Paul Brown is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, winning 3 NFL Championships before the introduction of the Superbowl.
Paul is accredited with his several innovations for the game of football but he is considered by many as the father of modern football.
Paul Brown - Cleveland Browns
What were the innovations introduced by Paul Brown?
Let’s put these innovations in context, we are between the 1940s and 1950s, the game of football is at its beginnings and it’s starting to become a national sport in the US. Paul Brown introduces many innovations, which are still used today:
Use of game films to scout opponents
Hire a full-time staff of assistants
Test players on their knowledge of a playbook
The modern face mask
Practice squad
etc...
What were the impacts of such innovations?
Innovations are cool but they are not always useful... However, Paul Brown’s innovations were impactful like never before. Brown changed the way coaches coach, and players play. He was a true innovator and a visionary.
His innovations were game-changers, they changed how the game evolved, which could be referred to as systematic innovation.
For example:
He introduced the radio helmet in 1956, following the presentation by inventors, John Campbell and George Sarles. This invention corresponded perfectly to Brown’s personality, who like to control everything aspect of the game, including his quarterback. It was quickly forbidden by the NFL claiming it was giving an unfair advantage, only to be reintroduced in 1994, almost 40 years later.
What can you learn from Paul about his disruptive innovation mindset?
Paul was always looking to take an unconventional approach to win the game, including developing a technological edge, but sometimes the game itself triggered his curiosity to keep that edge.
The story of the face mask is one of the most famous examples of jumping on an opportunity to develop an innovation. In 1953, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, when Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham got struck in the face, the blow resulted in a deep gash running down his cheekbone. He later returned to the game wearing a protective mask. It was the first time an NFL player wore a mask during a regular-season game. The legend says Paul designed and developed within 12 minutes at half-time the face mask.
The main principles we can use from Paul Brown's innovative mindset:
Keep an open mind and be opportunistic; you never what comes up to make you better
Never settle for the status quo; you must embrace this mindset of challenging everything
Disregard if your ideas are unpopular; innovation is not a popularity contest, people will critic you and badmouth, don’t pay attention
Seek to bring value and improve the effectiveness; you must seek to be better and improve the overall performance and service of what you are providing
Know your subject well enough; you will never be able to teach nor invent something if you don’t know it well enough. Ignorance in this case is not a blessing
Be willing to fight and protect it; you also need to be able to patent and protect your intellectual property if you come up with an invention. Like Paul Brown, increase your knowledge in this field as well.
Try and fail many times to find the right solutions; you will never be able to come up the first time with the perfect product or service. It’s continuous learning. Adapt, learn and improve
Be obsessive; it should almost consume you to get that edge. This obsession will push you to have this edge and keep your mind constantly on finding a way to make it better but obsession only comes from a deep passion and love for your craft
What made Paul Brown such a great innovator, was the fact that he was like a classroom teacher, studying the game in every aspect possible.
Moreover, he was smart but he also hired good people, and those assistants were usually good communicators. Those people are also among the most successful coaches in History; Don Shula, Bill Walsh to name a few.
To be successful as a Head Coach and an innovator, you must have a lot of self-confidence, you have to believe in yourself and be able to teach and formulate concretely your ideas.
You could have all the skill and knowledge that there is about the game, but if you can’t communicate it to the people you are responsible for, it’s not doing you any good - Paul Brown was great at doing exactly that.
If you like it, comment & share
Rédaction par Douglas Finazzi
Where can I look it up?
"When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less" — Paul Brown