Philbin's Poor Body Language and Communication: A Brief Analysis

I'm fairly certain its considered bad form to scream expletives at your team in the corporate world. Yes or no?

 

I don't agree with this or the OP opinion. I filled leadership positions in the military. In fact I took two separate leadership courses while I was in the Army. As you can imagine trust is crucial in leading military troops as business can quickly become a matter of life or death. Here are the two main things hammered into our heads during leadership training:

- Lead by example.

- Take care of your people.

In approximately twelve weeks of training in both field and classroom settings I can't remember a single block of instruction that had anything to do with which direction your shoulders were facing, whether your legs were open, or where you were looking. To lead troops in battle never once was it suggested that I needed to interact with them as if they were my drinking buddies. Never during blocks of instruction on the professional and personal counseling of a Soldier were any of the previously mentioned things brought up. You communicate your standard, you tell them what you expect from them and you let them know what they can expect from you. If they are not cutting it you help them figure out how to get on the right track. Not one Army regulation or field manual speaks to where your palms should be when you do this.

The fact of the matter is that there is no one perfect type of leader. It's a shame that because Philbin is skinny, bald, and soft spoken it is assumed that he won't be able to lead or gain the trust of his subordinates.

 

Is that the only way they communicate on a football field?

 

Welcome aboard. I got my degree in business and took a Professional Selling course and everything you and the Original Poster said were spot on.

I think all the points made by the OP were valid and I have actually noticed them myself. Philbin is incredibly awkward. His body positioning and indirectness are something like I have never seen before. I really wonder how a guy like that was able to "woo over" Ross and Ireland in the interview.

If you really watch him and try to see what point he is trying to convey and why he is trying to convey it I almost get the sense that he is trying to justify himself as the Head Coach. Instead of coming in and running with it being himself and the head coach, I see him trying to be someone else; its like he wants to be a head coach with personality traits that doesn't fit with his own personality and character. He seems like a bad actor someone forcing his lines.

Another good example that left me wondering what the hell is he thinking was the following situation. (I looked it up in Hard Knocks to transcribe it word for word):

Coach Philbin: "Hey Jimmy, is that man-to-man coverage?"
Jimmy Wilson: "That's a F&%#ing push-off Coach."
Coach Philbin: "Uh, uh, you watch the F-bombs you're throwing at me. You got it?" He then turns around and walks away saying, "I'll be throwing the F-bombs around here."

The thing is Philbin obviously had a point he wanted to make with Jimmy, but after being confronted with a bad word he stutters says something that isn't related to football at all and walks away. Its like he wants to avoid confrontation at all levels to the point that football skills aren't being taught. If he is big on language then freaking make a team rule about it or something and move on (Imagine how much money a bad word jar would make in a NFL locker room). Seriously though, I can't see Jimmy Wilson walking away from that encounter thinking any better of Coach Philbin.

 

And that right there is the analog you all are looking for...the military.

Thank you. Excellent post. i wanted to say these things but didn't because since I was never in the military, I couldn't say it with certainty.

 

I think he's probably also being made more comfortable by the fact that the personnel moves he wants to make are being supported by the people pulling the trigger on those. I'm sure he has some idea of the kind of team culture he wants, and in his attempts to get the team there, he's getting the much-needed support from the GM along the way. That kind of support can be very relaxing and reassuring, to the point where it affects one's general demeanor as he conducts business in his position.

 

No and I didn't imply it was. It is however, commonplace and considered to be part of the atmosphere from high school football to the NFL. It is not commonplace for the corporate world.

 

yet people can still communicate like one would in the corporate office. So it is analogous. In fact our very own philbin seems to be against shouting expletives.

 

You're completely missing the point. And i'm fairly certain its intentional, because you're bored.

 

I think he was simply pointing out a flaw - and correctly so. In a well thought out post too. All coaches have flaws and some have had the one just described here and is considered the best HC in football.

