He’d go through the roster like that: “Ray [Wersching, 49ers field-goal specialist], how long can we count on you for tomorrow? Can you deliver forty-seven yards at the end of the game if we need it? Don’t say yes unless you’re sure. I need to know absolutely I can count on you, Ray. Can I?” On and on, commitments, publicly to their team, of high performance in the coming battle.
He was also frank about admitting his own mistakes. After a game, at the next meeting, he would review what had gone right and wrong with the whole team. While he didn’t pull any punches when reviewing their individual performances, he was also forthright when it came to his own work. He would tell them where he had made mistakes: “I should have done this instead of what I called,” he’d say. There was no culture of seeking scapegoats, no failure and finger pointing. It was very matter-of-fact: We did this wrong; here’s how we do it right. He would critique himself equally hard in winning and losing, always leaving room for improvement. Improvement was his obsession—always looking for ways to improve his coaching, his team, his organization.
Twelve O’Clock High
, starring Gregory Peck, was one of his favorite movies and inspired him a great deal. Eventually, after his retirement, he described to me the similarity he felt between General Frank Savage (Peck’s character in the movie) and his own situation and trajectory at San Francisco.
The film is about an American bomber group in England during World War II that is suffering extreme problems. Leadership is poor; casualties are high; morale is low; their luck is bad. General Savage comes in and, against long odds, turns the bomber group around, installing discipline, high performance, and good morale while leading raid after successful raid over Germany. But the personal toll is high as he sees friends killed and good men destroyed in various ways in combat.
The raids continue day after day, until one morning, as the crews of the bomber group—the 918th Flying Fortresses—are climbing into their planes for another attack, Savage finds that he is unable to lift himself into his B-17 bomber to lead them into battle. Having led his fliers to victory, he is emotionally gutted—a basket case who is taken to a hospital ward to recover.
Substitute the San Francisco 49ers for the 918th Bomber Group, football players for flight crews, Coach Bill Walsh for General Frank Savage, retirement for the hospital ward, and you get the idea. My father loved that movie because it told the story of what he did in football, and what happened to him as a result, in the context of something he loved—the military.
It is in the framework of this dichotomy, extreme success as a leader in the NFL and extreme distress as a person, that makes Dad’s story so compelling, his lessons in leadership so valuable. His staggering drive to prevail—to “prove them all wrong”—his ferocious competitive instinct, and his singular brilliance as a strategist, organizer, and team builder produced historic results. The blueprint for his kind of leadership is revealed in this book.
The lessons he shares in
The Score Takes Care of Itself
are both a beacon for leadership and a cautionary tale—what to do and what
not
to do. But isn’t that the subject all effective leaders dwell on? Isn’t it the perpetual puzzle of their leadership?
My father was a complex man, but he had a simple goal. Although the price was high, he achieved his goal, and as the years rolled by following his retirement, he gained peace and pride, great satisfaction and contentment, within himself. No longer an outsider in his mind, he saw that his philosophy and methodology were held in the highest esteem; his radical system the norm; his approach to team building commonplace. And that many considered him the greatest football coach of all time. At the end, he was lecturing about his ideas on leadership for graduate students at Stanford University.
I’ve told people that my father didn’t need a traditional family; his real family was football. And it was almost true. His commitment to the team, his organization, and its goals was total. Bill Walsh may not have sold his soul to the company store, but he leased it to the game he loved for many years.
My sister and I were there with my father on his final day. He was so weak, but still so strong in spirit. I whispered in his ear that it was okay to go, that the time had come and we loved him. Dad closed his eyes and was gone. He was brave as hell. I put my arms around him and my sister, Elizabeth, and I wept. His triumphs had been recognized for many years. He knew he was no longer an outsider.
My father is gone, but his hard-earned leadership lessons remain in place, perhaps more relevant now than ever before. I know he would hope that something in his own experience, as shared in this book, is of value in your own challenges as a leader. It would mean that once again he was able to do what he loved doing and did so well: teach others how to be as great as they can be.
Index
accountability
choice of employees
as leadership trait
as Standard of Performance
actions
documentation of
norms and expectations for
adversity, opportunity in
Allen, George
Anderson, Ken
anxiety.
