Happy Birthday, Coach Belichick

On Saturday, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick will turn 70 years old, many of these years spent roaming an NFL sideline.

Much like a young chess prodigy, Belichick began his career as a novice, learning his craft, gradually improving his ranking until eventually becoming the grandmaster of NFL coaches. He has won six Super Bowls as a head coach and has played a significant role in two others as a defensive coordinator. He shows no signs of slowing down or losing his passion for the game he has mastered.

While we cannot send Belichick a present to celebrate this momentous occasion, we can share some of the leadership gifts he has given us.

1. Be multi-dimensional in your knowledge and skills, BUT NEVER multi-task. Focus with intense concentration on the task at hand.

2. Always evaluate individual and team performance — large or small immediately. Learn what went well and what failed and always be brutally honest. Search for ways to improve and have a growth mindset.

3. Always solve problems with deductive and inductive reasoning. Never settle for the easy solution, look for answers no one else can find.

4. Be authentic in every part of your life, be comfortable in your own skin.

5. Embrace confrontation, never be afraid to tell the truth to someone no matter how difficult the situation.

6. Block out all the noise. Wear blinders each day and never take them off.

7. Understand the difference between perception and reality, never fall for perception.

8. Be dedicated to the team philosophy. Work at developing and improving players skills every day.

9. Define the roles for each player for every season. Give players a road map for success.

10. Fundamentals, execution and quality practices win games, not new schemes.

11. Embrace the organizational history. Honor those who have come before and teach the history of the organization to every new member. Respect the game.

12. Always behave with sustainable values. Never make decisions that are situational based and ignore the future

13. Stress the importance of knowing the game situation, be self aware and prepare for the unexpected.

14. Be simple with the ability to be complex. Practice execution, becomes game reality.

15. Reward doing, with the opportunity to do more.

Happy Birthday, Coach, and thank you for all the help.