How Bill Parcells Handled Disappointment

When former New York Giants Coach Bill Parcells entered the locker room after losing a playoff game in 1986 to the eventual champion Chicago Bears, he heard the usual comments from the coaches, players and staff.

“Good year, good year, get ’em next year.”

But Parcells refused to listen. He instead asked himself several questions that we as leaders must after failing to achieve a desired result:

• Was this the best shot I’m going to have?

• Was this the team I was supposed to do it with?

• Could this have been our season instead of theirs?

After boarding the plane, Parcells listened to his former high school coach, Mickey Corcoran.

“You had your chance to do something today and you didn’t do it, so it’s up to you to do better your next chance, if you get one,” Corcoran told him.

Corcoran wanted his former player to look inward, to review the game as if he were a chess player who misplayed several moves on the board. He wanted Parcells to self-evaluate his decisions, his thought processes and re-think the moves he made prior to and during the game. For Corcoran, this was the first step toward avenging a tough team loss.

When defeat occurs, everyone assumes next year is the year, but as leaders, we know nothing is guaranteed. For the Giants, Parcells re-dedicated himself to understanding what it was going to take to get another shot.

He wasn’t concerned with winning a title or making the playoffs — he simply wanted one more chance. Parcells entered that off-season with no promises, just a steadfast approach driven by a refusal to accept the applause of a good season.

Parcells believed his actions would carry over toward his team. He demanded more and elevated his own standards, inspiring those around him to do the same. His central theme that next year became “One more shot.”

The Giants went on to win the 1987 Super Bowl.

Tomorrow’s triumph requires today’s introspection. And that means being deaf to “Good year.”