Running head: Leadership and Impact of Vince Lombardi 1

The Leadership and Impact of Vince Lombardi

Alexander Harthaller

BUS 500: Organizational Leadership

July 14th, 2019

Dr. Marko Nino

Westcliff University
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Abstract

Vince Lombardi has set a standard of leadership as an NFL football head coach to which the

sporting world is looking up to until this day. While his coaching success made him the name

patron of the official Superbowl trophy for the world champion, the Lombardi trophy, his impact

on players extended far beyond the football field. This paper will introduce Vince Lombardi as a

person and his role as a leader. It will furthermore analyze his leadership style to determine his

credibility. Lastly it will discuss his effectivity and versatility of leadership and if he would have

been effective and successful in different roles and situations.

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The Leadership and Impact of Vince Lombardi

Leadership has been defined thousands of times and in thousands of different ways. As

Patty Wickson put in the article Leadership - What is All the Talk About?, “some view

leadership as a series of specific traits or characteristics, others see it as certain skills and

knowledge. And some think of leadership as a process which looks at social interaction and

relationship. This is the idea that leadership is a type of relationship” (Wickson, 2010, para. 2).

With the different interpretations of leadership come different leadership styles. This paper will

focus on the life of Vince Lombardi and how his views and values shaped his leadership style

and left a legacy of success for decades to come.

Contextual Background

Vince Lombardi was born as the oldest of five kids to an Italian immigrant in Brooklyn,

New York. Raised by devout Catholics, he entered his studies for priesthood at age 15. After

reevaluating his career path, he transferred to St. Francis Preparatory and became a member of

the football team. After graduating from Fordham University and a short stint in a finance Job,

he accepted a teaching position at St. Cecilia high school. Next to teaching he started what

would become the center of his life, coaching. After some early success as a basketball coach,

where he took the team from 10-9 to a state championship, he transitioned to coaching football.

He served as head coach at Fordham University and West Point before transitioning to the NFL.

As coach of the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers he built his resume of success and

exceptional leadership that made him and example and subject to numerous books and articles.

In June 1970, at age 57 he diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer and passed away

shortly after. Thousands of fans attended the funeral and he was soon inducted into the hall of
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fame as well as named the name patron of the winners’ trophy of the NFL (About Vince

Lombardi, 2019).

Admirable Leadership

Vince Lombardi’s leadership was noticeable in many ways. The most obvious way was

his success by numbers. When he took over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL they were the

laughing stock of the league with a 1-10-1 record – one win, ten losses and one draw. Only two

short seasons later, they were playing for an NFL championship under his leadership (Bowen,

2002, para. 2). Even more admirable than his success was the way he went about it. He had

such a strong vision of succeeding that set the tone and laid out the way for everyone around

him. He declared “winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing” (Hamill, 2000, para. 1). While

the way he modelled the way and inspired this shared vision of success for everyone around him

was impressive, his way of challenging the process was truly special. From his early year of

almost becoming a priest, he had a strong set of values he never turned away from. Courage,

discipline and justice were the pillars of his teachings. He truly believed in the process and

putting in the hard work which would then show under the bright lights. "What we do on some

great occasion will probably depend on what we are; and what we are will depend on previous

years of self-discipline" (Behreandt, 2005, Discipline). With Lombardi being extremely

meticulous in his preparations, and strict to his players in his demands for absolute discipline it

might come as a surprise that once the games came around, and the bright lights were on, he did

not take the center stage. During games he let his assistants lead the way and make the decisions

(DiGiacomo, 1999, para. 6). He did what real leaders do. He enabled others to act. They learned

from him and used his framework he prepared for them to each make the best out of it. After the

game he would be the first to give criticism or praise of performance, unrelated to the result but
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solely measured on the standard he set and expected from his team. He encouraged the heart by

always striving for perfection and make his people believe they can achieve that on the field and

in any endeavor in their life if they put in the work.

Credibility

As with most athletes and coaches, they are measured by success. Lombardi drew most of

his credibility from his wins. People believed his teaching and knew he was a great coach

because he had proven his techniques work repeatedly. The second source of his credibility was

the fact that he led by example. He worked longer and harder than everyone else and invented a

new wave of analysis, deeper than anyone had ever done that before. The hard work he expected

from everyone he showed consistently, because the consistency is what he believed defines who

you are. “You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them

right all the time" (Behreandt, 2005, sidebar).

Applicability

While the West Point, military and discipline style leadership of Lombardi suited a sport

like football perfectly, there are factettes of his personality that would have been successful

everywhere. His strong set of values rooting in his Catholic upbringing enshrined a strong moral

code in him (DiGiacomo, 1999, para. 2). These cornerstones paired with his work ethic would

have made him a good leader in business as well. His zero-tolerance policy on injustice, racism

and other discrimination allowed him to treat everyone equally which is what every leader needs.

There are a few fields in which his upfront direct and blunt nature could have been less effective.

In politics for where words have a lot of weight, his leading by example would not have been as

effective as in sports.
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Conclusion

With Leadership being broadly defined as a relationship (Wickson, 2010, para. 2), Vince

Lombardi’s life of coaching others has been and example of exactly that – leading other to

perform to the best of their abilities. Grown up with strong religious values (DiGiacomo, 1999,

para. 2) he managed to make justice, discipline and courage the cornerstone of his leadership.

Through his hard work, and vision of success he set out he became one of the most successful

coaches of all time. Much more than just a coach he became an example of leadership and

character which transcends sports (DiGiacomo, 1999). Leaders like Vince Lombardi are needed

more than ever before in todays world. A true leader to model the way, set the vision, challenge

the way, inspire others to act and encourage the heart.

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References

Wickson, P., R.R.T. (2010). Leadership - what is all the talk about?: The canadian journal of

respiratory therapy. Canadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy, 46(4), 48-49. Retrieved

from https://search.proquest.com/docview/854854812?accountid=158986

About Vince Lombardi. (2019). Retrieved July 12, 2019, from

http://www.vincelombardi.com/about.html

Bowen, F. (2002, Jan 11). Vince lombardi: Super coach: FINAL edition]. The Washington Post

Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/409230517?accountid=158986

Hamill, P. (2000, 10). Winning isn't everything. Literary Cavalcade, 53, 16-19. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/210463037?accountid=158986

Behreandt, D. L. (2005, Jun 13). Coaching with conviction. The New American, 21, 32-38.

Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/218115692?accountid=158986

DiGiacomo, J. (1999, Dec). Coaching with character. America, 181, 24-25. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/209689569?accountid=158986