See
stress
Ashe, Arthur
attitudes
commitment to perfection
contagious nature of
dignity in defeat
fear of failure
influence of interior leaders on
mentoring of
norms for
one-point-underdog mentality
overconfidence
positivity
situational
supportiveness
work ethic
See also
egotism; mental state
Audick, Dan
Ayers, John
behavior
effect of success or failure on
expectations for
hard work
leadership by example
mental state and
belief
confidence in employees
organizational self-image
in self
beliefs
leadership philosophy
philosophy of staff members
strength of, in decision making
teaching of
Benjamin, Guy
betrayal
by staff
by superiors
violation of Standard of Performance
See also
loyalty
blind side, protection of
Board, Dwaine
bonding
benefits of
in celebration of success
connection and extension
Bronzan, Bob
Brown, Paul
directness in communication
expertise of
openness to change
organization and management skills
reluctance to share credit
sabotage of Walsh’s career
understanding of organizational accountability
Bryant, Bear
Buffett, Warren
burnout
Carter, Virgil
character
as basis for leadership
of employees
situational
Clark, Dwight
Clark, Monte
Clayton, Mark
Coca-Cola
Cochems, Eddie
collaboration
communication
acceptance of input
after conflict
to avoid isolation
with creative employees
directness and clarity
for effective collaboration
employee’s skill at
of expectations
within organization
practice of
skills for
with superiors
teaching
competitors
demonization of
response to threat from
rumors about
composure
in defeat
as leadership trait
performance under pressure
rituals for
in zone for optimal performance
connection and extension
contingency planning.
See
planning
conventional wisdom
Cook, Greg
Cooper, Earl
Cosell, Howard
Coslet, Bruce
Craig, Roger
credit, sharing of
crisis-management team
criticism, acceptance of
Cross, Randy
culture of organization.
See
organizational culture; Standard of Performance
Curtis, Isaac
Dahlen, Neal
Davis, Al
Days of Grace
(Ashe)
Dean, Fred
DeBartolo, Eddie
concern for others
purchase of 49ers
recognition of Walsh’s potential
DeBartolo, Eddie, Jr.
DeBerg, Steve
decision making
after success
collaboration and interaction for
under pressure
defeat
adherence to failing strategy
attitude toward
with dignity
fear of failure
meaningful facts in
as part of success
recovery from
shared ownership of
transformation of behavior by
delegation of responsibility
demonization of competition
detail
attention to, as leadership trait
as basis for discipline
in clarification of expectations
in communication with superiors
contingency planning
focus on trivial issues
in pursuit of excellence
scripting
in Standard of Performance
Dils, Steve
distractions
in environment
hostile relationships
negativity
overconfidence
rituals to avoid
rumors
trivialities
Ditka, Mike
Drive (offensive series of plays)
Drucker, Peter
Dungy, Tony
Duper, Mark
egotism
in adherence to failing strategy
versus ego
of employee
exploitation of
as impediment to communication
injury to group unity
limitation of collaboration
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
emotional state.
See
mental state
employees
character
delegation of responsibility to
desirable qualities
direct interaction with
firing of, for Standard of Performance violation
firing of underperformers
friendship with
harsh and decisive treatment toward
inner voices
mentoring by
personal goals
philosophy of
positive comments about
respect and concern for
responsibility for selection of
enemies
environment
for bonding
collaborative
communicative
creative
distractions in
positive and supportive
professional
range of moods in
ethics, organizational
example, leadership by
excellence, commitment to
expectations
belief and confidence in people
burnout from, to avoid
communication of
expectations (
cont.
)
escalation of
inflexibility concerning standards
maintenance of, after success
Standard of Performance
expertise
for effective teaching
of employees
mastery as process
of mentors
failure
adherence to failing strategy
attitude toward
defeat with dignity
fear of
meaningful facts in
as part of success
recovery from
shared ownership of
transformation of behavior by
fairness
proper treatment of people
respect
flexibility
adjustment to challenges and needs
innovation
in scripted plan
as state of mind
49ers
professionalism
soft characterization of
at time of Walsh’s arrival
turnaround
See also specific issues
;
specific people
Fouts, Dan
future.
See
planning
gamesmanship
Garrison, Walt
Gillman, Sid
gladiator mentality
goals, organizational.
See
Standard of Performance
goals of individual versus group
Graham, Otto
Grant, Bud
Green, Denny
habits of successful leaders
Hackett, Paul
Hardman, Cedrick
hard work
leader’s demonstration of
pursuit of perfection
Harmon, Derrick
Hayes, Woody
hazing
Hecker, Norb
Henderson, Thomas “Hollywood,”
Hewlett, Bill
Hofer, Paul
Holmgren, Mike
hostile relationships
humor
improvement.
See
perfection
innovation
beyond conventional wisdom
calculated risks
from desperation
recognition and exploitation of potential
West Coast Offensive
interactions.
See
relationships
isolation
burnout and