Caring Is a Strategy

Jon Gordon

In Water Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, he shared a story about Steve helping his father build a fence when he was a young boy. His father told him he must care about crafting the back of the fence as much as the front. When Steve asked why the back mattered when no one would see how it was crafted, his father said, “But you will know.” Steve's father taught him to care more, and years later he went on to create Apple products with such care that they generated feelings of awe, loyalty, and passion among the brand's millions of new customers. It wasn't an accident. Jonathan Ive, the man who designed many iconic Apple products, said, “We believe our customers can sense the care we put into our products.” Apple cared about the work they were doing and the products they were creating, and in turn their customers cared about them.

I believe caring is one of the greatest success strategies of all. The greatest organizations on the planet care about the work they do, the products they create, and the services they provide. I've been fortunate to work with many of the most successful companies in the world, and I have discovered they all have a unique way that shows they care—I call it a “caring trademark”—and this causes them to stand out from their competition. Apple designs products that are so simple to use my 74-year-old father can do so without a hitch. Online retailer Zappos provides free shipping and returns. USAA will go to superhuman lengths to assist its members with their financial security. Publix supermarket employees walk people to the correct spot on the shelf when a customer can't find a product. Les Schwab Tire Centers require their staff to run outside and greet their customers when they get out of the car. Chick-fil-A employees say “My pleasure” instead of “No problem.” Fitz at Rosenblum's clothiers in Jacksonville did something to show me he cared and I'll never forget it. I bought a suit from him a few years ago and decided to wear it for the first time. Not only did it fit and feel great, but right before I got on stage to speak, I found a card from Fitz in the jacket pocket. It said, “I hope you are doing something positive right now.” It's no surprise that Fitz and Rosenblum's have such a loyal following and a thriving business.

A few years ago a carpenter came to my house to do some work. When I asked him how business had been the last few years, during the recession, he responded, “I've been busier than ever.” It made perfect sense. He's considered the best in our city. He is known for the care he puts into his work and has a reputation for caring about his customers. He stands out from the competition and is in more demand than ever. When you care you stand out in a world where so many seem like they don't care.

Care More

Jon Gordon

When I spoke to the Pittsburgh Pirates last year I asked the players, “Who here believes they can work harder than they currently do?” Every guy on the team raised his hand and every person on every team I have asked since, also raise their hands. The next question naturally is, “If you know you can work harder, then why don't you?” The answer: to work harder you have to care more. When you care more, you give a little more time, a little more effort, a little more energy, and a little more love to the things and people you care about. You may be a good team, but to be a great team you have to care more. Care about the work you do and how it contributes to the team. Care about the people you work with. Care about the mission of your team. Care more about the people you lead. Those who care build great things that others care about.

Speaking of the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are a great example of an organization that cares more. We can measure revenue, costs, wins, and losses but it's hard to measure and quantify caring. Even so, when we experience an organization that cares, we can tell there is something very different about them. We feel it when we walk around the building, store, offices, or locker room. We see it in the messages on the walls. We hear it when we talk to the leaders and observe the people of the organization. People who are part of a team that cares think, act, lead, and serve differently.

When I visited the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time, at their pre-season training camp in 2013, they had just won 94 games and made it to the post-season. It was the first time they had a winning record since 1992 and I'm convinced their culture of caring is a big reason why. As I walked around, I noticed the “Pirates' Creed” posted throughout their facilities, conveying the characteristics, beliefs, values, and cultural expectations of how each person in the organization should think, act, and approach their work as a member of the Pirates.

When I spoke to Kyle Stark, the assistant general manager, he told me that their bigger purpose as an organization is to change the world of baseball by turning boys into men and developing players into professionals on and off the field. He said, “Our goal is to be the most cohesive team in the world and our mindset is to focus on the process of getting better every day.” There was no talk of home runs, wins, or losses—just purpose, process, and teamwork.

The Pirates, like Southwest Airlines, Northwestern Mutual, and many great companies have discovered that it's not the numbers that motivate people. It's the culture, caring, and purpose that drive the numbers. If you want to win, you don't focus on winning. You focus on the culture, people, and process that produce wins. Kyle and the Pirates also know that it doesn't matter what signs and messages you have posted on the walls if your leaders and managers don't model it and your team doesn't live and breathe it. You must have leaders who care more about everyone else and everything they do.

