foreboding Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 (edited) About six or seven years ago, I was in a lunch meeting with renowned Leadership Guru, John Maxwell. In addition to all of his books etc., he works with several sports teams, collegiate and pro to help GM's and coaches be better leaders of their organizations. I asked him, "John, why are the Buffalo Bills so bad, for so long?" He offered one word before explaining. "Leadership." He continued, "Show me a perennially losing organization, and I assure you it is the leadership and subsequent culture. Until that team changes its leadership, they will never be good. And it starts at the very top." There was a moment a long while ago when Marv Levy applied his leadership to the team despite the people above him, and we saw the results. Yeah our GM brought in good players, but he was not a growth mindset guy, no one could tell him anything. Then for decades, people ran the team who were more concerned about grabbing power and making sure they "looked good,"-- blaming the other guy as articulately as they could manage. In essence, the very opposite of good leadership. Sean and Brandon brought in the idea of "Growth Mindset." If you are not familiar with the term, it is the ideal that every experience exists to make you better, if you apply the mindset. For example, if you see yourself as an excellent run-blocking guard, then when coaches coach you or people question your ability, you have two choices. 1) Resist and justify to protect your precious self-image or -- 2) Look at the criticism, bad game, coaching, or whatever as a way to grow and get better, absorb, and learn from the experience. If the leaders do not accept the same mindset, though, their words eventually are become nothing but hot air. I don't need to name them all... Our guys (leaders) seem to believe in the growth mindset fully: every day exists to learn and get better. When you approach life that way, you never lose, because every single experience gives you something new to absorb. Learning becomes the most valuable commodity. This--in my opinion-- is why this team is getting good. Naturally, the FO must be good at picking players and managing money, but we already see they seem to have that part of the skillset down. Plus that is also something that must be approached with a growth mindset. If you make a mistake, learn, grow be better, not defensive. If you do not or unable to change your fixed mindset, you are removed. Growth and fixed do not mesh well. In a world of headstrong type-A jocks, it is not easy to find leaders like this. I am so glad we have a couple of them. Edited September 16, 2019 by foreboding Mr McClappity offended many 8 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Joshin' Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Do you think McClappity is witty? A good post with a bad title. 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 2 minutes ago, foreboding said: About six or seven years ago, I was in a lunch meeting with renowned Leadership Guru, John Maxwell. In addition to all of his books etc., he works with several sports teams, collegiate and pro to help GM's and coaches be better leaders of their organizations. I asked him, "John, why are the Buffalo Bills so bad, for so long?" He offered one word before explaining. "Leadership." He continued, "Show me a perennially losing organization, and I assure you it is the leadership and subsequent culture. Until that team changes its leadership, they will never be good. And it starts at the very top." There was a moment a long while ago when Marv Levy applied his leadership to the team despite the people above him, and we saw the results. Yeah our GM brought in good players, but he was not a growth mindset guy, no one could tell him anything. Then for decades, people ran the team who were more concerned about grabbing power and making sure they "looked good,"-- blaming the other guy as articulately as they could manage. In essence, the very opposite of good leadership. Sean and Brandon brought in the idea of "Growth Mindset." If you are not familiar with the term, it is the ideal that every experience exists to make you better, if you apply the mindset. For example, if you see yourself as an excellent run-blocking guard, then when coaches coach you or people question your ability, you have two choices. 1) Resist and justify to protect your precious self-image or -- 2) Look at the criticism, bad game, coaching, or whatever as a way to grow and get better, absorb, and learn from the experience. If the leaders do not accept the same mindset, though, their words eventually are become nothing but hot air. I don't need to name them all... Our guys (leaders) seem to believe in the growth mindset fully: every day exists to learn and get better. When you approach life that way, you never lose, because every single experience gives you something new to absorb. Learning becomes the most valuable commodity. This--in my opinion-- is why this team is getting good. Naturally, the FO must be good at picking players and managing money, but we already see they seem to have that part of the skillset down. Plus that is also something that must be approached with a growth mindset. If you make a mistake, learn, grow be better, not defensive. If you do not or unable to change your fixed mindset, you are removed. Growth and fixed do not mesh well. In a world of headstrong type-A jocks, it is not easy to find leaders like this. I am so glad we have a couple of them. Great post! It is true and evident there has been a culture change at One Bills Drive. Not only did they bring in the right people but they rid themselves of the wolf in sheeps clothing- Russ Brandon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreboding Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Just Joshin' said: Do you think McClappity is witty? A good post with a bad title. I see him referred to as that on here a lot. I think his clapping is indicative of his positivity and desire for growth. I like it--give me old Sean McClappity every day. