Mike Bloomgren edit
Mon, Feb 26, 2024 8:09PM • 38:15
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coach, talk, people, coaches, players, game, great, coaching, team, big, stanford, challenge, love, athletes, leadership, meeting, head coach, play, standard, good
SPEAKERS
Paul Barnett, Mike Bloomgren, Hugh McCutcheon
Paul Barnett 00:00
Coach Blomgren Good morning, and welcome to the Great coach's podcast.
Mike Bloomgren 00:04
Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. I really appreciate you having me. Well,
Paul Barnett 00:08
we're very happy to have you on today. And of course, I'm joined by my co host today, another great coach, Hugh McCutcheon, Hugh, how are you today?
Hugh McCutcheon 00:16
You're doing well. Thanks, Paul. Always, always a pleasure to be here. And Coach, nice to join you. And thanks for joining us. Very cool.
Paul Barnett 00:25
Indeed. So Mike, you and I are going to tag team through this interview today as we sort of deep dive on your career leadership. And I think all things team dynamics and thriving teams. So I'd like to start though, if I could, by just talking about some of the great coaches that you've worked with this. I can see in your background. There's Rex Ryan, there's of course, David shore, Bobby Bowden, course you've, I'm sure that you've met some others on your journeys, as well as you've seen them from the other side of the field. But I wanted to start by asking you, what is it you think the great coaches do differently? That sets them apart?
Mike Bloomgren 01:04
Yeah, that's a great question. I think with those three in particular, those are all genuine people. And you know, so many times I get asked questions. Hey, what's coach Bowden, like off camera? What's Rex Ryan like off camera. And in both cases, it's like, what you see is what you get, like, that's exactly who those people are. I think all the coaches that I've worked under, I've definitely taken something from and, you know, I look back at coach Bowden and it was such a grandfatherly type of approach. He set expectations and allowed his staff to follow through on them. And he was so different because he was like, Coach Bear Bryant, he coached from a tower. He wasn't even on the field with us. But what was amazing isn't staff meetings the next day, what he could see like there's some things that would happen on the field, not look up and in his back was to us, and he'd bring it up and staff meeting the next day. And that's how I knew he had a little divine guidance. Little bit of help there. But he literally seemed to see everything and have eyes in the back of his head. I think Dennis Francione, the guy was with it, Alabama. You know, he was amazing at making everyone in the building feel like they were a part of our success on Saturday, like they had the janitor understanding that like how they clean the building and took care of our players who's going to help us win. And I thought that was such a cool thing. When I got to New York with the Jets, Eric Manzini came from the belcheck school, he had been with the New England Patriots. So we did so many things like that, and really taught me the importance of situational football, I feel like I got my PhD and football being with the Jets. But the importance of situational football, and how it wins games, and really just broke it down differently than anything I've ever seen. I think Rex Ryan was amazing at taking people from all different backgrounds in a locker room, and get him to come together and pull the rope in the same direction. David Shaw, you know, you always got something magical when you work for somebody, and they become one of your best friends. Like that's just special. But I thought, the culture, which is the word everybody uses nowadays, but the environment that he created for the players and coaches in the building where everybody wanted to be in the building, everybody wanted to be around each other. I just thought it was so cool. I mean, my seven years at Stanford, I felt like I worked at Disneyland, like it was the happiest place on earth. And so, again, took a lot from all those people. But that's what I would say is all those people were genuine, all those people were kind of knew their strengths. And I would think that Coach Shaw probably did the best job of hiring people, maybe for some of his blind spots, and then again, allowing us to do our job while constantly supporting us in creating a great environment.
