “Sleepy” Crowley, a disciple of Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne; Earl “Colonel Red” Blaik, West Point’s best ever; and Jim Lee Howell of the New York Giants; observably, history certainly chronicles this, Lombardi’s work was remarkable: He was the attentive and engaging student of the game who em - bellished the work of coaching notables to a new height of coaching genius and sport leadership.

According to Lombardi, hard work and the will to win, a character-in-action, is what makes people and organizations thrive and succeed. Therefore, learning from Lombardi should be encouraged as an ongoing process of promoting character-in-action for today’s leaders when improved, team performance and winning are the company goals. What follows are Lombardi’s renditions on winning and leadership.

Everything that Lombardi speaks about, that is leadership, character, commitment, and discipline, naturally lead to winning like freeflowing tributaries merging into the main riv - er, swiftly, and upstream with impetus. The name, Lombardi, in America, has become as - sociated and synonymous with winning. Af - ter all, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” (vincelombardi.com).

That celebrated axiom is probably recalled more often than anything else Lombardi has profoundly stated in his great coaching tenure. However, it should be noted, it was first uttered by UCLA Coach Henry Sanders in the 1940s, but it is attributed to Lombardi time and time again. Af - terwards, Lombardi regretted making that state - ment; he retorted with this explanation: “I wish to hell I’d never said the damned thing. I meant the effort.

I meant having a goal…I sure as hell didn’t mean for people to crush human values and mo - rality” (Lombardi, 2001). Verifiably, like it or not, Lombardi did say it, and history has recorded it as his property on winning philosophies, although evidence points to Coach Sanders saying it first. Poignantly, that hard-hitting axiom has concisely framed the very essence of the Lombardi legacy for most. Insightfully, Vince Lombardi, Jr.

(2001), in his book, What It Takes To Be #1, summarizes: “I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who know nothing about my father except that (1) he was a football coach and (2) he uttered (or endorsed or seemed to have endorsed) that truly memorable sentence. Some people take the say - ing on face value and agree with it. Other people are a little uncomfortable with the aggressive little statement. A third group of people are deeply of - fended by it.

They take it as the distillation of ev - erything that’s wrong with football, American cul - ture, capitalism, or mankind.” The intensity of such an enormous statement on winning is received differently by people as is evi - dent, but its impact is surely felt by most. Along the same lines, Coach Lombardi also writes: “The will to excel and the will to win – they endure” (Lombardi, 2001).

This statement really reflects what Lombardi wanted to say originally because Lombardi was always focusing on the will: The will to win is what fuels the run to win. The goal for Team Lombardi was winning. Winning was the company mission. The company busi - ness for Lombardi was football and his organiza - tion was the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi (2001) spoke about the rigors of the football organization and its objective on winning:

16 “Being part of a football team is no different than being a part of any other organization – an army, a political party. The objective is to win, to beat theother guy. You think that is hard or cruel – I don’t think it is. I do think it isa reality of life that men are competitive, and the more competitive the busi - ness, the more competitive the men. They know the rules, and they know the objective, and they get in the game.

And the objective is to win – fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules, but to win.” As a result, Lombardi was criticized for making winning the most important goal in a game of brutality among men. Lombardi’s critics accused him of callousness and insensitivity. In defense of his strong emphasis on winning, Lombardi fired back, repeatedly saying: “If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?” (vincelombardi.com).

They keep score because the winners need to be recognized and rewarded for their commendable efforts. Lombardi affirms the grace of winning: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he was worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on field of battle – victorious” (vincelombardi.com).

Winning places the victor on the highest rung of success; conversely, according to Lombardi, losing is never laughable, and it is the time when men need to examine themselves, a soul-searching experi - ence if you will, and make that firm resolution to battle back more competitively than before.

Players did not want to be around Lombardi after a Green Bay loss, and son, Vince Lombardi, Jr., too, admitted his family did not want to be around him after a losing effort by the Packers, especially if the Packers played poorly. Lombardi would eventually accept a loss on the field because “after all, we are not perfect,” he would say, but the effort had to be a solid one – a close game to the end.

