As a lifelong Pittsburgh Steeler fan, I did revel in the disaster that was the Dallas Cowboy’s performance on the weekend. However, as I age, I only take short-term pleasure in this, quickly moving to deep curiosity as to why these sort of things happen in sport. 

Great performances under the bright light of pressure are correlated with organizations having strong alignment, which comes in different forms. The alignment between understanding high expectations and the importance of indisputable organizational principles. How we prepare. How we manage conflict. The other form of alignment is between the key leaders within the program. They don’t need to be best friends, but they do need to be on the same page. Always.

The brighter the light, the more important these principles and relationships become. They act like a 12th player. Is there another team in North America that has more attention paid to them than the Cowboy’s? The answer, unequivocally, is no. America’s team is simply not designed, and I use this word deliberately, to withstand pressure. 

During the Patriots (I hate the Patriots…) historic 20 year run of six Super Bowl Championships, the light was ablaze. Expectations, after the first couple of championships, were as high as any team in the world. Without question, physical, technical and coaching talent contributed mightily to their championships. However, I would argue that the principles put in place and managed by Head Coach Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and other key athlete leaders was the key differentiator. Powering belief in the process and each other. 

There are lots of talented teams in professional sports, but only a few are able to establish, clarify and live by principles that allow for greatness. Unfortunately, for my Steelers and many other teams, for the first twenty years of this century, the Patriots mastered this concept.

Now, it would require a deep dive within the organization to prove this, but it is pretty clear on first glance that the Cowboys have issues with principles and alignment. They simply are not built to perform under the bright lights. What do the bright lights do? They trigger questioning and encourage a lack of focus. Questioning of ourselves, our teammates and the plan. Losing focus in the things that are the 1% factors, those that make all the difference when two elite teams clash in the playoffs. In these big moments, we don’t have time to question or lose focus. Only time to believe and zone in. 

With their current leadership paradigm and talent base, the Cowboys will continue to win 11 or 12 games a year and then flame out in the playoffs. Their only hope is to be led by someone who can build up “resilience” and be the accountable officer of these important principles above and beyond anything else. And, this coach or leader will need to distribute leadership responsibility to others. 

Jerry Jones won’t and can’t do this. Only a strong coach (remember Jimmy Johnson…) would have any chance to build resilience for this historically complicated franchise.

Jerry, what are you going to do about this?