Building Culture Through Vulnerability & Accountability
The first installment of #ForTheCulture
In a discussion with his offensive coordinator, a newly appointed associate head football coach said “I’m here to determine if you’re part of the problem or part of the solution.”
That’s a hell of a way to start up a conversation with a man that you’re going to be working alongside for an entire season.
But according to John Gattis, who was on the receiving end of that statement, that’s just who he is, and it’s that type of bluntness that people love about Biff Poggi.
Poggi, the former associate head coach at Michigan, and current head coach at UNC Charlotte has been described as “the most interesting coach in football” and gains high praise from his players at premier D1 and elite high school programs alike.
But the world of sports is about more than just being liked by others. Now more than ever, it’s about winning.
Biff Poggi is a winner. He helped the Michigan Wolverines turn around their program in 2021 to win a Big10 conference title and a trip the College Football Playoff. He was also responsible for winning 13 state titles in 19 years at St. Frances Academy in Maryland. Oh, and he’s also responsible for building a multimillion dollar business that funded several scholarship and school renovations at St. Frances.
In reading about his legacy and coaching approach, Poggi’s culture of success strikes a balance of accountability and vulnerability.
Many describe him as a straight shooter, holding those around him to a standard of excellence and high performance. This includes Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. In a story initially reported by The Athletic, he told Harbaugh to stay out of the offensive and defensive staff rooms, challenging him to let go of some control and trust in the coaches that Harbaugh himself hired. “I’m gonna say something that’s gonna bristle you, but I’m gonna say it because I love you,” he told Harbaugh.
The same year, Poggi found himself in the middle of a disagreement amongst Michigan’s offensive staff. The offensive coordinator didn’t have full buy in from the rest of his staff which was hindering confidence in all parties.
The story quotes Poggi: “In football buildings, like in the corporate world, you do not want to open yourself up because you’re afraid you’ll get steamrolled. And that very statement is why so many football operations organizations cannot sustain success, because people are not willing to be honest and transparent with each other.”
Poggi’s solution? Lead by example and demonstrate what it means to be vulnerable.
He encouraged everyone in the meeting to share something personal about themselves that was unrelated to football, and that very few people knew.
He started the conversation by sharing how much he loves his wife and kids, but questions whether or not he’s a good father, noting that he couldn’t remember much of his kids’ childhood.
The conversation eventually led some coaches to tears as they shared their own stories. Those present stated that it was transformative for the coaching staff.
The story goes on to tell about another interaction Poggi had while coaching at St. Frances. After one of his star plays Ekab
Biff Poggi’s coaching style is what some would call “tough love.” He’s tough in that he’s willing to hold people accountable, but loving in that he’s willing to demonstrate vulnerability. These two components of leadership are key ingredients for an organization’s cultural development.
According to Webster, accountability is defined as “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.” The need for accountability in a team setting is obvious. An environment without accountability is like writing a college essay without a rubric. You’re working without a sense of direction. There’s no standard to hold yourself, your teammates, or peers to. The challenging part is that fear of repercussion or judgement for making a mistake, being wrong, or sharing a dissenting opinion can be a barrier to holding oneself and one’s team accountable to the established standard.
This underscores the necessity for modeling vulnerability. Psychological safety is the science term for this, a topic that has surged in popularity lately. Amy Edmonson, one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, defines psychological safety as the “interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves” (Edmonson, 1999, p. 354).” This is relevant because a team that fosters psychological safety can experience an enhanced “sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish someone for speaking up” (Edmondson, 1999, p. 354).
Brene Brown furthers our understanding of vulnerability. In her 2010 Ted Talk The Power of Vulnerability, she notes that people who are willing to be vulnerable are those that are willing to be imperfect. “They were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were.”
Poggi embodied this vulnerability in his interactions with the offensive staff and coach Harbaugh. It not only laid the foundation for him to be authentic, but also encouraged others to do the same. The result was an environment that implicitly says, “It’s okay to share your opinion, here. It’s safe here.” This subsequently lays the groundwork for more accountability: stricter, higher standards, for everyone in the organization, which translates to performance in practice and in competition.
These two components go hand in hand, and are essential for establishing an effective team culture. Accountability holds people to the standard, vulnerability allows people to do so in a way that’s productive and psychologically safe.
If you want to learn more about how to implement these two facets into your own team culture, look no further than Biff Poggi. He wrote the playbook.