However, Lombardi was discerning and consoled his players about losing, saying: “In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail” (vincelom - bardi.com). Losing was not a habit or practice for the Green Bay Packers, and it did not happen often during Lombardi’s winning reign in the NFL. Lombardi also spoke to the importance of discipline and consistency as the necessary cogs of the win - ning formula; he writes: “Winning is not a something thing: it’s an all the time thing.

You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do the right thing once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing” (vincelombardi.com). Disciplining oneself by sacrificing, being consistent, and being committed all lead to winning, according to Lombardi. Ultimately, a person’s character is shaped by discipline, and Lombardi constantly reminded his players of that.

In particular, Lombardi wrote this about discipline: “It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got is faith and discipline when you’re not yet a winner” (vincelombardi.com).

Lombardi spoke to the importance of faith along with discipline toward achieving the winning formula. He was right: Faith is the belief system within the individual and discipline is the orderliness and the rightful actions that the individual performs to become a winner. Lombardi speaks to the importance of the grinds, the efforts, in life: “And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline.

There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat” (vincelombardi.com). Lombardi believed that the grinds, the knocks, and the repetitions are the building blocks of outstanding efforts and building a winning team.

With sound religious and military-like training, Lombardi understood the importance of discipline and communicated it frequently to his players in building a winning organization; in essence, Lombardi un - derstood that there could be no winning without discipline. Discipline is the key. No one in football has been able to duplicate the winning ways of the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. History proves Lombardi right on winning. Winning is Lombardi.

Coach Vince Lombardi on Leadership Building a winning organization like Lombardi did at Green Bay made Lombardi a household name in the 1960s and a leader to be revered because his winning ways and charisma had transcended him beyond football into business, education, and even politics. As a matter of fact, President Richard Nixon had considered asking Lombardi to join him as his vice presidential, running mate in 1968, until he learned that Lombardi was a Kennedy democrat.

Lombardi was approached as a candidate for the U.S. Senate and was talked about for a gubernatorial run in Wisconsin as well. His public stock was soaring due to all the recognition he reaped for establishing a winning tradition in Green Bay, but he declined the political offers. Lombardi was strictly a football coach, a great one, indeed, and politics was not his passion; football was his love, and he knew it. The Packers were winning, and Lombardi’s leadership in coaching reigned over the NFL.

Winning organizations do not just become victorious, winners, and heralded without a character person leading the way. Lombardi believed that “Character is the perfectly disciplined will,” (Lombardi, 2001). Character is built on truth and faith as well. Lombardi was that remarkable character that would suc - cessfully lead the Packers into football immortality. Relevantly, Lombardi (2001) states: “Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough.

The leader must be willing to use his authority. His leadership is then based on truth and char - acter. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the character” (vincelombardi.com).

Winning made the sports world to take notice that winning is realized because of exceptional leadership, clamoring for Lombardi leadership techniques in sports programs in schools and colleges throughout the land. Lombardi’s public appearances were increasing, and he was a hot commodity and celebrity on the rise. As a result, Lombardi began writing down his thoughts about leadership, creating speeches and axi - oms that would define his leadership style for all-time.

Winning for Lombardi prompted others to ask Lombardi to define what leadership meant to him, that is what good leaders do to inspire their teams and organizations. Relevantly, Vince Lombardi, Jr. (2001) recalls his father’s speeches: “Like all great speakers, he left his audience asking for more. In fact, many organizations asked him to come back repeatedly. Nobody seemed to mind that Lombardi gave it to them. Inspiration is essential, like air and food.

But I think there is even more to be gotten out of my father’s words and deeds “ Lombardi was certainly hard-working, but coaching and winning were what made Lombardi. His writ - ing and speech-giving on winning and leadership came later in his career because his winning record, just on face value, spoke volumes about his credibility.

He wrote about leadership axioms and goals but did not leave much of road map on how to achieve what he had truly experienced and achieved as a great coach and leader because Mother Time would take him from us early like so many great leaders in history. Lombardi believed that “Leadership is based on a spiritual quality; the power to inspire, the power to inspire others to follow” (vincelombardi.com). He believed that leadership was special and God-sponsored so, leaders must excel.