Hugh McCutcheon 03:43
And I do think you're right, I mean, that authenticity piece is so critical. You know, as they say, you can you can fool a fool that you can kid a kid if you're not, if you're not being true to who you are it they'll smell rent eventually. So how did you? How did you choose to get into coaching? You know, because it's, it's not it's not a typical career path as in like, there's no real academic rigor around it. You know, but but yet, here you are, and you made the decision. What really got you passionate about coaching? Yeah,
Mike Bloomgren 04:18
I think first off, like I never wanted to be a college coach. I never wanted to be a pro coach. I wanted to be a high school coach. And that is simply because my high school head coach Mike Hickman, and the way that he took me under his wing the way that he righted my ship, if you will, I was probably going down some debt bad past. And he basically, through football, and through a team put me on a much better path and made me fall so in love with this game, and that was really my desire. I was like, You know what, that guy helped me so much and changed my life. I'd love to do that for some other individuals. And I think I've found ways to do it. Not being in high school. I mean, there's, there's people at every level of sport and in every phase of their life that need Your help, and as long as you're willing to be open and give it to him, I think you can make some differences in people's lives and make them better fathers husbands, you know, down the road.
Hugh McCutcheon 05:10
Yeah, I agree. I think those, those transformational opportunities probably present themselves a little bit better in the high school format. But But that being said, I think college pros all the levels, you know, that those opportunities to not just influence their, their sporting acumen, but to help them develop as people as real? I think that's, that's a real thing. No question. How fortunate that you got to work with that, Coach, you know, how great, I'm sure. Probably one of the things that we know about coaching is we know there are ripples, we just don't know how far they go. And here's someone that was just really good at their job and ended up having a profound influence on what you ended up choosing to do with your life. Pretty amazing. Yeah.
Mike Bloomgren 05:51
And changed my life. Right? Yeah. I mean, not just the direction. I mean, this game has been so good to me in so many ways. But the fact that that guy really did did so much to shape me, I'm a single parent kid. So he was so much of the father figure in my life. It's awesome.
Hugh McCutcheon 06:07
That's awesome. Now, you said you worked with Rex Ryan, which is a I'm sure an honor and a privilege to work with greats in any sport. But you know, one of the things he said he said about you, he says you're full of energy, regardless of how long you're working, which really impressed him. And so you know that one of the things we talk about is the idea of kind of energy giving an energy taking and coaching can be energy taking no question. So how do you find that, that whatever boundless energy that you bring to the job, I mean, for a coach of his acumen to comment on on your ability to bring the juice? That's, that's a pretty big deal. So what's the secret there?
Mike Bloomgren 06:49
And, you know, what did Lou Holtz say about coaching, right? Like he said, if you're not fired with enthusiasm, as a coach, you will be fired with enthusiasm. [PB1]
But I think the challenge is that we all have, you know, like, we have an opportunity, the old story about a thermometer versus a thermostat like one can tell you what's going on, while the other one can change what's going on. And I think that element of change, and a lot of that comes from from juice.[PB2]
Hugh McCutcheon 08:19
Yeah, no, I agree. And I think I think the word energy is really important there, because a lot of a lot of people want to reduce it to a motion, but that's more of a response or his energies and attention. And so the fact that like you're saying, You're dictating the temperature in the room versus just reflecting on it, that's a big deal. So yeah, good idea. Mike.
Paul Barnett 08:38
One of the interesting things is I've interviewed a few cases now from Ivy League universities. And they all often talk about the fact that their athletes are brighter than they are, and they talk about it quite openly. Now. You're at Rice, and which is known for its academic focus. So I'm pretty sure that there's quite often some pretty intelligent people in the room with you. And I'm, I'm wondering, what elements of your leadership are most challenged in this environment?
Mike Bloomgren 09:07
Yeah, I've said for years, I'm the dumbest guy in the room. And I love you know, and I believe that to be true. I do think it's amazing how working at Stanford for seven years, and now going into year seven at Rice makes people think I'm so much smarter than I am. But like, I think about those kids, and I don't really know the downside to working with brilliant kids like are the challenges to leading them? I actually think it's an asset. So I'd love to flip the question on you for a second, like out of curiosity, what are some of the challenges those Ivy League coaches brought up?
