Leader of the Pack
Once upon a time there was a business leader in Middle America who found himself stuck between a most formidable rock and a hard place.
His decades-old company was staring at a looming economic iceberg, but there was no way Bob was going to suffer the same fate as the Titanic. He also knew no amount of business planning, marketing, goal-setting, cultural alignment or a focus on organizational health was going to save his ship from imminent disaster.
Having a Strategy is NOT the same as having a Plan.
In business parlance, any talk of a ‘plan’ comes with an implied guarantee that checklist-style efforts will pay off. Planning tends to focus on available resources. Known quantities. Itemized objectives. Timelines. Like wearing your favorite slippers and pajamas, planning is oh so comfortable. Strategy, however, is completely different. Strategy is running naked through a dark forest full of snapping predators. In other words, strategy is designed to shove you out of the cocoon of any comfort zone. With strategy, there are NO guarantees. Steering your ship in an entirely different direction. Exploring the deep waters of uncertainty. From the outset, Bob knew he was betting the farm on possibilities that might not work. He was well aware this project demanded tough choices, trade-offs and it was NOT going to be a popularity contest with 100% buy-in.
In the late 90’s, Bob did a lot more than save the Green Bay Packers from being sold or relocated. Thanks to the efforts of one leader, the Packers have enjoyed 30+years of against-all-odds success; reflecting common principles applied by some of the best brands in the world including Apple, Ferrari and NIKE. However, the greatest legacy from Bob Harlan’s leadership may well be how it can inspire thousands of small-to-mid size business companies to plug into the same source code, grow their enterprise and secure their future.
Take a seat at the 50-yard line. Enjoy every highlight from one of the greatest underdog stories in either business or sports. Discover how to beat overwhelming odds from the visionary Leader of the Pack on Leaders & Legends.
“Where there is no vision, the people will perish”
When people think of Green Bay Packer legends, there is no shortage of names. Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke, Brett Favre, Reggie White, Clay Matthews, Aaron Rodgers and many more. Any diehard Cheesehead can also tell you several return-to-glory stories that feature front office and coaching types from Vince Lombardi to Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren and Ted Thompson. Get beyond the borders of America’s Dairyland, however, not many people recognize the name Bob Harlan and his enduring impact on one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports.
Following the departure of the legendary coach Lombardi in the late 60’s, the Packers remained stuck in the muck and mire of mediocrity for about 25 years. The post-Lombardi years were the ‘dark ages.’ Each new coaching regime trying to escape the shadow of the legendary coach. By the late 90’s, free agency, big money contracts, escalating costs and changing league economics was forcing team president Bob Harlan to face an uncomfortable truth. The Packers were going broke. If things didn’t change, the team would be sold or relocated. Harlan recalls, one NFL owner, fed up with the sorry state of the Packers, told fellow owners “Let's get those goddamn farmers and their frozen tundra out of this league.'"
The road from poverty to prosperity was anything but clear.
Undaunted, Harlan came up with a daring plan to completely shift the traditional business model. Instead of being heavily dependant on gate receipts from 10 home games and network TV dollars, Harlan envisioned a massive $295 million dollar redevelopment of Lambeau Field, turning it into a year-round, revenue-generator. Besides adding luxury suites, restaurants and meeting spaces, the crown jewel was the two-story, nine-gallery Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Fame which now attracts thousands of out-of-state visitors each week. But to make Bob’s bold vision come to fruition, the Packers needed Brown County voters to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax to help fund the project. They required help from the public purse.
Not everyone in Green Bay thought it was a good idea to use taxpayer dollars to fund renovations for a pro sports stadium. The issue would be decided by public referendum. Harlan pounded the pavement like any other politician, standing outside factories at 5 a.m. to shake hands and chat up the morning shift. He would hang out in coffee shops, shopping malls and go door-to-door trying to get voters to see his vision. Some people called him a ‘nut job’. Some would angrily slam doors in his face.
Anyone can steer the ship when waters are calm.
After months of draining, soul-testing campaigning, final votes were tallied on September 12, 2000. The measure to approve a half-cent sales tax, passed by the narrowest of margins. 53 to 47 percent.
Bob Harlan’s efforts to radically alter the business model and win public approval for the renovations, still represents the greatest ‘Hail Mary’ in Packers history.
