Steelers HC Mike Tomlin has his key to success revealed by former NFL GM
Mike Tomlin has been the leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers for nearly two decades at this point. Based on tenure alone, he's obviously doing something right, not to mention his accolades that stretch far and wide. So how he has been so successful? Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi knows how: Leadership "What is your messaging […]
Mike Tomlin has been the leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers for nearly two decades at this point.
Based on tenure alone, he's obviously doing something right, not to mention his accolades that stretch far and wide.
So how he has been so successful? Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi knows how:
Leadership
"What is your messaging to the players? Who are you? What are you all about? What is our organization going to represent? That's a powerful thing. And I think that's something that Mike (Tomlin) does as well as anybody," said Lombardi, via the GM Shuffle on the DraftKings Sports Network.
"Mike's a born leader like that. I mean, it's remarkable that Mike was able to develop these skills, whether it's from his parents, whether it's from some coach at William and Mary (Tomlin's Alma Mater), I don't know. But Mike has the power to do that."
And while the cause of Tomlin's leadership skills likely stems from a wide array of experiences, it's clear that he has an innate ability to lead. But what makes him special is the way he connects with his players through his teaching, through the foundation he lays day after day, something others have seen for some time:
"Al Davis called me one time when we were looking for a coach and he said, Hey, I hear this guy in Tampa (Mike Tomlin) is really good. And I think, you know, he's somebody we should take a look at," said Lombardi. "That was surprising because he never wanted to talk to defensive coaches. So I started doing a lot of work on Tomlin, asking people what's he like.
"The consensus when doing the research was that Tomlin was this incredibly engaging guy and that he could get people to follow him and that's a rare trait. There are certain guys that have that. I don't want to call it charisma, but they have that ability to motivate people and Tomlin has that," added Lombardi.
"When Pittsburgh brought him (Tomlin) in for his interview, he "wowed" them. Mike Tomlin didn't wow them because he wanted to play cover three, or Tampa two (defensive coverages) or even because he was African American," said Lombardi. "No, Mike Tomlin wowed them because he shows and demonstrated incredible leadership, and an incredible ability to connect to the players."
Being able to communicate with 53 men of all different backgrounds, characters, and upbringings is no easy task. A team is only successful if you get buy-in from everyone in the organization, meaning it takes a special Human to reach all spectrums of the locker room.
Yet somehow, Mike Tomlin makes it look easy.
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Featured image via: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
