The Two Management Lessons Of Tom Brady

The first relates to a leader’s role in driving their team to success and the second to the relationship to success.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady describes how he deals with his teammates as follows:

“I try to be very positive. I think, once I develop the trust, I feel like I can be tough on them. I can’t be tough on them before I develop the relationship and the trust.“

Trust transforms the relationship employees have with their manager. It implies that a manager puts their employee’s interest before theirs. When they challenge a teammate, they don’t do so to put them down but to help them rise.

Trust isn’t an asset one can take for granted. It it not acquired once and for all. It is an investment that has to be made with daily deposits of transparency, benevolence, consistency, and exemplarity. Managers are among the most scrutinized people, and their ability to earn the trust of their teams – and their peers – depends on the consistency of their behavior.

In the same interview, Tom Brady also reflected on his relationship to success. It is all the more interesting because it comes from an individual who not only has more Super Bowl rings (seven) than any other player, but also than any team in NFL history.

Tom Brady believes the old adage that victory is sweeter after the taste of defeat:

“How do you appreciate all the wins if you don’t lose?“

Failure doesn’t only enhance the taste of success: It is part of the journey to get there. By confronting us with our limits, failure makes us progress towards our goals, if we are wise enough to learn from our mistakes.

Managers who dream of an infallible team deny their employees the right to take risks. As a result, they can neither innovate in their ways of working nor explore new fields of action.

This is why, when we celebrate a victory, we must also remember the setbacks that made it possible.