Bill "The Coach" Campbell, a former football coach turned revered business executive and mentor, left an indelible mark on Silicon Valley, shaping the leadership styles of luminaries like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos. His teachings, largely captured in the book "Trillion Dollar Coach," co-authored by former Google executives Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle, emphasize a human-centric approach to management.

On Leadership and Management

  1. "Your title makes you a manager. Your people make you a leader." This core belief highlights that true leadership is earned through the respect and trust of your team, not bestowed by a title. [1][2]
  2. "The top priority of any manager is the well-being and success of his people." Campbell believed that by focusing on supporting their teams, managers would naturally drive business success. [3]
  3. "Great managers help people excel and grow." He saw management as a service role, dedicated to nurturing the potential of each team member. [3]
  4. "Leadership is not about you, it's about service to something bigger: the company, the team." Campbell advocated for a selfless approach to leadership, where the focus is on the collective good. [4][5]
  5. "If you're a great manager, your people will make you a leader. They acclaim that, not you." This underscores his philosophy that leadership is a reflection of how well you serve your team. [4]
  6. "The manager's job is to run a decision-making process that ensures all perspectives get heard and considered, and, if necessary, to break ties and make the decision." He emphasized the manager's role as a facilitator of sound decisions. [3][6]
  7. "Lead based on first principles." Campbell advised leaders to define and adhere to the fundamental truths and values of their company to guide decision-making. [1][3]
  8. "Don't tell people what to do. Offer stories and help guide them to the best decisions for them." He believed in empowering people to find their own solutions rather than dictating orders. [1][3]
  9. "Leadership is about recognizing that there's a greatness in everyone, and your job is to create an environment where that greatness can emerge." This quote encapsulates his belief in the potential of every individual. [7]
  10. "Leaders lead." In times of crisis or uncertainty, Campbell stressed that leaders must be decisive and committed. [1][6]

On Building and Managing Teams

  1. "Work the team, then the problem." Campbell's mantra was to first focus on the team dynamics and ensure the right people were in the right roles before tackling the issue at hand. [3][4]
  2. "The path to success in a fast-moving, highly competitive, technology-driven business world is to form high-performing teams and give them the resources and freedom to do great things." He saw empowered teams as the engine of innovation. [7]
  3. "Pick the right players." He looked for smarts, heart, the ability to learn fast, a willingness to work hard, integrity, grit, empathy, and a team-first attitude. [6][8]
  4. "Pair people." Campbell believed that peer relationships are critical and often overlooked, and he would seek opportunities to pair people on projects to build trust and collaboration. [1][6]
  5. "Everyone needs to be at the table." To have the best team, Campbell advocated for diversity, recognizing that different perspectives lead to better outcomes. [1][6]
  6. "Solve the biggest problem." He urged teams to identify and confront the most significant challenges, the "elephant in the room," head-on. [1][6]
  7. "Don't let the bitch sessions last." While he believed in airing grievances, he insisted on moving quickly from complaining to finding solutions. [1][6]
  8. "Winning right." Campbell emphasized the importance of winning with commitment, teamwork, and integrity. [1][6]
  9. "Team psychological safety... is a ‘shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.’" He fostered environments where people felt comfortable being themselves. [4]
  10. "Getting to the right answer is important, but having the whole team get there is just as important." The process of collaborative decision-making was as valuable as the outcome itself. [4]

On Coaching and Communication

  1. "Coaching is no longer a specialty; you cannot be a good manager without being a good coach." He saw coaching as an essential skill for all modern leaders. [4]
  2. "Only coach the coachable." Campbell believed that individuals must possess honesty, humility, a willingness to work hard, and an openness to learning to be effectively coached. [3][9]
  3. "Practice free-form listening." He gave his undivided attention in conversations, a practice that made people feel heard and valued. [3][6]
  4. "Be relentlessly honest and candid." Campbell championed direct and immediate feedback, delivered with care and in private when negative. [1][6]
  5. "Be the evangelist for courage." He believed in people more than they believed in themselves and pushed them to take risks. [3][9]
  6. "A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be." This quote defines his view of a coach's role in pushing for growth. [4][10]
  7. "Great coaches lie awake at night thinking about how to make you better." This illustrates the deep level of care and commitment he felt was necessary for effective coaching. [2]
  8. "Don't stick it in their ear." This was his colorful way of saying not to force your ideas on people. [1][3]
  9. "Have a deliberate communications strategy internally." He understood the importance of clear and consistent communication within an organization. [11]
  10. "Start with trip reports." To build rapport, he would begin meetings with personal, non-business conversations. [1][3]