The Pirates conduct a daily leadership meeting during spring training where leadership coach Rod Olson shares a daily tip with all the coaches in the organization (minor and major leagues). They also bring in a bunch of outside speakers like me to develop their leaders and reinforce their values knowing culture, caring, and leadership go hand in hand.

When I met and talked with Clint Hurdle, the 2013 Manager of the Year for the Pirates, I knew why the culture had come alive in the hearts and minds of his players. Clint is a big man with a bigger servant's heart. A former MLB player, he knows what it takes to be a winner but more importantly his players know that he loves them. He wants to win but he's more interested in helping his players become winners. I've found that a leader who cares builds a team that cares. Then together they care about their effort. They care about getting better. They care about each other. They care about the organization. They care about their culture. They care more so they do more. The culture may have been designed in the office but Clint's presence, coaching, and caring make it come to life in the clubhouse and on the field. I can't predict how well the Pirates will do this year. Injuries happen and in sports sometimes things don't go your way, but after experiencing their caring culture, I can predict that everyone in the Pirates organization will do everything they can to strive for greatness, and more often than not, this will lead to a great outcome.

Create a Culture of Caring

Jon Gordon

To build a winning team it's essential to build a culture of caring. To build a culture of caring you must be a leader who cares. When you care, you will inspire others to care. Find ways to extend yourself to others and serve them. Write a note. Make a call. Go out of your way to serve someone. Go beyond the expected. People know you care when you go out of your way to show them they matter. A smile, an encouraging word, an extra five minutes of time, solving a problem, listening to an employee, sacrificing for a friend, and helping a team member through a challenging time can make all the difference. Never underestimate the importance of making time to make someone feel special. Then, when you develop a reputation for caring and others expect more from you, you continue to deliver more than they expect. With each caring act you are saying, “I am here to love you and serve you,” and when this happens, you attract more love and success. Your team will love working with you. People will tell stories at parties and gatherings about you. Authors may even write books about you. Caring is the ultimate team-building strategy. People make it complicated but it's simple:

1. Care about the work you do.
2. Surround yourself with people who care.
3. Show your team you care about them.
4. Build a team that cares about one another.
5. Together show your customers/fans/students/patients that you care about them.

When we make caring a strategy and create a culture of caring, we stand out and create success that lasts.

Show You Care

Mike Smith

I couldn't agree more with Jon. If you want to build a winning team, you must show that you care. It sounds obvious and simple but too often we forget to show we care. We get busy, stressed, self-consumed, and don't take the time to let others know we care about them. When you care about someone, you show them that they matter and make them feel important. You show your team that you care by being present when you are with them. You don't look around them or over them. You look right at them and let them know they have your full attention. You take sincere interest in their professional work and personal lives. Having one-on-one personal contact is the most effective way to show people that you care. When you are the leader it is impossible to have these interactions daily, but over time these encounters add up and this lets your team know that you care. When you care about your team they will give their all to you.

I think the best indicator that people care is not what they say about themselves, but what others say about them. Do others say you care? Can they identify ways that you care? Jon told me that he asked a number of my players how I showed that I cared and they said that I listened and visited them in the treatment room, and made time for them and cared about them as people, not just football players. They said they knew I had their backs and did everything in my power to help them be the best they could be. I don't think I'm perfect and I certainly don't like to talk about my accomplishments, but one of the things I'm most proud of, beyond wins and losses, is that my team knows that I cared about them. I believe that, at the end of the day, what matters most is that we made an impact in the lives of others. As a coach it's a great opportunity and responsibility, and it is the coaches who cared about me who I remember most.

I have been very fortunate to have had coaches, friends, and family members who have really cared about me. These people have taken a special interest and have provided me with a wealth of knowledge from their experiences. It is these experiences that have molded me into the coach and person that I am. I know for a fact I would have never been a coach in the NFL if it wasn't for these people.

My high school coach, Phil Richart, was one of the many mentors who taught me about the importance of being a caring leader and person. During my senior year at Father Lopez High School, I was injured in the second game of the season. The injury ended my high-school career and diminished my opportunities to play football in college. Needless to say, I was crushed. The high school that I attended had a small staff of six coaches, two of whom were volunteers. I always had an interest in coaching, even at an early age. My father was a junior-high coach and I grew up hanging around practices, starting at the age of five. Coach Richart allowed me to take part in some of the coaching duties involving meetings with the linebackers. He took me on scouting trips to watch upcoming opponents. He allowed me to work on the field with the players. He showed me that he cared about me beyond what I could contribute on the field. He got me my first hands-on experiences in coaching and showed me how to be a caring leader.

