‘Do your job!’ Belichick legacy goes far beyond the football field
Like countless others, former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh has a “Do Your Job!” hat and “Do Your Job!” T-shirt. There are hoodies, key chains, and bumper stickers all using that logo.
The phrase has been repeated in board rooms, factory floors, classrooms, and playing fields. And, you guessed it: it’s a New England Patriots LLC trademark.
It’s also one of Bill Belichick’s gifts to this region and is part of his legacy that will last beyond the Super Bowl titles and duck boat parades.
“The Patriots did their job on the field. They won for the fans, but that motto goes so deep in so many ways,” Walsh, the former mayor of Boston, now chief of the NHL Players’ Union, told the Herald.
“Just do your job and there will be accomplishments,” he added. “It was a combination of making the right moves, energizing the region.”
The result was barrooms were packed, other businesses benefitted, and house parties for playoffs games brought people together.
“The Patriots did their job,” Walsh added, “and that motto speaks to how he set the standard.”
It’s a simple management principle that empowers each person to do their part so they can share in the success. It’s Belichickean gem. When managers talk about chemistry, “Do Your Job” is on the periodic table of elements.
It was all about keeping “everyone on the same page,” said Celtic legend Bob Cousy. And unlike basketball, he added, that means 53 players on the active roster, coaches, support staff and backups.
“That’s 53 egos to deal with. It just compounds the problem,” Cousy said, adding that his coach, Red Auerbach, had slightly more than a dozen “egos” to juggle.
“My sympathies lie with Bill Belichick. A coach is only as good as the material he gets,” Cousy said.
Belichick did have some great assets — from Tom Brady to Gronk and a defense that always seemed to rise to the occasion.
His style was to expect the best out of everyone. He tapped into the region’s shared work ethic and it clicked for more than two decades.
“There is no better individual who demonstrated a superior sense of consistency and predictability in how he showed up every day,” said Boston developer John Fish. “He
leads with hard work, a passion for the game, and an absolute love of his players.”
It’s a winning formula for any organization.
“That’s why we have six Super Bowl rings,” Fish, chairman and CEO of Suffolk Construction, added.
Belichick and Brady literally put food on the table for so many New Englanders. The merchandise, entertainment, restaurant, and bar specials, and promotional opportunities for his players and businesses were an economic juggernaut.
“It was all about winning and loyalty to the fans,” said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. “Bill Belichick contributed millions and millions to the economy.”
He did his job.