The Process - Why it's Important and Sustainable

[foreboding]

18 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Thanks.  I didn't know about her, and I don't recall having heard McD talk about her.  But what you and Wikipedia say about her theories clearly is at the core of McD's process.  (I should note that Wikipedia says that other psycologists have not been able to replicate her clinical results, and there is a healthy debate about what the consequence is of her work.)  

 

It's interesting, too, that someone who works for Lexus (Toyota), chimed in above, because the Japanese were onto the growth mindset, apparently before Dweck wrote about it.  Danaher is also famous for strictly seeking this kind of personal development, too.  

 

The growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset is at the core of a lot of discussion about McDermott and the Bills on this forum.  Some people here show they believe in the fixed mindset when they say that McD isn't good at challenges or isn't good at managing the clock or other similar comments.  They say it as if the fact that he didn't do those things well last year mean that he won't do those things well next year.   In fact, McD is a believer in the growth mindset, which means he has in place systems to evaluate how well he does things, like challenges and clock management.  If the evaluation is that he is doing those things poorly, McD views it as an opportunity to improve, so he studies, seeks advice, changes his behavior and reevaluates.  

 

The growth mindset is very much what he wants in his players.  He wants his players not so much to celebrate what went right, but to question and evaluate what went wrong so it won't happen again.  

 

I think we see the result of the process in his defense.   It's very rare that we see defenders after a play looking at each other and making gestures that say, "I thought you had that guy."   The Bills know where they're supposed to be on defense, so they're rarely out of position.  Still, of course, plays work against them, so when they watch film, they're always asking, "what could we do so that doesn't happen again."   Working and practicing like that every day makes the team better and better.  It's called continuous improvement.  

And, as I just said, continuous improvement.   That's the real key.   Continuous improvement means Hyde and Poyer get better as a safety tandem, year after year.  It stops only after their pure physical abilities begin to decline.  Continuous improvement your quarterback in the same system gets better, year after year.  

I can tell you from personal experience, formal adoption of growth mindset has changed my life and I have mentioned it several times here over the years. I resist backsliding to a fixed mind and so reading more about it and talking with like-minded people or folks who love the message is motivating.

It is easy to trapped into a fixed mindset (society encourages it), but it is toxic.

 

When you start to find the most value in the actual learning, your entire life is transformed. You no longer spiral, you instead see a mistake as a fantastic learning tool and thereby, always gain something from any meaningful interaction or event. You can hear it reflected in the words of our team's players. They own the mistakes but also make good by them. It is why Josh is growing so quickly. No failure, just another chance to learn and grow.
 

It is a process, you don't just change overnight, but Coach is teaching these young men a lifelong philosophy that will forever guide them. Selfishly, it bodes well for our football future.

[Shaw66]

28 minutes ago, foreboding said:

I can tell you from personal experience, formal adoption of growth mindset has changed my life and I have mentioned it several times here over the years. I resist backsliding to a fixed mind and so reading more about it and talking with like-minded people or folks who love the message is motivating.

It is easy to trapped into a fixed mindset (society encourages it), but it is toxic.

 

When you start to find the most value in the actual learning, your entire life is transformed. You no longer spiral, you instead see a mistake as a fantastic learning tool and thereby, always gain something from any meaningful interaction or event. You can hear it reflected in the words of our team's players. They own the mistakes but also make good by them. It is why Josh is growing so quickly. No failure, just another chance to learn and grow.
 

It is a process, you don't just change overnight, but Coach is teaching these young men a lifelong philosophy that will forever guide them. Selfishly, it bodes well for our football future.

Thanks.  

 

One of the things I think we hear McBeane saying about how they evaluate players in the draft and free agency is that they're looking for guys who already have the growth mindset.  I used to think that McDermott's plan was to get guys and teach it, but I think they've made the management decision that it's easier to limit themselves to guys who already have it.  They do that because not everyone can just easily flip into the growth mindset, and every guy on the roster who isn't successful transitioning is a guy who's a problem.  

 

They evaluate players for the growth mindset by asking coaches and teammates about them.  They find out how the players responds to adversity.  They find out how the players treat other people, because people with the growth mindset tend to work cooperatively rather than competitively.   They collect secondary evidence of the growth mindset, and I suspect it's one of their fundamental screens for players.   They can see on film whether the player has the raw physical skills - if you don't have the raw physical skills, you just can't play in the NFL.   But once you have the basic physical stuff, I think McD care less about how good those skills are and care more about the growth mindset.  

 

I listen to McDermott talk, and sometimes I think he's not the brightest lightbulb in the IQ drawer.  Still, he gives the impression that his future is limitless.   If he's smart enough, and I think he is, his mindset is going to take him places.   

 

I think Beane has the mindset, too, but he isn't the disciple for the process that McDermott is. 