Until he passed away in August of 2013, he would send me a text with his critique and words of wisdom and encouragement after every game that I coached with the Atlanta Falcons. I always looked forward to his message because it showed that he still cared. Coach Richart was just one of many people who showed me how caring impacts others. Speaking of texts and caring, my mom is a great woman who cared and taught me to care greatly. During a game against the New Orleans Saints, we were leading in the fourth quarter. The Saints had moved the ball for a couple of first downs and the momentum was starting to shift their way with just under two minutes to play. Our right cornerback, Brent Grimes, made a spectacular play and intercepted Drew Brees's pass inside of our 15-yard line. It was a game-ending play because we were going to be able to run the clock out by snapping the ball and taking a knee. When Brent made the play, of course, our sideline and the fans in the Georgia Dome went crazy. As the play was ending I saw a penalty flag thrown by the back judge flying through the air. He called us for defensive pass interference. I absolutely lost it, and in an instant the Motorola headset that I was wearing was on the turf, where it busted into about five pieces. With the help of our equipment manager, I tried to pick them up and put them back together while the assistant equipment manager tried to give me a back-up headset. It was a little hectic there for about 30 seconds. I am sure it was quite a sight for those who were focusing on me, the coach, throwing a tantrum. We finally got the mess on the sideline cleaned up and went on to hold the Saints out of the end zone and win the game.

After the game I talked to the team and had my regular post-game wrap up meeting with our vice president of communications, Reggie Roberts, before going to the press conference. The message light on my cell phone started to flash. I picked up the device and saw that it was a text from my mother. I don't think I had ever received a text from my mom prior to that day. When I opened it up, it started, “KENNETH MICHAEL”—and let me tell you, when my mother calls me by my first and middle name, I know what is about to hit the fan. She went on: “YOUR FATHER AND I DID NOT RAISE YOU TO ACT LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. THAT WAS NOT A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE THAT YOU SET FOR YOUR DAUGHTER, SEVEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND ELEVEN NIECES AND NEPHEWS.” I think you probably get the gist of her message. Needless to say, my mom will always be my mom. It does not matter how old I am. This was one time I wished the cell phone had never been invented, but she cared, and I love her for that.

More than a Uniform and Number

Mike Smith

If you want to build a winning team, you must value all team members for who they are, not just what they do. You have to see them as more than uniforms and numbers. You can't look at your team as X's and O's on a whiteboard or costs on a financial spreadsheet. Whether they are being paid as professional athletes, receiving scholarships for playing a college sport, employees in your company, or people who can help you win a high-school championship, you have to remind yourself that under each uniform or business suit is a person who has challenges, personal issues, pain, hurt, and human wants and needs. Every person, no matter how successful, wants to be appreciated, respected, and valued. Everyone wants to feel cared about. Everyone, ultimately, wants to be loved.

Good coaches know X's and O's, but great coaches also know their players. It's your job as a leader to know and love your team members. Even with all the pressure to win and succeed, always remember that it's through relationships and human connections that this happens. Get to know your team and see them as more than numbers, and they will see you as more than a number. They will be loyal to you and work harder for you. They will want to work with you because you care about them. Relationships are the foundation upon which winning teams are built, and all great relationships are based on value, respect, love, trust, and care.

Transactional versus Transformational

Mike Smith

One of the most important decisions you must make as a leader is whether you will be transactional or transformational. Joe Ehrmann is a former NFL player with the Baltimore Colts who I had the opportunity to hear speak when I was an assistant for the Ravens. He is also the author of InSideOut Coaching, which eloquently distinguishes between transactional and transformational leaders. On the one hand, transactional coaches see their teams as a bunch of numbers who are meant to help them succeed and win. They focus on how everyone can help them find success and improve their coaching careers in order to rise up the ladder. Their teams exist to serve their career growth and pump up their egos. Transformational coaches, on the other hand, see their role as a transformer of lives who helps each team member become the best version of him or herself. Transformational leaders believe their job is to serve their team members in order to help them grow in skill and character. Transformational coaches still want to win, but they know their foremost job is to develop people, serve their teams, and transform lives. Ironically, when transformational leaders focus on these things, they often end up winning a lot. Transactional coaches may win in the short run, but their approach is not sustainable. Transformational coaches invest in the root and, over time, it produces a lot of fruit.