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 3 minutes ago, foreboding said: What they've done is fairly common practice in the NFL...........but it just usually doesn't work because the players are missing from the equation. The proof is winning over a long term. Pete Carroll, for instance, just won his 100th game with the Seahawks in game 2 of his 10th season.............when you average winning nearly 11 games per season for a decade then your system worked. When you are 17-17 in year 3............ehh..........premature. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochesterRob Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 minute ago, billsfan_34 said: Great post! It is true and evident there has been a culture change at One Bills Drive. Not only did they bring in the right people but they rid themselves of the wolf in sheeps clothing- Russ Brandon. The problem for a long time was Ralph. A great guy but he could be his own biggest problem in terms of having a successful team. Ralph is gone and the Pegula's had to take their lumps to be able to settle on a direction for the team. Being a NFL owner is not something you can go to college for so the Pegula's had to endure the school of hard knock's aka Doug and Rex. At this point in time it looks like the Pegula's have learned what a good front office and coaching staff is not. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 6 minutes ago, foreboding said: I see him referred to as that on here a lot. I think his clapping is indicative of his positivity and desire for growth. I like it--give me old Sean McClappity every day. Just learn from this and choose a better title next time ? 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpsuit Jim Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 On the opposite end of the spectrum are Gase and Williams. They are “know-it-alls” who will sink the Jets regardless of the player’s talent level. It it makes me happy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 10 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: What they've done is fairly common practice in the NFL...........but it just usually doesn't work because the players are missing from the equation. The proof is winning over a long term. Pete Carroll, for instance, just won his 100th game with the Seahawks in game 2 of his 10th season.............when you average winning nearly 11 games per season for a decade then your system worked. When you are 17-17 in year 3............ehh..........premature. Lol... Pete Carrol and the Seahawks were 15-19 after week 2 in year 3... Dude ... They similarly made the playoffs in Pete Carrol's first year, but with a 7-9 record... 6 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 10 minutes ago, RochesterRob said: The problem for a long time was Ralph. A great guy but he could be his own biggest problem in terms of having a successful team. Ralph is gone and the Pegula's had to take their lumps to be able to settle on a direction for the team. Being a NFL owner is not something you can go to college for so the Pegula's had to endure the school of hard knock's aka Doug and Rex. At this point in time it looks like the Pegula's have learned what a good front office and coaching staff is not. Your spot on with that as well. Brandon was the last constant of the old regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 This is a bunch of nonsense. You can employ whatever philosophy you want, but this is football we are talking about. The team with the better talent, more often than not, wins the game. If you want to applaud McBeane, applaud the way they have done a solid job of changing out personnel and built up quality depth all over the field. We won our first two games this year because we were the more talented team, by a lot. We just beat what are probably going to be 5 win teams. Let's keep this all in some perspective. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 12 minutes ago, Nextmanup said: We won our first two games this year because we were the more talented team, by a lot. No one said that before the Jets game. And the Bills' comeback win was largely due to their mindset. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR8 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Nextmanup said: This is a bunch of nonsense. You can employ whatever philosophy you want, but this is football we are talking about. The team with the better talent, more often than not, wins the game. If you want to applaud McBeane, applaud the way they have done a solid job of changing out personnel and built up quality depth all over the field. We won our first two games this year because we were the more talented team, by a lot. We just beat what are probably going to be 5 win teams. Let's keep this all in some perspective. I'm not sure man, I would argue they had VERY good players on this roster BEFORE McBeane.... They weren't necessarily "The Right Players" but they were highly talented guys who've gone on to success elsewhere... Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby, Robert Woods, Marcel Dareus (no one likes to admit he's played well), Marquis Goodwin, Preston Brown, Reggie Ragland... all guys who were here when McBeane took over, and all guys who have had varying degress of success elsewhere. There are many other great players who've come and gone during the Bills 2 decades of futility as well, but naming them becomes pointless. There are a lot of factors in building an organization and a team... think of it as a airplane in WWII... You not only need to get the right people on the plane, but you need to get the right people sitting in the right seats on the plane... You need the right guy flying, the right guy navigating, the right guy at the waist gun, the right guy on the tail gun etc.... If you don't put the right guys in the right places you have FAR less chance at success... and just like a plane in war, even with all the right guys, you can fail. But you're best chance is to have all the right parts in the right places, and get moving forward. So back to the Bills... for decades we've had some great players, we've had some good and great coordinators, But we didn't have the proper formula