Rules for Startups #5: CEOs should be like Tom Brady

Without a doubt, Tom Brady is the current golden boy of the NFL who is a winner on and off the field, having inherited the mantle from Joe Montana and Joe Namath. 

Tom also encapsulates and manages to put into words what it means to be a quarterback in the NFL (from the NYT):

He said that the best advice he received from Montana was to remember who you are in the huddle. “When you’re the quarterback you’re one of the guys, but you’re not really one of the guys because you’re kind of the coach on the field,” Brady said. “I’ve come to experience that and realize what Joe’s talking about. You can’t be a goofball and all of the sudden show up and expect those guys to perform great.”

While I'd never compare the rigors of professional sport (split-second decisions while 300 lb. behemoths bear down on you) to the daily life of a startup CEO, his underlying point still rings true.  Everybody has a role to play in your startup's success, and your role is to lead by example, provide direction, and always let your people know where you stand on the issues and priorities facing the company -- to go back to the football analogy, in your company's "huddle" you are one of the  guys, but you're not really one of the guys, so don't even try to pull it off.

Jack Welch has some wonderful podcasts on this and other management topics on the BusinessWeek site, which you can also subscribe to with iTunes.  Another recommended listen is the Manager Tools podcast.

Comments

[Mark Horstman]

Joel-

Anytime we're mentioned with Jack Welch and Tom Brady, we're humbled. Thanks for the kind mention. It's a privilege to serve you and the community of managers.

Mark Horstman
Manager Tools

[Joel]

No problem, Mark -- keep up the great podcasts so we all learn a bit more!