Bill Parcells is considered one of the greatest NFL coaches ever, winning two Super Bowls over his impressive career.

How did he get buy in and establish a culture of discipline and toughness year after year?

With 4 key philosophies — and we can apply them to our own teams:

1. Pick the right people

“You can do serious damage with a few bad choices,' he said.

Reputation or talent level weren't always most important to Parcells.

What was?

-Knowing what success required
-Commitment to the effort
-Same goals, same passion he had

2. Take charge

Early in his career, Parcells admitted he lacked confidence.

He quickly realized he needed to command more respect or he'd get fired.

So he made standards abundantly clear, threatened to waive players, and held lots of 1-on-1 convos to reinforce what he wanted.

3. Embrace confrontation

Parcells was a big believer in applying the right kind of pressure to his team. He felt it led to higher performance.

To him, confrontation wasn’t just about getting his way.

It was about bringing main issues to the forefront, then finding solutions.

4. Success breeds success

To win, Parcells felt you had to believe you could. But many players lack confidence until they see results.

So in camp, he would set micro goals, tiny gains his players could see daily.

He praised them when they hit these, fueling their self-belief.

To Parcells, building a culture was really about:

-Selecting the right personnel
-Establishing appropriate authority
-Confronting undesired behavior immediately
-Boosting confidence & morale

Worthwhile philosophies for any leader.