[foreboding]

45 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I listen to McDermott talk, and sometimes I think he's not the brightest lightbulb in the IQ drawer.  Still, he gives the impression that his future is limitless.   If he's smart enough, and I think he is, his mindset is going to take him places.   

Ha Ha Ha! Same.

Thank God, as I think leadership is less about being a Mensa as opposed to be "smart enough" and having the right mindset as you said.
Here is why: growth mindset people ARE NOT threatened by the intelligence they surround themselves with. The smarter, the better, when you are not "fixed" into a small view of yourself and the world, you can easily find the best people.

[Logic]

2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Not again!!!!🙄

 

So tired of the Process that people have glommed on to.

 

How about well coached and a good culture???

 

Oh yea & finding a "franchise" Qb and discovering that offense plays a key roll in your success?

 

I'm a basketball fan and for the Toronto Raptors.  Never once was the word "process" uttered.  They built a team, got the right pieces, a great GM & coaching staff.

 

 

The irony of this post is that the things you just described -- building a good and stable culture, applying consistently good coaching and teaching, identifying and coaching up a franchise QB -- ARE all elements of "the process" that you roll your eyes at.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Logic

[MrSarcasm]

I keep seeing 'The process' being interpreted as culture, but in all actuality 'The process' is simply a set of actions... or a process🙄 that breeds success and along with success then comes a positive culture. 

 

I get that at 10-3 their isn't much to talk about, but I swear this overanalyzing is too much. 

Edited December 18, 2020 by MrSarcasm

[Billsfan1972]

19 hours ago, Logic said:

The irony of this post is that the things you just described -- building a good and stable culture, applying consistently good coaching and teaching, identifying and coaching up a franchise QB -- ARE all elements of "the process" that you roll your eyes at.

It is a process for all organizations and crucial to success.  

 

What I roll my eyes at is how this Board (or many on it) took to it & have kept repeating it like some magical special thing that only McD and Beane saw and were so ahead of the curve.

 

McD has shown very good growth this year.  Year 1, he completely ignored the offense and showed no ability to address or work to improve it.  He gave Peterman an ill fated start that pretty much said everything about his evaluation skills on that side of the ball.  Year two he doubled down, naming Peterman his starter and lasting one half again.  While they did draft their hope for a franchise QB, again nothing invested on that side of the ball.  Year 3 some pieces, but still too close to the vest and coaching mistakes showed some cracks (29th to 24th in offense is not a big jump either).

 

So yes this year has been a revelation, but please do not call/term it "A Process"....

 

 

[JY422]

On 12/17/2020 at 10:13 AM, Don Otreply said:

Tell that to Kirk Cousins...

The QB is obviously important, but it needs more than that to make it happen, luckily we have the other things that allows all the parts to work together. 
 

Go Bills!!!

Horrible example. 
Cousins is Andy Dalton, Chad Pennington, Jeff Garcia, Erik Kramer, Jake Delhomme, Alex Smith & Dante Culpepper. 
like Cousins, all of those QBs had some great seasons. They all made Pro Bowls. They all gave their fan base “hope” for a while. 
Not one of them would ever be compared to the greats. 
Same way Cousins will never be in the same conversation with JA when it’s all said and done. 

[Don Otreply]

35 minutes ago, JY422 said:

Horrible example. 
Cousins is Andy Dalton, Chad Pennington, Jeff Garcia, Erik Kramer, Jake Delhomme, Alex Smith & Dante Culpepper. 
like Cousins, all of those QBs had some great seasons. They all made Pro Bowls. They all gave their fan base “hope” for a while. 
Not one of them would ever be compared to the greats. 
Same way Cousins will never be in the same conversation with JA when it’s all said and done. 

You’re missing the point completely. 

[JY422]

2 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

You’re missing the point completely. 

I get what you were meaning to say but I still contend it’s a bad comparison. 
Give any of the top “Franchise” QBs the same team Cousins have and I’m betting that team is in the playoffs this season. 

[billsfan89]

The sustainability of this team's run is going to come down to how good their next 2 to 3 draft classes are. 2021 is likely going to mark the first time talent leaves this team. There are 5 critical free agents this team has to resign this offseason.

 

D.Williams, Mongo, Milano, Levi Wallace and Roberts. 4 starters and 1 key special teams player. The Bills will be lucky to keep Roberts and 3 out of the 4 starters. It is even possible they lose 2 out of those 4 starters. 

 

So this draft will need to at least generate 3 staters in order to fill needs from lost players and add that last piece needed to possibly get this team over the hump. Then of course this team will be in a similar position of losing talent in the next 2 years as Josh gets his deal and more players get owed or age out. 

 

The Process is great but sustainability is going to come down to the draft.