Tom Brady's Secrets to Super Success
Take Tom Brady's leadership secrets on your own career journey
By Mike Zimmerman
Of all the great sports clichés—and there are some corkers ("I'd play for free!")—none is more worthy of study than "quarterback as leader." Yes, the business world is crowded with CEO-cum-QBs who spout off about gaining market share (yardage), beating estimates (double coverage), and crushing the competition (touchdown!). And yes, many modern quarterbacks take their signals from the sideline. But in the long history of the game, there have emerged at rare times certain players who actually can teach us something about that most crucial trait in business, sports, or any group endeavor: leadership.
Consider Tom Brady. Picked 199th by the New England Patriots in the 2000 draft. Backup to golden boy Drew Bledsoe, and then thrust into the starting role in 2001 when Bledsoe got hurt. Since then? NFL history. Three Super Bowl rings and, at one point, a 21-game winning streak over two seasons, the longest ever. He's not only a leader now, but also a man people come from far and wide to play with (see Randy Moss and Donte' Stallworth). Brady has learned plenty since he became coach Bill Belichick's go-to guy. But the funny thing is that it turns out he knew a few key things before he even got the job.
"I was never the best player on any team," says Brady. "That taught me how to work harder. I learned all about mental toughness on the practice field. If things weren't working out for me in high school, in college, early in my pro career, my solution was always to work harder and internalize. That way, whenever I got an opportunity, I was always prepared. See, there are a lot of guys who are all talk. They say they want to work harder and be the best, but they never pay the price. I love paying the price."
All right then. Are you ready to do the drill and take a few lessons from Tom Brady? Bring these five tips to work and watch your management skills sharpen before your eyes…and your boss's too.
BE THE LEADER, NOT THE BOSS
"You choose to be quarterback, you take on a lot of other things. You can't ask people to do things or set expectations for them without doing things or setting even higher expectations for yourself. If you're the one screwing up or screwing off, it becomes just a lot of talk. I've always tried to be the guy who expects the most out of himself, so when I do ask those other guys to do the same, they'll look at me and say, 'Well, maybe this guy isn't so full of crap.'"
GET COMFORTABLE WITH CONTROL
If your priorities are about the team and its success, then other guys won't be so hesitant to let you take over. "I like to have my hands in a little bit of everything," says Brady. "There were a lot of things I didn't feel comfortable having my hands in, but with the leadership challenges that I face now, I'm very comfortable with the demands of it. That definitely has become easier over the years. You gain credibility with the past performance, and that's what you use."
"The only thing 'individual' about a team sport is what I control: my actions and my attitude. If you want an individual sport, play tennis or golf. Then you're Tiger Woods and everything's great; you only have yourself to blame. When you're playing a team sport, you really understand that it takes every player on the team to achieve your goals, even if it's a rookie sixth-round draft pick."
WORK WELL WITH OTHER BOSSES
All bosses have bigger bosses, and quarterbacks have head coaches. Brady's boss happens to be a guy named Bill Belichick. "Our relationship is based on about 90 percent football, which is right where I want it," says Brady. "What's most important to Coach Belichick is winning football games, and that's what's most important to me. As long as those priorities remain the same, we're always going to get along. I trust him so much in any decision he has to make, and over the years I've gained his trust too. Now I feel like when he asks me a question, he genuinely wants to know not just the answer, but my answer. There's no other coach I'd ever want to play for."
GROOM THE NEW HIRES
Brady has a couple of new guys to throw to this year: Randy Moss and Donte' Stallworth. New talent needs time to assimilate, of course, but they have to execute at game time. "Jump in as fast as you can," says Brady. "Communicate the best you can, involve yourself in what they are doing throughout the day, and develop a relationship. We've got 40 practices before our first game, and Randy and I are on, like, number 12 [at interview time]. With each one you learn something different. As Coach Belichick says, 'The price for success is always paid in advance.'"
Brady's Best List
RESTAURANT TO HIT WHEN ON THE ROAD
"BLT Prime in New York City. I get the short ribs every time. To die for."
"Aw, shit. Aston Martin. The James Bond Aston Martin. It's the Bond thing is what it is."
QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME
"Joe Montana. Some of the best times in my life were when my dad took me to football games and fired up the barbecue, and I'd throw the ball around the parking lot before the game. I was such a fan of the 49ers and Montana growing up. He was the most clutch, the guy you want with two minutes left in the game. He always found a way to pull it out."
MUSIC TO FIRE YOU UP
"I'm a mood music kind of guy, so it depends. Different tunes at different times. U2 and Jay-Z are my two favorites."
DEFENDER OF ALL TIME
"The best I've ever seen--and I've played against him--is Jason Taylor [New York Jets defensive end]. He changes the outcome of every game he plays in. He plays so hard on every down. Whatever we try to do to defend against him just doesn't work. He's got so much talent, but the difference is he's as determined as any player we have played against."
REASON TO CHOOSE FOOTBALL
"Football is all strategy. It's so rare these days to see the same play on multiple occasions. Mentally, physically, it challenges everything you're about. The great part about football is that the best team usually wins. The team with the most determination and the best work ethic usually comes out on top. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. That's why it's easy to work at it and why guys on other teams who really love the game end up playing for the Patriots and why we've achieved such great things over here. We love playing football, and we love making sacrifices for the team and the game. That's the ultimate payoff, when you're sitting there at the end of the season holding up the Super Bowl trophy."
Patrick Dempsey Is Driven
More From Celebrity Fitness
Fit Celebs Over 40
Halle Berry's Instagram Workouts Are Timeless
Jenna Dewan's Late Night Workouts Involve Twerking
The Rock Anchors Himself In The Gym. You Can, Too.
The Best Chris Hemsworth Workout Instagrams
These 6 Male Celebrities Are Already Crushing the New Year's Fitness Game
The Two Workouts That Got Jason Momoa in Aquaman Shape
6 Upper Body Moves from The Rock's Latest Workout Video
Here's How the 'Justice League' Cast Got in Superhero Shape
Tom Hardy Is Training for 'Venom' by Boxing With an MMA Fighter
Jason Statham's Secrets to Success
David Beckham's Formula for Success
Jay-Z's Not a Businessman ... He's a Business, Man
Jeremy Renner Calls the Shots
Jon Bon Jovi Is More Complicated Than You Think
The Book on Luke