He very much wanted good leaders to be recognized and rewarded for their achievements; Lombardi (2001) writes: “Our society, at the present time, seems to have sympathy only for the misfit, the maladjusted, the criminal, the loser. Assist them – absolutely. But I think it is high time that we stand up for the doer, the achiever, the winner, and the leader, the one who sets out to do something and does it...The one who is constantly looking to do. The one who carries the work of the world on his shoulders.

We will never create a good society, much less a great one, until individual excellence is respected and encour - aged”. Lombardi was on-the-mark with recognizing individual excellence because a great society is measured by the achievements of its citizens. A commitment to excellence was very much what Lombardi be - lieved and preached to his players, saying, “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence” (vincelombardi.com).

And who can ever forget that Lombardi was strongly driven by commitment to doing his best and committed to the Green Bay Packer family. Lombardi (2001) writes: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regard - less of their field of endeavor.” Commitment to excellence was the foundation of the Lombardi leadership model: It was the rock that the Green Bay Packers built their football dynasty on for generations to admire.

Winning bestowed Lombardi with great respect as a leader because great deeds usually require great directions to accomplish worthwhile outcomes. What qualifies a leader to lead? Excellence was material - ized with the creation of a Lombardi leadership model (2001); naturally, it was outlined by his son, Vince Lombardi, Jr. The Lombardi leadership model is built on four, major tenets: 1) knowing self, 2) building character, 3) earning competence, and 4) building vision.

Everyone, it seemed, marveled at the winning success that Lombardi achieved at Green Bay and had people wondering what was exemplary about his leadership. Everyone loves a winner, at least most of the time. When asked about what are the qualities or characteristics of great leadership, Lombardi responded: “What is needed, too, is people who will keep their head in an emergency, no matter what the field. Lead - ers, in other words, who meet intricate problems with wisdom and with courage.

Leadership is not just one quality, but rather a blend of many qualities. Contrary to the opinion of many leaders are not born; they are made. And they are made by hard effort, which is the price we pay for success” (Lombardi, 2001). Leaders are not selected to lead simply by their birthright; they need to be trained and molded into lead - ers, and it does not come easily.

Hard work is always part of leader success as they (leaders) embellish their skills and resourcefulness and strive for competence, getting results as Lombardi did with his winning ways at Green Bay.

According to Lombardi, self-knowledge is the central building block for character: Identifying leader strengths as well as weaknesses and shortcomings is crucial to leading more effectively; Lombardi writes: “If I had to do things all over again, I think I would pray for more patience maybe, and more understand - ing” (Lombardi, 2001). Self-knowledge of leader strengths and areas needing improvement allows leaders to plan and execute more successfully, of course.

Seemingly, everything Lombardi professed about cen - tered in some way on hard work, discipline, and char - acter as the necessary ingredients of successful leader - ship; Lombardi (2001) writes about mental toughness and a leader’s will: “Mental toughness is many things. It is humility. It is simplicity. The leader always remembers that simplicity is the sign of true greatness and meekness, the sign of true strength.

Mental toughness is Spartanism, with all its qualities of self-denial, sacrifice, dedication, fearless - ness, and love. Mental toughness is also the perfectly disciplined will. The strength of your group is in your will – in the will of the leader. The difference between a suc - cessful man and others is not in the lack of strength, nor in the lack of knowledge, but rather, in the lack of will.”

Lombardi calls for a character leader that builds character among its members. Character, Lombardi points out, cannot be wished for; it does not magically appear. It must be developed from within (in - trospection): A process that only the individual can make that happen for himself or herself, the hard way, through hard work and life’s lessons. That is the Lombardi model on leading by exuding character and building character among team members.

Lombardi (2001) writes: “Remember that the will is character in motion...Character is more than intellect. Character is the direct result of mental attitude. A man cannot dream himself into character; he must hammer out and forge one for himself.” Leadership without character is eventually leadership not at all. Character builds and promotes suc - cessful leadership in organizations per Lombardi, and he is right, again.