On People and Culture

  1. "It's the people." This was Campbell's foundational belief: the well-being and success of the team should be the top priority. [9]
  2. "To care about people, you have to care about people." He emphasized genuine, personal interest in his team members' lives outside of work. [1][6]
  3. "Cheer demonstrably for people and their success." Campbell was known for his enthusiastic and vocal support of his teams. [1]
  4. "The purpose of a company is to bring a product vision to life. All the other components are in service to product." He believed that the product and the engineers who build it should be at the center of a company's focus. [7]
  5. "Innovation is where the crazy people have stature." He advocated for giving creative and unconventional thinkers the freedom and influence to innovate. [6][8]
  6. "Manage the aberrant genius." Campbell believed in tolerating and coaching talented but difficult individuals, as long as their behavior wasn't unethical. [1][6]
  7. "If you have to let people go, be generous, treat them well, and celebrate their accomplishments." He handled departures with respect and dignity. [6][8]
  8. "Full identity front and center." He believed people are most effective when they can be their authentic selves at work. [6][8]
  9. "Trust is the foundation of any successful team." He saw trust as essential for open communication, innovation, and collaboration. [2][12]
  10. "Heads held high." When letting people go, he believed it was a failure of management, and those departing should be treated with respect. [2][6]

On Personal Growth and Principles

  1. "If you've been blessed, be a blessing." This quote reflects his belief in giving back and helping others. [4]
  2. "Humility, because Bill believed that leadership is about service to something that is bigger than you: your company, your team." Humility was a cornerstone of his philosophy. [4]
  3. "Make the best decision you can, then move on." He advocated for decisiveness and avoiding paralysis by analysis. [4]
  4. "Think about the whole." He encouraged everyone, not just the CEO, to consider the best interests of the entire company. [11]
  5. "Being right isn't enough." He taught that you have to effectively communicate and persuade others to get things done. [11]
  6. "Focus on the person you're with." Campbell had a remarkable ability to make people feel like they were the most important person in the room. [11]
  7. "Substance trumps form every time." He valued genuine impact over superficial appearances. [11]
  8. "Have fun." He believed that a joyful and fun environment was crucial for success. [11]
  9. "Diversity is not optional." Long before it was a major topic in Silicon Valley, he championed diversity to get the best possible talent. [11]
  10. "Bill looked for four characteristics in people... smart... work hard... high integrity... grit." These were the fundamental qualities he sought in the people he chose to work with and coach. [2][13]

Learn more:

  1. Bill Campbell's 33 Leadership Principles - Angelos Georgakis
  2. My learnings — Trillion Dollar coach — The leadership playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell - Karthik Krishnan
  3. Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell
  4. My 11 Notes from “Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell” - Kamil Stanuch
  5. Book Notes from Trillion Dollar Coach, Bill Campbell | by Then Shanmugam | Medium
  6. COACH BILL CAMPBELL'S LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES - Charles Pfeffer
  7. Bill Campbell: Quotes From the Trillion Dollar Coach - Shortform Books
  8. 36 Lessons for Business & Life from Trillion Dollar Coach Bill Campbell | The Leading Blog
  9. The Enduring Wisdom of Bill Campbell: Why “It's the People” Still Reigns in Tech and Leadership - Adolfo Fernández
  10. Trillion Dollar Coach by Bill Campbell by E. Schmidt, J. Rosenberg, and A. Eagle Book Excerpts - Capacity Building Solutions
  11. Ten Lessons from Bill Campbell - Medium
  12. Lessons To Learn From Bill Campbell | Startup Stories
  13. Trillion Dollar Coach Quotes by Eric Schmidt - Goodreads