After winning a record fifth Super Bowl together, the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, head coach and owner, further cemented their impressive legacies.
So how can the New England Patriots duo help refine business leadership practices?
Forbes featured a contributing article from Boston-based Harvard Business School's HBS Working Knowledge, which lays out best business leadership practices.
1. In Mr. Belichick, Mr. Kraft had a head coach that shared his vision of creating a sustainable, replicable product, which would achieve success every year.. In Mr. Kraft, the Patriots' head coach found an owner trusting enough to hand over complete control of football operations and player development.
2. Before Mr. Belichick was the Patriots' head coach, he was the Cleveland Browns' head coach While at the Browns, Mr. Belichick realized the importance of talent development. Instead of focusing on keeping big name stars, he adopted a focus on bringing in young talent and developing them into superstars.
This method, unfortunately, cost Mr. Belichick his job with Cleveland. After struggling to find success and "damaging his relationship with the fans and media," Art Modell, former owner of the Browns, fired him.
3. Mr. Belichick bounced around the league, before Mr. Kraft hired him in 2000. Instead of a star laden team, Mr. Kraft gave Mr. Belichick an opportunity to implement a long-term plan centered on player development.
4. The trust the pair had in each other allowed the team to create a perennial contender, and the rest was all history.