Sean McDermott seems to be constantly working to improve his effectiveness as a football coach. Maybe he picked up some of these habits from his father, a high school football coach outside Philadelphia. Wherever it came from, there’s little doubt Coach Sean is all about getting better all the time. At everything.
I remember listening to an interview of McDermott about a year ago discussing a conference he had attended about how to communicate more effectively with young people. He said he believed it was important to understand the differences in how younger people cognate growing up in the digital era. I thought that showed a lot of foresight on his part in terms of improving his message as a head coach.
Ah, the message.
It seems there’s little done without intention by Sean McDermott. One thing that’s very apparent after observing him as he enters his fourth season as a head coach in the NFL is that he likes to frame each season around several key words or phrases that distill an entire concept into simple messages.
For example, this season the overall phrase is “Find A Way”. This was no doubt selected based on the challenges facing this team as they try to play an NFL Football season in the middle of a pandemic.
“Find A Way” is a three-word phrase that engenders a number of visual cues that help a person quickly focus on the task at hand. It’s a simple message that packs in a LOT of possibilities.
Along with phrases like ‘Find A Way” or “The Process”, McDermott will often use one or two words to convey a direct message that is very clear and precise. He uses the word or words repeatedly… and when his players start using the same word, you know the message has been received. Excellent communication skills.
Unselfish.
That’s the word of the year, folks. Listen carefully and note how many times you hear that word being used by coaches and players. Unselfishness is a defining characteristic McDermott is attempting to grow organically within each player and the entire team. And from these old shrink’s eyes I would say the message is getting through loud and clear.
Unselfish.
Cue up any interview with a Buffalo Bills player this season and you’re likely to hear that word. Think about it… in order for any team (or group of any kind) to achieve its true potential, the individuals in the group must be willing to sacrifice their own self interest for the sake of the ‘greater good’, the team.
Unselfish.
Sean McDermott has his players buying into his concept of team. But he wouldn’t want anyone to think it was because of him. He sees himself as the vessel that will create the best version of the Buffalo Bills that ever existed. Yet he would rebuke anyone trying to shine the light in his direction.
Also, the love the players talk about having for each other (love = another buzz word) is genuine. Look at clips of any of the players together and it oozes a sense of affection. This team is being molded in McDermott’s vision of collective respect. As a behaviorist, it’s fun to watch how he is molding these traits into the foundational principles of his concept of ‘team’.
Can anyone imagine Rex Ryan doing something like this?
McDermott is the kind of head coach I’ve pined away for the Bills to find… and babbled about incessantly for decades. This guy is the real deal. He gets it. He has IT.
Sometimes spontaneous combustion happens when there is a confluence of qualities that potentiate each other in a specific direction. Sean McDermott is certainly incorporating his message effectively to date. It will be fun to watch this team continue to grow with his guiding hand.
~The Caboose~