Just last year, I had the privilege of spending several hours inside the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front offices on the Southside of Pittsburgh. My good friend, former college teammate, and longtime NFL standout, Jerry Holmes, wanted to meet with some of his coaching friends and colleagues to catch-up and talk football. Jerry’s been coaching in the NFL and on the college level for more than a decade.
During our visit, I listened to more football talk, terminology, and language than I ever thought existed. And since I’ve been removed from the game for so long, it was a dizzying experience. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the day and got to meet many key people within the Steelers’ organization. I even had lunch with linebackers coach Keith Butler and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. After lunch, we were given a tour of the facilities by my friend and high school teammate, Mark Gorscak, Steelers’ college scout. Finally, near the end of our day, I met head coach, Mike Tomlin who once interned under Jerry with the Cleveland Browns. Now I understand why Coach Tomlin’s been so successful! It was a day that I won’t forget anytime soon.
But I don’t want to write about football in the NFL as much as I want to draw corollaries with a six-time Super Bowl winning organization and what I see in many world-class safety organizations.
When you enter the upstairs main hallway to the Steelers’ offices, immediately to your right you see a huge walk-in case with six Lombardi Trophies. It’s a beautiful sight. Photographs, bright lights, and of course the Super Bowl trophies, gleaming so proudly.
This presentation of success immediately created a mental image for me and flashbacks of my childhood days - watching Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert and so many of the Steeler greats who went on to win four Super Bowls. Wow - it’s all there right in front of you, so clear, so bright, and so impactful!
I think about many of the companies I’ve worked with that continue to create a clear and compelling vision that becomes the workers’ vision for zero accidents and zero incidents. The vision is made clear in different ways than the Steelers’ vision, but still becomes part of a consistent message that “extreme success” is possible and ZERO can be achieved. Every opportunity is taken to speak about the vision, the plan, and the goals that will get the entire organization on the same page, and to that special place.