Paul Barnett 09:37
I think they often. There was was one guy at Shea and he sort of talked about the fact that he didn't it sort of altered the way he gave advice. He sort of moved to a more questioning method to sort of challenge people to sort of come up with their own ideas themselves. And I think the other thing is it sort of when they self reflected they sort of there wasn't, it was the other way. Mayor, Kathy Delaney Smith from Harvard. And she sort of when she self reflected it was it became less about being perfect and smart and more about conducting the energy in the room. I think that was probably two of the things that I remember on the spot. But they did talk about it challenging them. I would
Mike Bloomgren 10:17
cosign on that, allowing them to talk and through questioning, like I always thought that was one of the coolest things about my meeting room at Stanford, where I was the coordinator of the offensive line coaches being in there. And it's really something I learned from Bill Callahan and watching him do with the jets like, what do you feel here? What do you think would be the best way to get there? And sometimes listen to these players, and especially because we had some unbelievable players in New York, like nick mangold, Alan faneca guys with these awesome experiences Damien Woody, and to let them talk about Coach, I did it this way here. And a lot of times what, at Stanford, I would get them in their own words back to what I wanted, but then it was their idea, and it was gonna lock in better. And they were committed to it, because it was their idea. And so it's amazing how much more often they would make that happen, if that makes sense.
Paul Barnett 11:06
Totally makes sense. I mean, questioning, I think it's the same in the corporate world, isn't it? Or any kind of sporting team, really, the more that you can get people to embrace the challenge themselves? I think it works better in humans. I've interviewed a lot of countries, coaches from New Zealand. And they see it seems to be part of the DNA. You know, they talk about what was the query theory was one way I heard them described. Right, right. Yeah, trying to go through the day, we've only asked him questions. But I'd like to just extend on this idea of, of intellectual energy, if I can, Mike, because I've actually heard you describe the culture you're trying to build at Rice as intellectual brutality. Now, I really caught my eye. And I'm wondering if you could just unpack it a little bit for us and tell us how it works.
Mike Bloomgren 11:52
Yeah, so in 2013, was my first year I became the offensive coordinator at Stanford. And the defensive coordinator was Derrick Mason, who went on to become the longtime head coach at Vanderbilt University. He's now the head coach at Middle Tennessee, and is a dear friend of mine. But Derek came up with farm tough in Stanford is regarded as the farm because all the acreage it's on. So he talked about the defense being farmed tough that spring. And I was like, What in the heck is something that suits us, you know, like, and what we do offensively. And I just started thinking through those things, and had a buddy of mine, we were actually at the beach in Florida talking through possible things, bounce some things off of what do you think about this, and he had some great ideas. And we got to intellectual brutality. And what that means to me is the kids that we bring into Stanford of rice are brilliant. So that is one of their strengths. Like why would we not utilize that to the fullest if we didn't, we'd be an error. [PB3]
So on offense, defense, or special teams, like we often take the field with multiple play possibilities, right. And so based on how the other team aligns, or what personnel they have on the field, it could be play A, B, or C, we could kill the first play, as we say, and you'll see our quarterback do that. Or we could say alert, you go to our mouth. An example could be like on offense here, it could be like, green, right? Z short, 96 power killed 96 force alert, how to double go. And so one of those three plays is going to be best based on what the quarterback sees. And there's a lot of teams in college football now that look to the sideline, it's kind of like mother Mae eye, you know, it's like asking their coach, if they can run the play. We've got the smart kids, why wouldn't we train them to make the decisions in real time and much faster than we can signal anything in. So really, that's the intellectual part. The brutality part is, you know, an American football, like, recognizing that our game is meant to be played in a very physical manner. And the best feeling our game is imposing your will on your opponent to win your one on one to allow the team to be successful. So when the ball turns over, we want to unleash hell on our opponents. And like, it's a belief that we're more physical and better prepared than you are. So put the ball down, and let's get it off.[PB4]
Paul Barnett 13:58
No, I love it. Do you does any of that resonate with you and the way that you would construct similar culture? Descriptions with your teams? Yeah,
Hugh McCutcheon 14:09
no, I think the the idea of empowerment versus control is really critical in coaching, what I mean as it's a choice that all coaches get to make but the idea of being in control with it with the athletes are constantly looking over at the coach for direction about how to how to manage a particular circumstances. Maybe it makes the coach feel good, but I don't think it helps the athlete you know, at some point, all you're doing is creating codependency you're not you're not actually creating independent thought. And, and so, for me, certainly a big, big tenant of the way I wanted to coach people was to empower them with the knowledge they needed to make the right choice at the right time. It seems like that's critical because they're the ones that are in the field of play. They're the ones that are doing it. No, you
Mike Bloomgren 14:56
I was just going to ask like you've had so much success coaching men and women and like What are the things toughness wise that you instill in your team? And what are the non negotiables for your team to make sure that they all can reflect and realizing if they're meeting your standards or not?
