Want to take your business or organization to
the next level? Be a real Bearcat!
4 National titles, 13 trips to
the quarterfinals, 18 playoff appearances...that’s a rich football history that
would make any fan base proud. At Northwest Missouri State University those are the totals since 1996. The 2015 Bearcats ran
the table, earned a first round bye, and bring the nation’s best defense into
Saturday’s 1 pm game v. Humboldt State (see you there!)
For two decades Northwest
Football has oozed excellence. Opponents have revamped their stadiums, added
indoor facilities, built bigger weight rooms and got more aggressive in
recruiting. Yet the Bearcat beat plays on.
Why is Northwest able to
sustain excellence? What is the root cause? How did the dynasty
start? How is it possible to consistently give the rest of the conference
the proverbial stiff arm?
Let’s rewind...
Following the 1993 season Dr.
Jim Redd hired Mel Tjeerdsma as Head Football Coach. (pronounced Church ma for
any new Bearcat fans) Tjeerdsma brought discipline. Mel cut no corners
and focused on long term success. Every player (regardless of talent)
with a questionable work ethic or character was given a bus ticket and an
apple. So long, sayonara, hit the road Jack! The plan worked
perfectly...a perfect 0-11 1994 season.
In 1995, I joined the Northwest
staff as a Graduate Assistant coaching the wide receivers. A
just-finished- playing, wet-behind-the ears, know-nothing kid, I got a lucky
break. I was smart enough to know I was joining a group of great coaches
and too stupid to know that I was in way over my head. I was
a kindergarten student in
a doctoral program and it was two of the best years of my life.
In 1995, we took our 6 wins
into "the jungle" at Pitt State for the final game of the regular
season. At the time, this was the Division 2 equivalent of going on the
road to play Alabama. Maybe the Gorillas were looking forward to the playoffs
and we didn't get their best effort that day, maybe we got a few lucky bounces,
whatever the reason we finished close that day. I know "close only
counts in horseshoes and hand grenades", but close mattered that day. I
distinctly remember TE Matt Becker standing by the bus after the game saying
"We can beat these guys". I remember WR Mark Serve' saying
"that's it? That's Pitt Sate? I thought they would be better, it's
on!" The Gorillas would have been better off if they had beaten us
like we stole their lunch money. Instead, they allowed a belief to be
born that day. In my opinion, that's the day the Northwest Dynasty
launched. In 1996, we won 11 games. We lost to eventual-champion Northern
Colorado in a second-round playoff game at UNC. We gave the Bears all
they wanted and more. The belief grew. We were closer than we might have
imagined. Gas was thrown on a smoldering Bearcat fire.
Now to my point...
Belief is important, but
that is not the moral of this
story. What began in 1995 in "the jungle" was much more than a
belief. It was a player-driven culture and that is the moral of this story. This group was on a
mission and the players were leading the charge. They began to enforce
the culture from within the "enlisted ranks". The privates and
the sergeants were holding each other accountable for enforcing the culture
established by the General and his officers. There was a "Bearcat
Way" of doing things and the players began to take the lead enforcing the
rules.
In business, any plan,
technology, invention, service or product can eventually be replicated.
This is even more evident in football where your "system" is on film
and all your opponents have copies of every game. The only thing you can't
"steal" from someone else is culture. Culture is how Northwest
has prospered all these years. Through the loss of multiple "best
ever" senior classes, through the loss of NFL caliber players, through the
retirement of the guy with his name on the field and even through the sudden
death of an inspirational and much-loved coach... the culture remains.
The impact of those who came before is not lost because the culture and the
lessons are passed on through the coaches and players.
The "Bearcat Way" has
been passed on from player to player and coach to coach. Every current
full-paid member of the staff played and/or served as a graduate assistant at
Northwest. Who helped me survive when I got to Northwest? Rich
Wright kept my head above water while I transitioned from player to
coach. Rich now serves as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive
Coordinator. Rich is the only current coach who was on the staff of the
1995 team. Guess who was the right guard for that 1995 team? He
went by A.D. then (He goes by Coach Dorrel now) and he is the two-time MIAA
coach of the Year and the Bearcats head man.
Let’s Fast Forward...
Recently, my 12 year old son
and I had a behind the scenes look at the Bearcat culture first-hand. On
the early morning drive from Ames my son was inundated with hours of Bearcat
stories. He now knows the history of the program from 1994. He listened to me
tell anecdotal stories that showed the true brilliance of Mel's leadership
style. He listened as I explained why Scott Bostwick meant so much to me
and to so many others. I explained how Bosty had a true passion for
helping others reach their potential. He knows the story of the red hat
and what it has come to symbolize for so many. He knows the career
coaching story of my best friend, Rich Wright, and how he carried me when I was
the no-nothing Graduate Assistant I mentioned earlier. My son got to see
Rich in action up close as he directed the nation’s best TEAM defense. He
sat in Charlie Flohr's office while Charlie explained how the Bearcat coaches
genuinely enjoy being around each other. Our sideline passes allowed us a
front row seat as I pointed out the way the players coached each other on the
sideline. Don't misunderstand my point. The players hung on every
word the coaches had to say and soaked it all in, but when the coaches left the
sideline huddle the coaching continued. The players traded information,
talked about what they saw from the opponent, reinforced adjustments, motivated
and CHALLENGED each other. My son got it. He is now a big-time
Bearcat fan. Even a 12 year old can feel a winning culture.
For both of us, the day was a
lesson in leadership. It was exactly what you would hope to see from any
high-performing team.
Today the Bearcats consciously
recruit to their culture. They hand pick players that will fit the
culture. Not necessarily the most talented players, (talent is a big part
of the equation) but the most talented players who fit the culture. Even
with that effort in advance, some players do not fit the culture and choose to
move on. Eventually, if a player refuses to embrace the culture the
Bearcats may have to part ways. Culture is larger than any one
player. Culture is more important than talent. Culture reigns
supreme.
The Bearcats invest heavily in
relationships. They invest in player development on and off the field with more than lip
service. Each generation trains the next in the Bearcat culture. If
you still don’t get it you may be thinking, “Are the inmates running the
asylum?” Make no mistake there is no leadership vacuum from the
top. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. This is what true
leadership looks like. This is what every organization should aspire to become.
This is what a team-driven culture looks like.
If you are looking to take
your business or organization to the next level, consider building a culture
that helps your employees get what they want. Consider truly investing in
developing each individual team member. Invest in relationships, recruit
to your culture and be willing to sacrifice talented individuals who do not fit
the culture. Create your own team-driven culture that will stand the test
of time. Be a real Bearcat!
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