Love Tough

Jon Gordon

I also read Joe Ehrmann's book, InSideOut Coaching, and it was transformative for me as a parent, leader, and person. I realized that as an athlete I had received a lot of my recognition and praise by performing and winning. My identity was tied up in my performance. As a parent, I was doing the same to my children. Their performance was all about how it made me look and feel, not about how playing a sport helped them develop as people. I changed and became a transformational parent and everything changed for the better. Being a caring, transformational leader, however, doesn't mean that you are weak and don't challenge the people you lead. Because you care, you challenge them to be their best. Because you love them, you don't allow them to settle for less. Because you expect more, you challenge them to do more.

I believe in tough love, but love must come first. If your team knows that you care about them, they will allow you to push and challenge them to be their best. The great leaders I have worked with over the years practice love tough, not tough love. They invest so much in their team members that they earn the right to challenge them and help them accomplish more than they ever thought possible. When you care, you will take the time to invest in relationships with your team members, and through those relationships you will both encourage and challenge them to grow into the best versions of themselves.

Discover Your Caring Trademark

Jon Gordon

I mentioned earlier that caring is a strategy, and the most successful companies have a unique way to show they care, something I call a caring trademark. I believe great leaders who build winning teams have a caring trademark as well. If you've followed Derek Jeter's career and watched his improbable game-winning hit in his final at bat in Yankee Stadium, you know that Derek treated every at bat like it was his last and that's what made his last at bat so special. No one worked harder, played with more passion, or cared more about honoring the game of baseball. His hustle, passion, commitment, and work ethic have become his caring trademark over the last 20 years.

While Jeter always sprinted to first base and treated every at bat as a sacred experience, Doug Conant's caring trademark was writing over 10,000 thank-you notes to employees while he was the CEO of Campbell Soup. Rita Pierson, a life-changing educator, had a caring trademark in how she encouraged and believed in her students. She talked about this in a TED talk, which is still one of my favorite all-time speeches. Even though she passed away, her legacy and caring trademark live on in the students she taught. Business services firm Gallagher Bassett is helmed by CEO Scott Hudson, whose caring trademark is a weekly personal newsletter highlighting what he cares about in work and life sent to the more than 5,000 global employees. Interestingly, his employees often write back to him with personal stories of their own, further promoting a culture of open communication and caring. Drew Watkins, the superintendent of Prosper ISD, writes a personal note to every graduating senior. This past year when I asked teachers how he gets information to know what to write, they said he knows them each personally. He doesn't have some super-human memory. He just cares and gets to know his students. Dabo Swinney's caring trademark is the belief he instills in his players—he believes in them so much that they believe in themselves. Cori Close, the UCLA women's basketball coach, once had a player who was sick in the hospital. Cori stayed with her the entire time. She wouldn't leave. Her caring trademark is that she treats her players like family. The same goes for Sherri Coale, the University of Oklahoma women's basketball coach, and Rhonda Revelle, the University of Nebraska softball coach. They invest as much of their time and energy developing their players' character and mindset as they do in athletic skill.

When it comes to caring trademarks the list is endless. Someone could write a book about all the unique ways that great organizations and leaders show they care, but even if a book were written, I wouldn't want you to copy someone else. The key is to create your own caring trademark to fit you.

So think about who you are and what you stand for. Identify ways you love to show you care. Decide how you want to make a difference. What do you want to be known for? Your caring trademark should express who you are, demonstrate your values in action, and reflect your mission to make a difference and serve others. When you show you care in your own unique style, you will be well on your way to building a winning team.

When You Care, Your Team Will Care

Mike Smith

One of the great benefits of caring, besides developing great relationships with your team, is that it is contagious. When you care, your team will care. I saw this firsthand during my time with the Falcons. No matter what our record was, our team cared about our effort, performance, and winning. Whether we were an 8-4 team or a 4-8 team, the effort was always the same and we never stopped competing. While the media may not have noticed, and many who focused on only our win-loss record could have cared less about our effort, I cared that our team cared. I knew it meant that we hadn't lost in the locker room. You see, winning in the locker room doesn't always guarantee you'll win on the field or the court. Many other things have to work out for you. Sometimes things just don't work out and the ball does not bounce your way. Sometimes you experience a strange season, as every coach will attest, but I have found that caring and winning in the locker room will greatly increase your probability of winning on the scoreboard. When you care, you will build a team that cares and plays hard regardless of their record. Over time, this creates consistency of effort, which creates long-term success.