At the Biggest Game, a Big Day for Teachers

Coaches. Teachers. Mentors. We’re lucky for the great ones who enter our lives, sometimes unexpectedly but always at the right time. Instructors aren’t just academic, of course. They exist in all fields, even the field of play. That’s a storyline I’ve been following amidst all the hype leading up to the Chiefs-Niners championship. And it’s a good one.

Andy Reid wins big as a teacher.

The key stat for me regarding the Kansas City Chiefs head coach is this. In the 31 years he’s coached professional football, 11 of Andy Reid’s former assistants have become head coaches. Talk about teaching the teachers! There’s more, too. Dig just a little deeper, and you’ll find out he’s 22-9 against his former assistants. Clearly, he’s still learning and growing as a coach himself. At the rate he’s currently winning games, in five or six years he could become the winningest coach in NFL history.

If you’ve ever heard him speak, Andy Reid gives a great interview, weaving an easy-going humor and seasoned wisdom throughout. In a 2023 conversation with Dan Hesse on Mentors Radio, Reid shared three points that motivate me to keep upping my game as a teacher and learner.

One, “we’re in the people business.” You knew I was going to lead with that, didn’t you? In the interview, Reid was referring to the work he did earlier in his career as a quarterback coach. My role is different as the CEO of a food solutions company. But in truth, aren’t we all in the people business? Doesn’t nearly all human endeavor work better and bring more success—and ultimately, joy—when you put people first? That’s how I see it, and it’s worked everywhere I’ve worked. PEOPLE FIRST wins.

Two, “just make sure that you’re all on the same page.” If Andy Reid ever finds himself out of work in the NFL, he can get a job at SpartanNash. He already speaks our language because we are ALL IN on Flying In Formation. It was our theme last year at our Leadership Summit and carries over with even more gusto in 2024. I consider alignment a core principle of all high-performance teams and fundamental to operational excellence.

Three, “you have to have fun.” Absolutely, Coach! To that he adds, “Fun for me is teaching the player. That keeps you driving.” Of everything he riffs on in this exchange with Hesse, this is a point I’m going to be talking about more and more. Fun keeps you in the game—teaching, learning, doing. It’s an insight that offers a window into Reid’s leadership style that I’m going to be listening for in future interviews with the coach, his staff and players.

And as a bonus, I also like the fact that Andy Reid loves Hawaiian shirts. I do too. It’s a signature look for one of the sporting world’s all-time great teachers, far more comfortable than a stodgy suit and tie. If wearing one helps celebrate Andy Reid’s winning style and gift for teaching, that’s another good reason to keep wearing mine.