The Miami Dolphins won only one game during the 2007 season, going 1-15. The next year, with new head coach Tony Sparano, the Dolphins went 11-5. This marks the only time a team has gone to the playoffs the year after winning zero or one games the previous season.The story gets better...Miami won its division, over the New England Patriots, who have won the division 14 out of the last 15 years.
How was such a turnaround possible? A whole series of leadership decisions that transformed a team from one of the worst in NFL history to a contender. If you're into sports, you can check out a more detailed story at: Football Morning in America, by Peter King
- He was inclusive in decisions: After Miami lost the first two games of the season, Sparano invited his whole staff to contribute to the solution. The key contribution came from the quarterbacks coach--two organizational levels down from Sparano.
- He trusted his people: Chad Pennington had recently been released as the New York Jets quarterback, and landed in Miami. Sparano asked him to help lead a culture change, and let him go to work doing just that. When Pennington called the entire team to task for a poor practice, Sparano stood up and backed his quarterback up. The team responded by winning the next game 38-13, over the Patriots.
- He took a personal interest in his people: One former player, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tweeted, "Thank you for caring about us as individuals and not just athlete."
Tony Sparano died of a heart attack last week. Colleagues and players describe him as a mentor, friend, teacher, leader, and worker. Players share how he trusted them, loved them as people, and loved his family.
Not everyone or every organization will have a historic cultural turnaround by adopting positive leadership practices; however, the long-term payoff is real.
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