Self-knowledge, character development, and competence are three of the four tenets of the Lombardi leadership model; their relevance to leadership success has been discussed in this presentation. That leaves the big picture, that is a vision for success, to discuss. Lombardi (2001) writes: “The difference between a good coach and an average coach is knowing what you want, and knowing what the end is supposed to look like.

If a coach doesn’t know what the end is supposed to look like, he won’t know if when he sees it.” Building a vision for organizational success is crucial in leadership. A comprehensive vision is much like the main river with its tributaries (i.e. self-knowledge, character development, and competence), merging there at the main to form one, powerful rush moving toward the mouth of the river. Verifiably, a comprehensive, clear vision unifies the whole organization under one robust purpose, one mission.

Lombardi (2001) writes about the importance of enlisting support for the vision: “The key to my father’s success was his extraordinary ability to get people to go beyond themselves – to give more to the cause than they ever believed they were capable of giving. He did this through his personal example of enormous energy and unflagging commitment. He did this by embodying the high standards that he wanted to see in others.

He did this by bestowing or withholding his approval.” It was not easy to get Coach Lombardi’s approval and favor: A player had to demonstrate it on the field and in practice through hard work and the display of sacrifice. He was hard to please, but his approval would come for good reasons. Lombardi (2001) writes: “When you got that smile, that pat on the back, that “Attaboy,” made all the sacrifice and the hardship seem worthwhile.

And the next day, you’d start all over again, working to win his approval and avoid his disapproval.

I know this is what motivated his players, and it’s certainly what motivated me.” The troops, through the character-building program in the Green Bay organization, believed in their leader, Lombardi; because of that belief and trust, skillfully and remarkably on the world stage, Lom - bardi rallied-the-troops under the team’s vision for winning and succeeded in an enormous way so much so that Lombardi will always be remembered for leading a winning team into NFL Hall of Fame.

The Lombardi leadership model is a great one because it is based on such qualities as self-knowledge, competence, character, and vision in organizations. “As a manager, wouldn’t your job be infinitely easier if the people working with you embodied these qualities?” asks Vince Lombardi, Jr. (2001, p. 48). The Lombardi leadership model remains a classic for leaders to emulate nearly 48 years after the death of its inventor. After all, Lombardi is great leadership.

For modern-day leaders, Lombardi’s tenets of self-knowledge and competence more times than not are accomplished by individual sacrifice and determination. A dedicated leader can assess his or her knowl - edge base through skill inventories, tests, and experiences. Competence is usually acquired by hard work, repetitions, and experiences, too, mostly through individual effort.

However, most modern-day leaders seem to fall short at promoting Lombardi’s tenets of character-building and vision-building within organizations because they are less individualistic and require more cooperation and collaboration among the team members to become realized. Cooperation and collaboration are nebulous factors and often require exceptional, interpersonal skills to successfully build character and build vision in organizations: Variables that are more difficult to control and oversee.

That is where successful leadership bogs down. Getting personnel on the same page for character and vision building in organizations is a frustration shared by leaders, garnering support for improvement initiatives. Character and vision building seem to be more boundless and elastic in the equation aimed at achieving leadership success; contrarily, selfknowledge and competence are more specific, more visible, and can be isolated and improved with bet - ter regularity.

The beauty of the Lombardi leadership model is that he harnessed all four tenets masterfully and grace - fully into a winning wonderland for the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. Proudly before games in the Green Bay Locker Room, Lombardi reminded his players, saying: “Remember this: You are the Green Bay Packers, and you are the world champions of football. Make me proud” (vincelombardi.com).

It must have been a memorable, uplifting experience to be a Green Bay player on game day and be inspired by the Coach of the Century (as voted by ESPN). References Lombardi, V. (2001). What It Takes To Be #1. New York:, NY: McGraw-Hill. Maraniss, D. (1999). When Pride Still Mattered. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Maraniss, D. (1997). When football mattered. Esquire, 128 (2). www.vincelombardi.com. The Official Website of Vince Lombardi.