Have you worked in the corporate arena? I have since 1991 and I can tell you the answer is a big yes. Unfortunately I have been the brunt of them more times than I care.

 

no, not at all. Im fairly certain you need to tone down your bull****. It's starting to get on my balls.

 

So did you talk to the troops with your back facing them? Or even looking sideways? The Armed Forces sort of starts brainwashing you from the moment you sign up. The drills you run have the Leader in front of the Soldiers commanding them by looking at them. The Soldiers also stand looking at the Leader.

I'm sure they taught you not to beat around the bush at least. In the Military you give direct orders not beating around the bush like Philbin. As you said, the extra time spent beating around the bush could be the difference in peoples lives. I mean all this in the friendliest of ways, I don't want you to read this and think I am being a douche or anything lol.

And while you may not agree with the OP those little social clues have been proven over and over again my psychologists and other scientists.

 

I agree with this insofar as it takes "body language" and "verbal communication style" -- which vary in meaning based on the person and the situation and are therefore unreliable predictors of anything -- and distills them down to cornerstones of human interaction such as leadership and loyalty.

Trust comes from leadership and loyalty, not from gestures and mannerisms.

 

I don't know how Philbin "aced" his interview.

The guy has a terrible personality and has a mushy disposition.

But he can be all these things and still win.

 

Considering your 2 feet tall then the bull**** isn't that deep yet.

Look, the point of what I was saying is that rules of communication in the corporate world are vastly different then the ones in sports. That's not to say you can't apply some rules from one to the other and vice versa. But they are different and demonstrably so.

 

I thought he handled that well and I wouldn't assume what he is doing on the field, he might be his style to constantly be moving because one thing I noticed is he is well focused and I think that can give the wrong impression, but he can see everything so he tries too without stopping and giving instructions, I'm sure he has faith in his delegates to do the job.

 

I honestly haven't seen anyone other than a Jet fan suggest they should have won the Superbowl. Most agree those Jets teams overachieved, not underachieved. No offense, but your argument could use at least a drawn fact or two that backs up your claim. I still love you though.

I think you are getting hung up on the Rex Ryan comparison. I don't think he was saying Philbin sucks because he is the opposite of Ryan. He was primarily comparing them because he has seen them both on Hard Knocks. His argument is just as valid without ever even having to compare Philbin to Ryan.

 

I see where the OP is coming from, however i don't take Philbin's behavior as a sign of distrust. He is odd to be sure, only inasmuch as we don't expect a head football coach to act the way he does. That is odd behavior for a head football coach.

I also do not agree about him emulating some of Rex Ryan's behavior. In my opinion, a football team is like a family. The children will, most often than not, emulate the behavior of their parents. A head football coach is like a father of the family, and his team will emulate the behavior of the coach to some extent. Rex Ryan aloofness, lack of discipline and control, is reflected very prominently on his team.

In the short sample size we have seen from Hard Knocks, I notice Philbin's no nonsense and disciplinarian attitude impact the players. Perfect example is the way he was approach for the Leadership Counsel. You saw players coming to him in a submissive and "seeking guidance" attitude. That too me is important.

 

I never said they weren't different. What I did say is one can communicate in a business manner, such as what was given at the beginning post. So, yes, they are analogous.Philbin himself breaks the mode of what we would consider the "common coach". Doesn't mean he'll be ineffective, just means there is some evidence he might not be.

 

I don't really want to argue with you about this, but the OP says one of the most critical aspects of being a successful coach, Philbin is the worst he's ever seen. That's far from him just having a flaw.

Yes I have, and that happens very rarely. Very rarely. It occurs every minute in football.

 

... Communications in drill and ceremony go off of voice not eye contact. If a formation is on the move you will not see the person in command at all the vast majority of the time. The message was what was important. I have been spoken to by military superiors in a wide variety of ways. I don't dispute whether or not your palms doing this means that. I'm disputing their relevance to Joe Philbin's leadership ability.

