Today is a historic day in the city of Seattle as an estimated 500,000* people descend upon downtown streets to congratulate and celebrate the hard work of OUR Seattle Seahawks. But beyond the community pride and high-decibel joy throughout Puget Sound, this team offers lessons that business leaders everywhere can take to heart.
Don’t fear the haters.
Most great success stories are surrounded by loud voices convinced of inevitable failure. When the Seahawks team was drafted they were lambasted as failures. And I quote – “Pete Carroll is proving why he didn’t make it in the NFL the first time….selecting Russell Wilson, a QB that doesn’t fit their offense at all, was by far the worst move of the draft.” Great ideas are met with great resistance.
Know your brand and make sure it’s authentic.
When Richard Sherman made his enthusiastic outburst insulting 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree and proclaiming himself as “the league’s best cornerback,” people called him a thug. But the real reason people were upset about it is that it was something REAL as opposed to the typical canned blather we hear from heavily media-trained players. In marketing terms, that outburst captured the enthusiasm and grit that is the brand of the Seattle Seahawks and its fans. No more NW nice. This is real. Even Obama came out in support. Now that’s good PR.
Leadership drives culture.
All you have to do is watch the locker room speech following the Super Bowl XLVIII win to see that this team LOVES each other. They are excited for each other’s successes and clearly have a team mentality. Each person on that team knows his role, is focused on a single vision and is given opportunities to succeed.
Know your market and own it.
When Facebook posted the fan map following Super Bowl XLVIII with the Broncos in Orange and the Seahawks in Blue, only the upper west corner of the country was blue. The vast majority of the nation was rooting for Denver and Peyton Manning. But having the most fans doesn’t have the same value as having the best and most loyal fans actively engaged in ways that count.
Recognize who got you there.
No one becomes a success on their own. Pete Carroll and owner Paul Allen both give credit to the hard work of the team and to the undying support of the 12th man. Create a good team and good support network (evangelists) and you can achieve greatness. Hell, you can make history.
*Early estimates put the expected crowd at 500,000. We learned that day that a crowd of 700,000 people was downtown for the parade.
