In 1978, the San Francisco 49ers were the worst team in the NFL.
Bill Walsh was hired as head coach the following year, and took the 49ers to Super Bowl wins in 1981, 1983, and 1988 during his decade-long tenure.
How did he do it?
Some point to Bill's innovative on-field tactics (like the West Coast offense) or his meticulously scripted plays for different game conditions, but Bill claimed the one thing that guided everything during his time in San Francisco was a set of values and beliefs he called his Standards of Performance.
Bill's Standards of Performance do not have an obvious connection to football. In fact, they appear so disconnected from on-field football performance that one critic among Bill Walsh's staff went behind his back and complained that Bill was too focused on his Standards of Performance instead of winning football games. When Bill found out, he fired that staff member.
Bill Walsh's Standards of Performance are universal principles that laid the foundation for all the on-field success his team earned, and can be applied to any organization that wants to win. He was a firm believer in the idea that if all the foundational details were perfected, the score would take care of itself (hence the name of his book).
Bill had high expectations of every single person in the 49ers organization. The quarterback, the receptionist, and the grounds crew all played by the same set of rules, and they all grew to demand full mental and physical commitment from their colleagues.
Below is the full Standards of Performance checklist, from Bill's book 'The Score Takes Care of Itself':
- Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed at continual improvement
- Demonstrate respect for each person in the organization and the work he or she does
- Be deeply committed to learning and teaching, which means increasing my own expertise
- Be fair
- Demonstrate character
- Honor the direct connection between details and improvement, and relentlessly seek the latter
- Show self-control, especially where it counts most - under pressure
- Demonstrate and prize loyalty
- Use positive language and have a positive attitude
- Take pride in my effort as an entity separate from the result of that effort
- Be willing to go the extra distance for the organization
- Deal appropriately with victory and defeat, adulation and humiliation (don't get crazy with victory nor dysfunctional with loss)
- Promote internal communication that is both open and substantive (especially under stress)
- Seek poise in myself and those I lead
- Put the team's welfare and priorities ahead of my own
- Maintain an ongoing level of concentration and focus that is abnormally high
- Make sacrifice and commitment the organization's trademark
Bill Walsh's Standards of Performance also extended to a code of conduct that all 49ers players and staff were to abide by. This list included rules such as:
- No shirttails out
- Positive attitude
- Promptness
- Good sportsmanship (no strutting, no posturing, no cheap shots)
- Never sit down while on the practice field
- No tank tops in the dining area
- Control of profanity
- No fighting
- Treat fans with respect and exhibit a professional demeanor
- No smoking on premises
- Respect all items with the 49ers logo on them (no sitting on helmets or throwing them into lockers)
- No hazing
- Every missed phone call must be returned in 24 hours
Despite San Francisco's 2-14 record in Bill's first year (tied for the worst record in the NFL), the high standards he set for every person in the organization (including himself) began to communicate that San Francisco was a professional, high-performing organization. Team members began believing they were a part of something special, and it wasn't long before the results of Bill's Standards of Performance began translating into football victories.
In just 3 seasons, Bill Walsh's San Francisco 49ers went from the worst team in the NFL to Super Bowl champions.
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This article is the first lesson in a new content series I’m starting on Bookmarked, where I’ll be sharing key lessons learned from the books I read.