Hugh McCutcheon 15:11
Well, first of all, the standards are set by the environment that you're in, you know, I've had a unique career, I guess, and that, you know, coaching and Olympic man and Olympic women College, me and college women, professional man, all these different levels that require different levels of execution to be successful in those realms. And so to that in really identifying what what were the key elements of, of the game that correlated most highly to success? And then, and then what standards of execution and those particular skills mattered? And then from there, you know, it gives a lot of clarity around what you're going to work on today. And hey, did we meet the standard or not? Because I generally felt the more I could objectively define the standard, versus subjectively offer my opinion on it. It was easy to hold people to it when it was just kind of like, hey, the grass is green, the sky is blue. We did or we didn't, it's just that. And and as a coach, I think our job, no doubt is to mentor and to motivate. But I think primarily it should be, hey, let's hold you to the standard. So if we're going to hold you to the standard, let's be really clear around what that looks like. And then none of this is punitive. Because the moment you're not playing Tommy and he's on the bench. Well, it's not because he's not meeting the standard. It's because you don't like him. It turns out you like Timmy more. And you always have, right, but but the reality of that circumstances like, hey, this kid's meeting the standard, you're not, it's not that we don't like you. It's not that anything other than you've got to improve these particular areas. And I think that affords a real, you know, to your point of authenticity, there's some honesty in those moments, there's some authenticity in those moments that allow the athletes to really take full responsibility for what they're contributing for their performance. So yeah, the toughness thing, though, is real, right? Because what is tough and to me, Toughness is executed by can you do your job, when we need you to do your job? Can you be at your best when your best is needed. And that might be yelling and screaming, or that might be hooting and hollering, but it might be just quietly getting stuff done. And, and so again, that has to be expressed authentically. But helping athletes identify ways that they can excel in those big moments. And we all know that matches games, season's at some point, everything's on the line, it gets big in a hurry. So preparing them for that moment right out of the gate from the first day of preseason, talking about the fact that that's going to be a thing. I think that helps them to get there and manage it in the end. But anyway, and that's the left for me. All right. Well, listen, I've got a question for you. You've got a lot of stakeholders, right? You've got a ton of athletes, you got a ton of coaches, you got all these different silos. Although and I use that term, not as a descriptor of the fact that they're siloed, just that you have all these different pockets, indeed. So how do you how do you connect them? How do you? How do you, you know, like you talked about the coach that was making sure the janitor believed that the way he was cleaning the toilets was impacting what happened on the weekend? I mean, tell me about that. How do you go about connecting those people? Because they all matter? You're right.