 

He had a point to make with Jimmy and didn't make the point. I don't see how that could be called handling it well.

 

I'm not hung up on it.

He says Rex is a good example of effective communication for a coach. I disagree 100%. Whether they should have won more or not, the fact remains EVERYONE knows the Rex Ryan led Jets are as close to chaos as you can find in the NFL and it not involve Al Davis.

This love you have for me, is it in your pants or heart?

 

Not really. Dropping the eff bomb or not....a whole lot of yelling and screaming and jersey grabbing and butt slapping happens in football and not in the business world. Just because a small handful of things might work in both doesn't make them analogous.

 

Both?

 

I do, because there is no empirical evidence of it, and the meaning of those behaviors varies according to the recipient and the situation.

Someone at some point made a boatload of money by teaching corporate folks "appropriate body language," and now there's this folk wisdom surrounding it that isn't warranted.

And I'm disputing that as well.

Joe Philbin's success in his position is going to be based on a much bigger picture IMO.

 

Yes!! there's two reason I chose that smiley.

 

I'd say it's you who are using the small handful of things to not make them analogous. Like I said how many people just yell/curse for commuincation vs how many communicate or try to communicate in a different way?

 

The way some of this is being over analyzed is insane. It was a pretty simple point - I'm your boss, don't speak to me like that. It's a simple matter of respect.

 

I guess we are comparing different situations, because most football players are not a disciplined as soldiers. Most football players don't totally buy into a Coach or a scheme or a plan like the Armed Forces do. In order to become a Soldier you have to be conditioned to follow orders and be made almost into an order following robot (which works because this training allows you to react faster and usually better than the enemies encountered in war). I guess your last point is right though. IF and that's a BIG IF, Philbin gets the players to buy into him and his system then he can lead and give orders however he wants. If they don't buy into him and his system he will fail as a leader and as a coach. Based on the overall level of play (I am talking effort, finishing plays, etc not actually the score and whats happened) I don't think they have.

I guess we all have certain traits we value in Leaders differently. I value someone that can look me in the eyes and someone that is direct in their approach.

 

And you have no idea if any more was said after that.

 

The proof will ultimately be in the pudding.... I think it's fair to say that Philbin has a chance to lose the lockeroom this year ala Cam Cameron. We all know how that ended.

 

Where? Football or corporate America? And of course I don't have actual numbers in either arena. I suspect you don't either.

But if we're going to be real here are going to deny that many coaches are screamers and very few worry about the way their palms are facing when making a point?

 

I'll say this regarding coach's behavior. You put Hard Knocks cameras on Belichick for over a month, and condense that into 4 one hour shows, and I would be extremely surprised if your observations of Philbin could not be used word for word to describe Belichick.

 

I would say that about any coach from Shula to Belicheat.

 

I just didn't feel his argument rested on Rex Ryan comparisons.

To be fair to you, whom I love, I went and re-read his post. When I first read it I didn't have the negative reaction you did, because I was nodding in agreement with the whole thing. I can see how someone might see it a different way.

I guess the fact that he didn't conclude it with Fire Philbin, or some whiney attack on Ross, I didn't think it needed to be rejected the way you did.

 

I noticed a change too, but in my amateur opinion, I thought it was mainly due to him losing patience with what he felt were less than the team's best efforts in the first 3 games.

 

On the flip side, I could say the Jimmy Wilson obviously didn't respect Philbin enough not to say the F word to him. AND once again Philbin's initial point didn't get made. The basic art of communicating is to deliver messages. Philbin had a message and didn't deliver it, ie that is bad communication.

 

yeah except what he listed can be done naturally first off. Second off, I'm willing to bet a lot of coaches study effective communication. Why? Because it makes their jobs that much easier. Key word being jobs. Which guess what? Makes football part of the corporate world. So what makes you think its some magical unicorn?
My overall point is, more then likely, like any other arena, humans are humans, and the styles of management vary. As all it comes down to is management styles.