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AFM Magazine


The Machiavellian Football Coach

by: Joseph L. Gagliardi
Asst Head Football Coach, Leyden High School, Franklin Park (IL)
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Written in 1513 and published posthumously in 1531, The Prince (Il Principe) by Niccolò Machiavelli has become synonymous with ruthlessness and tyranny. Today, it is often read (along with Lao Tzu’s The Art of War, interestingly enough) in business courses as preparation for the cut-throat world these students are about to enter. A careful reading of The Prince, however, yields an insightful view into topics essential to becoming a successful football coach.

Before we set about analyzing The Prince from a coach’s point of view, we must address a central assumption made by Machiavelli. The Prince is written with the underlying assumption that all men are wretched creatures, behaving selfishly for their own benefits. It goes without saying that football coaches are among the most unselfish people around.

It would be impossible to quantify the time, effort, and personal sacrifice each coach has given toward developing boys into young men.

That aside, the ideas addressed in The Prince are still highly applicable when disregarding this assumption. Taken at face value, we can learn a lot from Signore Machiavelli.

There is a school of thought, taken from the title of a book, which states “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I am not an adherent of this philosophy. The small stuff is often stuff we can control, whereas the big stuff is often out of our control; stuff we just have to roll with.

Machiavelli agrees:
…I believe that it is probably true that fortune [luck] is the arbiter of half the things we do, leaving the other half or so to be controlled by ourselves. (p.79)

If we really think about it, a coach does not have complete control over actually winning a football game, since there is another coach on the other side of the field trying just as hard as he is to win! Also, many unpredictable and uncontrollable variables work their way into the equation such as weather, injuries, and the emotional disposition of the officials on any given day. However, there is a lot of “small stuff” a coach can do to increase the probability of achieving a win. The primary job of a football coach is to figure out what that small stuff is and do his best to control it. One example is conditioning. A team’s level of conditioning is totally within the control of the coach. No special skill is required for conditioning. Nor is any expensive equipment needed. All that is required is time and hard work. Any football team may achieve any level of conditioning the coach desires. Since conditioning is a key to success, and since it is totally under the control of the coach, the smart coach will condition his team to a level he believes to be beyond his opponents’. Machiavelli continues the above quotation:

I compare fortune to one of those violent rivers which, when they are enraged, flood the plains, tear down trees and buildings, wash soil from one place to deposit it in another. Everyone flees before them, everybody yields to their impetus, there is no possibility of resistance. Yet although such is their nature, it does not follow that when they are flowing quietly one cannot take precautions, constructing dykes and embankments so that when the river is in flood they would keep to one channel or their impetus be less wild and dangerous. (p. 79)

Machiavelli understands that the key to success is preparation. One cannot behave reactively during a crisis and hope to be successful.

Proactive, meticulous preparation during calmer times is the only way to assure success at the moment of truth. Rational planning during the week and flawless performance within the controlled environment of practice is the surest way to achieve victory on Friday night.

In order to successfully prepare his team for competition, a coach must prepare his mind by learning as much about the game as possible. Using modern vernacular, we would call Machiavelli a “True student of the game.” He believes in the intellectual pursuit and rigorous training within one’s given endeavor. Whereas Machiavelli wrote of warfare as the primary endeavor of a leader, we may substitute “football” or “game” for “war” and not skip a beat. He feels that to learn one’s craft, it is best to turn to history:

[T]he prince must read history, studying the actions of eminent men to see how they conducted themselves during war and to discover the reasons for their victories and defeats, so that one can avoid the latter and imitate the former. (p.49)

Sounds like a Saturday film session, or what?
It is evident that like a good coach, Machiavelli believes that the key to success is preparation. However, he also sees open discussion and corroboration with colleagues as an important piece of the puzzle. In fact, if he were a football coach living today, Machiavelli would attend and participate in clinics religiously:

Philopoemen, the leader of the Achaeans, has been praised by historians for, among other things, having never in peacetime thought of anything else except military strategy. When he was in the country with his friends, he would often stop and invite a discussion: if the enemy were on top of that hill, and we were down here with our army, which of us would have the advantage? … And, as they went along, he expounded to his friends all the contingencies that can befall an army; he heard their opinion, gave his own, and corroborated it with reasons.

As a result, because of these continuous speculations, when he was leading his armies he knew how to cope with all and every emergency. (p.49)

A good football coach knows that pre-game and off season preparation is useless if one cannot apply what is learned during a game under the duress of competition. It is therefore imperative that to be successful a good coach must be able to identify problems as they occur, not after the game during films. As Machiavelli states, “The prince who does not detect evils the moment they appear is lacking true wisdom.” (p.47) Detecting evils, however, is only half of the equation. Once a problem is identified, the good coach must be able to implement the proper adjustment to counter every contingency. To achieve this goal, Machiavelli advocates flexibility: “[O]ne must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves.” (p.57) The ability to be flexible is fostered by preparation for every contingency; the above story of Philopoemen is a perfect illustration of this.