Mike Bloomgren 18:22
Indeed, we'll talk specifically about the players and coaches and for people who don't know American football, like in college now for the spring, even though we won't play a game, we get 15 practices along with workouts, and opportunities to grow our team together, which to me is that connection. And right now we have 107 players in the building. And we have 50 staff members and their families. So it is a big organization. It's not, you know, it's not a baseball team or anything like that by any stretch of imagination. And so I think you've got to make a concerted effort, and have a great plan for that connection. Some of the things we do, many of them involve breaking bread, which again, I think is everybody thinks of an American football player is a big guy we know they like to eat. And so that is a way straight to their heart. So we break bread and have, you know, meals with those student athletes. My charge for our staff in February is I want you to have two meals with your position group, which position groups can be anywhere from four to 20 players, depending on the position that individual coaches so two meals with each position group and one individual meal with each member of your group. And these meetings are not intended to talk. X's and O's like these are these are check ins about life about family. And I think those have a lot of importance. As we head into spring ball in March and March watch the shift gears because there'll be with their position coach every day in either meetings and or practice or just meetings. And we go to what we call small groups. And the groups are chosen by me, my assistant Sidney Davis and our his strength and conditioning coach Hans Straub. And the goal was to put players with coaches that they would not otherwise come and come contact within the building. And so it ends up being three to five players, with each with each coach, if you will, or each staff member, I guess I should say so, and they'll grab meals together. And my goal was for them to make it clear to those players that they have another advocate in our building another person that genuinely cares about them, and does not control playtime. And so to be clear, what that would look like is an offensive like 300 pound offensive lineman, maybe with our corners coach, you know, who normally coaches these really small, fast kids. And so again, they build a bond and a relationship. That's just another thing that helps with that connectivity.[PB5]
It last summer, we started bringing in an outside company by the name of AMP Lowe's, we had a facilitator named Brian Selman, who was awesome. And they do what they call skill sessions. And these skill sessions, there's a different topic every week, and that's to help them remove roadblocks to performance, as well as roadblocks to connectivity as a team and to overcome things. And so it was really good because it's, it's great content. The first four skill sessions are run by the coaches, the last four are run by the leaders of your team, where they have to prepare the material where they have to be the one presenting and facilitating those discussions. And we found that to be a really good deal for us last year. I think lastly, like, we take advantage of every holiday, like and we're gonna celebrate it, we're gonna celebrate it again with food. And, you know, you just wouldn't believe the volume associated with competition, like our guys love to compete and everything. So it could be cornhole, it could be canjam, or slam ball. And like, you think like, the Super Bowl was going on the way everybody's competing and cheering, and but I just think all of those things, kind of the sum of all those things, putting in the time and effort, it validates that our staff and their teammates care about them, and their success on and off the field. No,
Hugh McCutcheon 21:54
I think that's important in those you're right, those connections, of course, they're, you know, they're hard to quantify, but you know, they matter. And, and, and I think, especially in this day and age for athletes to feel like you care about them as a person, not just as a competitive commodity is really important. But but to that in, you know, the relationships matter. But, but we also got to show up on the weekend, and we got to produce, you know, I mean, and not that those things are mutually exclusive. But, but where I'm going is, you know, what do you think is the purpose then of what's driving your organization, your team, you know, your program? what's the, what's the goal? What's the the big rock that you're all chasing?
Mike Bloomgren 22:38
Yeah, I think competition, growth and love, like if you put it in those three buckets, because although because I don't think they're mutually exclusive, I think they have a direct impact on what happens on game day. And so with that belief, I think, as much as we can compete and make iron sharpens iron, as much as we can grow and identify the things and not be in our own feelings not be have our feelings hurt when we're corrected by a teammate or by a coach, or certainly, like if we're not meeting a standard, being able to take in that that feedback and realize, yes, I was not meeting that standard and understanding standards, not a goal, it's the bare minimum acceptable, then I can grow. And then the whole time with both of those competition and growth going on, knowing that I am loved by this organization. Like they they value me for my play. And they value me for more than that all the contributions I make, and they care. And so I think that's really big. I think like, at my core, if you ask me, the mission statement of rice football, I'd say play great football and graduate with a world class degree. And like don't let anything get in the way of those two things. But, you know, I think we've all been on those teams, I think when we see magic happening, it's when a guy cares more about the guy in the locker next to him success than he does his own. And that's when those those are fun to be a part of, you can do some really special things. No[PB6]
Hugh McCutcheon 23:56
doubt. And to that end, obviously, you know, you're talking about growth and, and and over the last seven, eight years since you've been there, things have have obviously progressed really nicely. And you know, you got to your first bowl game last year. Is that right and postseason play and so
Mike Bloomgren 24:13
is our second bowl game, but it's the first one my apologies went second in a row. No, absolutely. Yeah.
