Leading Thoughts: Learning from the Eagles win

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Leading Thoughts: Learning from the Eagles win

The stars were out on Super Bowl Sunday as the nation saw the Eagles fly. Those who watched the season develop will remember the quiet can-do confidence of quarterback Jalen Hurts. They witnessed the selflessness of running back and former Penn Stater Saquon Barkley, who embraced the idea that winning the big game as a team was more important than getting his name in the record books for most rushing yards in a regular season.

Business executive Howie Roseman wasn’t playing that day. But even the game announcers noted his work making high-profile acquisitions and trades that gave the team the talent it needed to win over the Kansas City Chiefs in a commanding fashion.

The Main Line Chamber of Commerce members who attended our 2023 Inspirational Breakfast may recall meeting the man who preferred fist bumps to handshakes and was happy to pose for some selfies with several attendees.

“I’m just a caretaker,” Roseman said that day, noting that he felt a great responsibility to make the region and its people proud. He did just that on Feb. 9 and the region will benefit from the psychological and economic boost that comes with being Super Bowl Champions.

Roseman discussed the culture he strives to create within the organization, stating that, “it’s about having standards and holding people accountable to them.” He emphasized the importance of having a clear vision and articulating that vision to everyone in the organization so that all are pulling together in the same direction.

When asked how he achieved his life-long goal of being a part of the NFL, Howie shared some key elements:

• Surround yourself with good people 
• Keep learning and stay open to experiences 
• Use adversity to propel you to be better – “don’t dwell on the past, rather, learn from it.”
• Develop your leadership skills
• Stay focused on priorities – “Keep the main thing the main thing!”

Howie told attendees he inspires the team by setting the right tone, building a culture that people love, being passionate about the team, hiring great people and helping them develop into the players the organization needs. He emphasized the importance of demonstrating that the team will succeed together by embracing high expectations and doing the best they can every day. 

Each year, as I did on Feb. 4 this year, I present on the first day of the chamber’s Leadership Main Line program a speech entitled, 'The Leadership Challenge.' It’s a mixture of research content, takeaways from countless management trainings and personal anecdotes that come from managing and leading teams since my first managing editor role at The Stowe (VT) Reporter at the age of 28.

One of my key points is that leadership lessons are everywhere if you look for them – and certainly in several places relating to the Eagles.

The leadership of Doug Pederson, who was coach when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017, emphasized the importance of connection and communication. Pederson was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of this year’s regular season, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has a coveted championship ring from the Eagles and another as a backup quarterback with the Green Bay Packers in 1997.

Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie said the following about Pederson in 2016: “You've got to open your heart to players and everybody if you want to achieve peak performance. Doug is a strategic thinker, a compelling leader and communicator and someone who truly knows how to get the best of out his players.”

Analysts talk about Coach Nick Sirianni’s passion, which can sometimes lead to him losing his cool and arguably has clouded his judgment at times. In remarks on the day after the game, he emphasized the importance of keeping and encouraging the good habits that lead to success.

"I want the culture for the Philadelphia Eagles to be, you can have great relationships, have a ton of fun, and still be highly, highly demanding and that's our culture,” he said during an interview a few years ago. “And so when it's wrong on the coach's part or on the player's part, we're going correct it. We're going to be demanding, or they're going to hold everybody to the standard, including myself. But when it's time to celebrate and have fun, we're going do that and we're not going to apologize about that because we work really hard and we're a family out there and we just love having fun together."

The celebration of the Super Bowl win was on full display at the team’s championship parade this past Friday. Defensive end Brandon Graham was among the players who took stepped up to the microphone on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with his own reflection on leadership. "When you serve one another,” he said, “great things come from it."

I welcome your comments and ideas, and can be reached at [email protected].

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