Written by Two months ago, I wrote about the efforts of my hometown NFL team and my college alma mater to rebuild their teams by changing their cultures. Now we are halfway through the football season, and let’s check-in and see how it is going.
The answer is not well at all. Both the Houston Texans and the Nebraska Cornhuskers are having miserable seasons, and they continue to talk about their great cultures but are failing to deliver results. Neither team adequately sets expectations, and the cultures they are building remain a mystery to their fans.
The Texans roster is a revolving door. A flurry of head-scratching trades, sudden releases, and rumors about Deshaun Watson going to Miami preceded this week’s trade deadline. After winning their first game of the season and providing hope that they would at least offer their fans something to root for, seven consecutive losses are providing a reality check.
What is the culture they are trying to build? “We’re looking for good players that are good people that care about winning that put the team first that put the team above themself and are committed to work through purposeful action,” said General Manager Nick Caserio.
That description seems vague. Are we to assume that the players traded or released were terrible and selfish people without purpose? Most Texans fans would consider J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus to meet Caserio’s definition of a culture fit.
Nebraska coach Scott Frost is under fire again after a disappointing 3-6 start, and discussions about Frost’s future are making headlines again. One of those losses brought culture further into the conversation.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers came into Lincoln on October 16th and ground out a victory over the Cornhuskers after losing their two best running backs to injury.
“That was truly culture versus skill,” Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said. “That’s what I saw today. Whatever anybody else wants to say about us or our program or culture, feel free. We’ve been called every name in the book, but culture versus skill.”
Fleck said the word “culture” numerous times during his post-game press conference, seeming to mock Frost, who had publicly slighted Fleck’s use of slogans in describing their culture. That’s right, two highly-paid grown men are arguing over who has built the better culture on their football team.
It appears that Fleck is winning this war of cultures. While Nebraska is at the bottom of the Big Ten West Division standings, Minnesota sits at the top with a 6-2 record. The Golden Gophers are ranked #20 in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings.
By all accounts, the Golden Gopher fans are thrilled with the results. This week, Fleck signed a seven-year extension to his contract to keep him at Minnesota through the 2028 season.
The difference between Fleck’s use of culture and Frost’s is that there is no mystery surrounding Fleck’s culture, and Fleck goes to great lengths to define the culture of the Golden Gophers. His mantra “Row the Boat” is everywhere, and the coaches, players, recruits, and fans all seem to get it and are on board. Fleck refers to it as a “way of life” based on never giving up. He coined the phrase in memory of his second son, Colt, who he lost to a heart condition in 2011.
An organization’s culture is more specific, and it sets crystal-clear expectations for everyone involved. Fleck defines culture to mean “connecting people.”
What is the Golden Gophers culture? Fleck uses the acronym “H.Y.P.R.R.” to define the culture: How, Yours, Process, Result, and Response. He recorded a concise “Gopher Talk 101” video to explain it.
Fleck explains how you know a culture is working by whether your team acts as leaders and are messengers of the culture. By doing all of this, Fleck has appropriately set expectations for everyone involved in the program.
Love him or hate him, Fleck has energized his team and fanbase around how they perform on the field rather than what they succeed in doing. As long as everyone is rowing the boat, results will follow.
Frost and Caserio treat culture more as a “what” than a “how.” To them, it is a strategy rather than a connection. And by not clearly explaining it, you ensure that the coaches rather than the players drive it. You categorize players as either having it or not, and they only want players who do. You limit your team to a subset of the available players and the never-ending revolving door.
But when you establish your culture as a “how,” it makes everyone a fit once they buy into it. It is a contract, and it becomes personal and locked in with a commitment. People can see the Golden Gopher culture, and everyone’s on board and rowing together.
The Texans and the Cornhuskers may need a bigger boat, and they are sinking fast.