Hugh McCutcheon 24:19
So, you know, seven years, it's a big chunk of time. Some patients, some belief, I'm sure there were some moments where there might have been a doubt or two, you know, tell me about that. How did you feel about that?
Mike Bloomgren 24:36
But it's optimism and pessimism are infectious, and they spread more rapidly from the head down than any other direction. So if you're negative as a leader, like, watch out, now, your organization is about to look just like that. And I firmly believe that and the other thing he said was, he was like, my mannerisms and speech in public would always reflect like victory, like my belief that victory was coming. And any pessimism or discouragement I might ever feel I reserved from my pillow. And I think that's so important, right? Like, you're going to have some things like that. [PB7]
But in conclusion, like I think if you have a process, that roadmap and that you're convicted, it will work, put in the work, learn to recognize and celebrate progress. In our program, we call it celebrating the small beasts. Yeah. And so one of our players a couple of years ago, when we had small visa or T shirt, it's like, hey, if my teammate does this, for me, that's a small v, if I do this for him, that's a small v. And if you put them together, it's a w. And that's how we win is all B's get us. I
Hugh McCutcheon 26:17
love it. I love it. And it's so true, I use the term belligerent optimism to describe that process. Because like, it's, it's rooted, though, in the reality, like, if you don't believe in what you're doing, it's so hard to get anyone else to believe in it. And so at those moments, when you're waking up at four in the morning, like we all do, wondering what the hell we're doing. We've got to have fundamental belief and conviction in our process, we may not have the the outcomes that we want, we understand that, but hey, we're doing it the right way. Or at the very least, we can figure out how to get it done. To me that that confidence that optimism is is essential. And it's not arrogance, it's got to be confidence, you know, because arrogance isn't an overestimation of your ability. I think confidence is belief in your ability. And that's what you need. Yeah, really good. Yeah. Mike,
Paul Barnett 27:07
I've heard you talk quite often about the fact that your time with the players is precious. So you want your staff to be prepared. In fact, that comes across in your answers earlier when you talked about the structure you're bringing to the next couple of months and breaking bread. But I wanted to just take a little sidestep from that, actually, and I'm wondering, do you bring the same structure to the way that the team captures learning, and then shares it across the 107 players and 50 staff?
Mike Bloomgren 27:39
Yes, and so like, we have ways that we teach everything, and we have a couple different ways of teaching, which I think are outstanding. And the best way is like we show a picture of a play, whether it's an offensive defense or special teams play, then the next page is going to be a description of what each player should do on that play. And then we have video. And I think that that's the best way to learn aside from kinesthetic reps. But that's the best way to give them an example of what that should be. And I think like, in that you talked about the structure of learning, like, I guess, process more than routines, right? Like Coach Bowden always said, that our time with the players is so precious and limited, that a coach should spend twice as much time planning that period of time than the actual event. So if you have a one hour meeting, you should spend two hours preparing that meeting with your you know, so you can deliver the material in succinct way you can have all of your teaching aids the way you want it, all your cut ups the way you want it, and just be able to be a great teacher in that limited way to make sure that we're teaching and demanding, right, like teaching in such a way we reach every player in that meeting room, and then going on the field and demanding it's done that way.[PB8]
Paul Barnett 28:48
Interesting, you this idea of structure. And preparation is also mentioned a lot when it comes to your recruiting. I mean, you've won early in your career, you were given awards for the quality. I think of your recruiting and the depth of that recruiting, I wasn't able to see why it was classified. So great. So I just had to accept that the award was there. But I'm sure it was more than just choosing great players. I'm sure there was more to it than that. So these days when it comes to populating this organization, you know, it's so big, but are there any cue used the word a minute ago, big rocks are any big things that you look for that are non negotiable when selecting people to come to rice?