The way Harlan saw it, bringing a winning spirit back to Green Bay was crucial from both a team culture and community point of view. Players and fans needed to believe in their own heritage which has become forever enshrined at the cathedral called Lambeau Field. Besides a sustainable business model and cultural legacy, Bob’s most enduring contribution may be for tens of thousands of business leaders—in any category—who can see how grand strategy extends far beyond a linear, finite focus on any product, service, planning or profit margins. Facing a financial apocalypse, Bob Harlan recognized the Packers’ greatest weapon was its own aura and mystique; a competitive brand advantage that had been neglected and downplayed for about a quarter of a century.
Strategy and Leadership is an Infinite Game.
Plan-oriented, finite players in always play within established boundaries. Infinite players like Bob Harlan develop strategy outside those boundaries, experimenting and re-defining how the game is played. Playing an infinite game – like the one described by Simon Sinek - forces you to adapt to in a rapidly changing world.
The Green Bay Packers already had its heroes and legends. But, in the late 90’s, those assets needed to be brought back to life. Bob Harlan’s far-reaching strategy ensured the smallest city in pro sports would continue to safeguard and share a brand mythology uniquely their own. Preserving and protecting their storied past allowed the Green Bay Packers to secure their future.
It’s a playbook any leader, in any town, in any industry can use.
“I worry where we’ll be 10, 15, 20, 30 years down the road. I want to make sure there’s always a Green Bay Packers team playing at Lambeau Field.”
- BOB HARLAN, October 14, 1996
p.s… Research the creation of any legend and you can pinpoint the precise day when everything changed … and changed everything. That day may happen for someone else on the 11th day of the 11th month. On Monday, November 11th a special public event for BIG LITTLE LEGENDS is being hosted at Lambeau Field as we explore how the Green Bay Packers went from decided underdogs to incredible overachievers who defy all business odds. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Vistage Worldwide chair Mary O'Brien Hosmer, and community leaders like Jeff Amstutz from A2Z – The Agency, they have put together some crackerjack plans for a wonderful evening.
REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../big-little-legends-tickets
p.p.s… Looking back on those trying times in the 90’s, Bob Harlan can still see how much writing was on the wall. The NFL was exploding into a financial and entertainment juggernaut. The Packers had to adapt or be left behind. Just over a year ago, The Green Bay Press-Gazette, posted a wonderful video that captures the human drama of this story. You can watch it here:
Through fours years of researching and writing BIG LITTLE LEGENDS, there were two visits to Lambeau Field in 2018 and again in 2020. Those first-hand observations were initially captured in written and video form in March of 2020. You can readily see how this story has continued to evolve and why its enduringly relevant with Play The Long Game: Lambeau Style.
If you were to join the Green Bay Packers’ season ticket waiting list today, you will likely wait more than 60 years for seats at Lambeau Field. The current season ticket waiting list boasts more than 148,000 names; remarkable considering the last census set the city population at 107,000.
PLANNING A SPEAKING EVENT?
As the steel wheels of business turn faster each quarter, your company or industry association may be curious to explore enduring principles from the origin of legends. In the face of frantic, unforgiving change, BIG LITTLE LEGENDS offers a deeper dive into the timeless principles that NEVER change. If you have an in-person event coming up in 2025, watch the cinematic movie trailer and discover the endlessly fascinating, universally applicable message of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS.
“Heroes get remembered. Legends never die” - BABE RUTH
For more information on scheduling an In-Person or Virtual Speaking Program, contact us here: bookings@gairmaxwell.com.
ACCELERATE YOUR BRAND: NAVIGATE THE BRANDING HIGHWAY
If now is an opportune time to discover the brand story and strategy uniquely your own, consider exploring a metaphorical road trip called THE BRANDING HIGHWAY. Designed for larger companies and organizations, our Executive Bootcamps serve as a journey and destination to help your brand emerge as an undeniable, undisputed, "Category of One.” Along the way, discover how to create substantial Differentiation and strategic Relevance while aligning your Executive Team. Impossible to describe. Filled with many twists and turns, it helps to take a quick peek at this preview:
“No one remembers who took second place. That will never be me" -ENZO FERRARI
BIG LITTLE LEGENDS: SPOTLIGHTED IN FORBES 🌟
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