As stated above, a good coach must first identify problems before he can combat them, and this identification typically comes from the press box.

Therefore, it is absolutely imperative to assemble the best staff possible. As Machiavelli beautifully states, “The first opinion that is formed of a ruler’s intelligence is based on the quality of the men around him.” (p.74) At the high school level, many new coaches inherit an existing staff and are unable to bring many if any coaches from outside. Therefore, it is imperative that the new coach win over his new staff. There is no better way to do this that by recognizing talent and giving credit where credit is due. “A prince should also show his esteem for talent, actively encouraging able men, and honoring those who excel in their profession.” (p.74) In addition, to build a successful program a good coach must help his assistants develop and grow as coaches. As Machiavelli puts it:

To keep his minister up to the mark the prince, on his side, must be considerate towards him, must pay him honor, enrich him, put him in his debt, share with him both honors and responsibilities. (p.75)

Machiavelli realized that micromanagers make lousy leaders. Trust between the head coach and his assistants will never be established unless the assistants are allowed to shoulder their share of the work and responsibilities involved in running a successful football program.

The allocation of those responsibilities is determined by the head coach, of course, but once the division of labor is distributed, the head coach needs to let his assistants coach. Building trust in this manner may be the most important endeavor a new head coach undertakes.

After this trust is established, the staff will be of one mind, buying into the philosophies of the program and working toward a common goal.

It is important that a good coach listen carefully to the advise of those he trusts, and disregard the comments, both positive and negative, of those outside the program. “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” have not put in the time or the effort, nor do they understand the philosophies behind your decision making. Therefore comments from fans, parents, and media personnel are devoid of merit and should not factor into your self assessment or be given consideration when deciding on the direction of your program.

Allowing your assistant coaches to voice their opinion will help the trust building discussed above. Remember that it is absolutely imperative to exhibit a united front to the players, so all discussions (and in many cases, arguments) must occur in the coaches’ locker room or during meeting in which the players are not present. Here, every member of the staff can feel confident that his opinion will be heard and give fair and equal scrutiny. In the end it is the head coach that makes the final decision, and his assistants should carry out that decision to the best of their abilities. Once that decision is made, the good leader should stick to his decision:

[H]e should also question them [his advisors] thoroughly, and listen to what they say; then he should make up his own mind, by himself. And his attitude towards each one of his advisors should be such that they will recognize that the more freely they speak out the more acceptable they will be. Apart from these, the prince should heed no one; he should put the policy agreed upon into effect right away, and he should adhere to it rigidly. Anyone who does not do this is ruined by flatterers or is consistently changing his mind because of conflicting advise: as a result he is held in low esteem. (p.76)

One final subject presented by Machiavelli that is pertinent to our discussion deals with failure. Long before President Truman decorated the Oval Office with “The Buck Stops Here,” Machiavelli understood that it was the Prince that must accept responsibility for failure, and not try to blame it on the incompetence of his followers.

Here we would find greater prowess among those who follow, were it not lacking among the leaders. Look at the duels and the combats between a few, how the Italians are superior in strength, in skill, in inventiveness; but when it is a matter of armies, they do not compare. All this is because of the weakness of the leaders.

In this quote Machiavelli points out that, even though you may have the best individual players, your team will not be successful if they cannot work together toward a common cause. It is up to the coach to clearly present the goals, philosophies, and strategies of the team to the players. In addition, the coaching staff must successfully teach the players the proper techniques, responsibilities, and assignments, while providing an organized and systematic environment in which to practice.

If these contingencies are met, not only will individual players get better, but team performance will improve because the players will understand the “Big Picture” and have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to achieve success as a member of that team. Ultimately, it is the leadership of the coach that will lead to success, not the athletic prowess of individual players.

Although the words are more than 475 years old, the message is timeless.

It makes no difference whether it is warfare, business, or football; preparation, flexibility, and surrounding yourself with good people will lead to success. Some believe that leaders are born, not made. To some extent, this is true. However, like all human traits, leadership lies on a continuum. Natural ability will only get you so far; one must take the necessary steps to become a successful football coach. For us, as it was for Machiavelli, this includes studying the works of others, constantly (and honestly) evaluating your own accomplishments and failures, and, most importantly, listening to and conferring with those that you trust and respect.

Footnote
All quotations from and references to Niccolò Machiavelli are taken from the Penguin Classics edition of The Prince, translated with notes by George Bull, originally published in 1961. My edition is from 2003, reissued with revisions, including an introduction.






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