Mike Bloomgren 29:30
Yeah, I think first off, the answer's yes. I think the biggest responsibility I have as a head coach is the people I allowed to come in the building and be part of this team. And that's whether there's a staff member or as a player. I think everybody in our organization needs to be smart, tough, competitive. And like this is a big one. This is one that Dave shot I used to talk about when we were hiring people. And that's like, do we like these dudes? You know, people often talk about fit, but like, we used to ask the question like do they fit in the submarine do we want I'm in our submarine. Because as August rolls around, right, like we're gonna, it's Goodbye, dear football is here. And I'm going to spend more time with those players and coaches in the fall than I do my own family. So I'm better legitimately like, that just makes everything flow better. We also talk all the time about like, you know, when you hire these smart people, and you bring them in from different places, like there's an old saying, there's a lot of ways to get to Chicago, a lot of roads lead there, and a lot of work. But at the end of the day, we've got to have somebody that is going to understand that our coordinators are in charge. And when they make a decision, we're going to go in to our meeting rooms and send out the same hymnal and make sure we're we're selling this information to make everybody believe this is how we're going to win the game this week. And you got to make sure you got people that don't have maybe personal agendas, they got to be part of the team, and they got to understand the structure you have in place.
Hugh McCutcheon 30:53
I want to shift gears a little bit, coach and maybe have a look at the mental game. I know it's something that you use stress as part of your program. And you should I mean, obviously, the the body can't do anything without the mind telling it what to do. So to that end, do you find that maybe having clarity in the way that you coach, mental strategies, you know, maybe influences the way you you deal with your own family? And does it? Does it get outside of coaching? Is it transferable to life do you reckon?
Mike Bloomgren 31:24
I think it's absolutely transferable to life, I think we all want to push for excellence. And whatever we're doing, I think that the human body wants that. It just needs to know the right path, and the right way to get there. You know, our dinner table is always just that, like, my kids and wife will look at me and be like, we don't need you to coach us. And like I look at my wife, and I'm like, Look, you knew what you were getting into. And for my kids. I'm like, Look, pay people pay big bucks for this coaching and knowledge you get for free, man enjoy it. Suck it up.
Hugh McCutcheon 31:54
You go. Yeah, keep the running tab. Yeah. Very good. And at one point, you said that you always wanted to talk to people that you thought were great, that way you wanted to be? Can you tell me a little bit more about that whole idea of it feels like you're talking more about mentorship or something like that? Or, you know, is there something there is there's the strategy behind that? It's an interesting way of framing it. Yeah, I
Mike Bloomgren 32:20
think that. Yeah, I think we're crazy if we don't like reach out to those people that are experts in any field, but certainly in the ones that we're pursuing, you know, I think back to coaching offensive line, and I was fortunate, I was trained under two great coaches, Jim, Bob Hill, desert, Alabama, and Bill Callahan of the Jets. And once I got to Stanford, I developed a relationship with the New England Patriots offensive line coach, the guy that was there forever, Dante Scarnecchia. And those guys were so good to me. I mean, they picked up the phone, when I called, they gave me time, and they helped me, give me the ability to make my players better. And any challenges I face, they were always there for me. So there's no chance I ever could have become the coach that I am today without people like that. And I think the same is true today, like my ability to pick up a phone and call somebody who's a current head coach, or who's been a head coach and sat in that chair. And just get their their feedback and their opinions. And Hey, how'd you handle this? Like, nobody's as smart as all of us. And the more that we can utilize those people? Like, I just don't think I have all the answers. And I'm always trying to learn, and I'm so blessed to have access to those people.