top to bottom. McBeane SEEM to have hit it right... the right people at the top organizing the plan, putting the right Schemes in, with the right players in those schemes, setting the course for the highest chances of success... Whether or not they are successful is still a matter of luck just as it is a matter of talent and everything coming together. But they SEEM to have torn this thing down to the studs, and started over hand picking all the guys for their seat on the plane. They are doing the same with their front office, and their coaches... they've made mistakes, and they've corrected those mistakes. The OP is correct, they take everything as a learning opportunity. I still think McDermott is VERY slow to learn lessons about being aggressive versus his overly conservative nature, and he's too digs his heels in on players he has decided are better despite stats proving other wise, for instance carrying the TolDozer as long as he did, and McCoy, and allowing Gore to carry the rock more than Singletary despite his success early... and on the flip side force feeding Ford into the lineup despite Ty being better hands down. But I still have seen him grow, recognize issues and correct them. I am encouraged all the way around by these guys, their mindset, and the way they are doing things. And they've brought in players who buy in 100% and have the same mindset. That is VERY valuable.... weather it = success is still up to the fates... Edited September 16, 2019 by MR8 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TH3 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 43 minutes ago, foreboding said: About six or seven years ago, I was in a lunch meeting with renowned Leadership Guru, John Maxwell. In addition to all of his books etc., he works with several sports teams, collegiate and pro to help GM's and coaches be better leaders of their organizations. I am quite sure John Maxwell "Guru" has no idea that from 2000 to 2015....RW was essentially incapacitated and the Bills were run by a lawyer..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreboding Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 21 minutes ago, Nextmanup said: This is a bunch of nonsense. You can employ whatever philosophy you want, but this is football we are talking about. The team with the better talent, more often than not, wins the game. If you want to applaud McBeane, applaud the way they have done a solid job of changing out personnel and built up quality depth all over the field. We won our first two games this year because we were the more talented team, by a lot. We just beat what are probably going to be 5 win teams. Let's keep this all in some perspective. Really? Look at the numerous examples of teams that implose that are loaded with talent vs the teams that are good and consistent every year. The mindset is so critical. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Otreply Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: Do you think McClappity is witty? A good post with a bad title. The Mc clappy thing has gotten old, and is disrespect aimed at a guy who’s busting his azs to make the team better for the very fans that use the phrase, and I do get busting someone’s chops, but it really has run it’s course. Go Bills!!! Edited September 16, 2019 by Don Otreply 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR8 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 minute ago, TH3 said: I am quite sure John Maxwell "Guru" has no idea that from 2000 to 2015....RW was essentially incapacitated and the Bills were run by a lawyer..... Which makes the point even more accurate man... no matter who was running this team, it wasn't being done right. Whether it was Ralph at the young age of 95, a laywer, Snake Oil Salesman Russ Brandon, Fog Horn Leghorn Nix, whoever! They did a ***** job, and that's what drove us to where we ended up. The culture in the front office and locker room was so toxic it needed a top to bottom wipe out and start over. Something Ralph and the band of good old boys NEVER would've done... the Pegulas were a breath of fresh air, but there were still all sorts of fiefdoms and issues, so when they brought in McDermott, the agreement was that he could clean house top to bottom and start over to get rid of all that garbage. The Pegulas did the right thing saying yes... something no one had the guts to do in the teams entire history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh_Allen Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 What is a McClappity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinky finger Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 50 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: Do you think McClappity is witty? A good post with a bad title. Spot on. This and all the "McBean" crap is just not funny, cute or witty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR8 Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Don Otreply said: The Mc clappy thing has gotten old, and has become a show of disrespect aimed at a guy who’s busting his azs to make the team better for the very fans that use the phrase, and I do get busting someone’s chops, but it really has run it’s course. Go Bills!!! Early on teasing the coach for doing it was funny... then it got old.... we're WAAAAY past old lol I don't care anymore. It's just his way of pumping his players up... it's like making fun of someone for smiling too much... who really cares??? leave the guy alone. 3 minutes ago, inaugural balls said: Spot on. This and all the "McBean" crap is just not funny, cute or witty. See I see it differently saying McBeane, at least for me, Is because they came in "together" and they are truly a partnership running the team, and when you reference one you generally reference the other talking about what they're doing so it's almost short hand. IMHO it's a compliment to them for being one unified force running the team. It's not making fun of them at all... But I guess I can see how other people may feel differently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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