Super Bowl aside, it’s hard to think of an event on the American football calendar that gets more hype than the NFL draft. When the 32 teams gather from April 25 to 27 in Nashville, they will be looking to plug the holes in their rosters and add new strength to their squads. That got us thinking: How exactly does a franchise construct a winning team?
Who’s the Most Important Member of an NFL Franchise?
How exactly does an NFL franchise construct a winning team? While there are, of course, many factors, the common wisdom is that team success is largely attributable to four organizational leaders—the quarterback, head coach, general manager, and owner. But who is the most important? According to a study of 38 years of win-loss records, these four leader variables—quarterback, coach, general manager, and owner—explained 68.2%, or more than two-thirds, of the variance in team performance. Owners carried the least weight (roughly 11.12% of explained variance), followed by general managers (22.43%), then coaches (29.08%), and finally, quarterbacks (37.37%). Quarterbacks were key and, according to the data, have become more so in the 21st century, though strong GMS and coaches, especially when the roles were combined, were also important. There are two key implications for business. First, organizations should look to QB-like leaders, who produce as well as manage, to drive success. Second, they must remember that leadership is a team sport and make sure they have the right people supporting each other in all their most critical roles.