Hugh McCutcheon 33:27
Love it. And you're right. I mean, I think the minute we start thinking we've got all the answers, it's too and we're really in trouble. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. Anyway. Last thing for me, you know, I mean, criticism. And I mean, we live in this strange world, obviously, with unfiltered opinion, following around at every at every corner. And you know, not not everyone's going to agree with what you do, or the decisions you make. So, you know, how do you how do you manage that, you know, when people want to? And I'm sure it doesn't happen that often. But heaven forbid, they challenge the decision you make? You know, what's your response to it? How do you? How do you deal with it? The inevitable slings and arrows? Yeah,
Mike Bloomgren 34:12
they're coming, right? We know that. That's part of what we signed up for. So I just look, I have broad shoulders, I can take it all. Like, like, I worry about what the people in the building, and their ability to see the ship is moving in the right direction. Those are the people that I worry about, from the staff to the players, those outside things. They are what they are. They're part they come with the territory. And I think like I go back to Roosevelt's Man in the Arena speech, you know, and it's something that has always helped me like everyone has their, their opinion. Some of them are not informed opinions. And I have to understand and appreciate their passion for the game and the team and I get that. And I know that sports is the opiate of the masses, right I get that. I love that. we're all passionate about it. But I have to trust the training I've received from the great coaches I've worked under, and know that we have a path that has worked before and will work again to get us to our next win.[PB9]
Hugh McCutcheon 35:10
Love it. Yeah, you're right. Consider the source. Right. And you respond to everyone. And yeah, it's, it's, first of all impossible, but it just, it's getting in the way of what you have to do today to actually honor your commitment to your job. So you got to be really intentional with your with your time and energy with regard to that stuff. Good on you. All right, Paul.
Paul Barnett 35:35
Mike, just one final question for me if we could, if my research is right, your father in law was a colonel in the military? I believe that's correct. Yes. And I've heard you actually talk about the fact in some of your previous interviews that you you talk leadership with him. But I also know that you've got a couple of kids and the generations expect totally different things going forward. So I'm wondering, when your sons ask you for leadership advice? If they do, I don't know if they do given you comment around the dinner table. But if they do, what would be the one or two top things that you would tell them?
Mike Bloomgren 36:19
Really kind of a synopsis of what we talked about so far, like, be genuine. outwork Everyone, be consistent. You know, I think leadership is a lot like parenting. And the best parenting advice I ever got was from David Shaw, his mother. And what she said was start as you mean to go on, you can always loosen the strings later, but it's hard to tighten. So start as you mean, to go on and be consistent. You know, I hear people all the time say leadership is a marathon, not a sprint, I think. I think that's true. But I think sometimes it's both, especially early on when you're trying to build a culture, and trying to get a bunch of people, it's kind of like you need all your leaders to be complete disciples, like, I don't know how anybody reaches 120. People like they leave the meeting room after hearing the same voice not playing the game of telephone, but you almost think they played the game of telephone because they got a different message out of it. You need your disciples, your leaders of your team, in my case, my coaches, my assistant coaches, and the leaders of our team, our leadership council to go and repeat that message and make sure everybody understands why it's important and exactly what we need. And again, those standards are a great way when we set those standards. And we're clear about what those expectations are, we have a lot better chance of getting those things. The other thing is I tell my son, I think is like leadership will be exhausting. And it will be worth it to help your team meet their goals.[PB10]
Paul Barnett 37:42
Well, I think reading goals is a pretty good way for us to finish, although I did like the comment about fitting in the submarine as well. Mike, it's been a pleasure to get to know a little bit more about your story today. And what's happening there rice, it's your energy is so infectious. I feel like I'm gonna go out for a 10 mile run straight after this interview. So thank you for that. And you thank you for joining us as well and edit your perspective. So I appreciate it. And I wish both of you gentlemen, a lovely day.
Hugh McCutcheon 38:12
Thank you both. truly a pleasure.