Bill Campbell’s Wisdom for Entrepreneurs

Many entrepreneurs have Bill Campbell to thank for their success. Google, Apple, Amazon, Yahoo—Bill Campbell’s business wisdom helped create the biggest technological giants today. Once a football coach, he used similar principles when coaching Silicon Valley’s leading entrepreneurs, and this advice created long-lasting and innovative teams that led to technological giants collectively worth trillions of dollars. A close advisor to Steve Jobs, he worked as VP of Marketing and board director for Apple and was also CEO for Claris, Intuit, and the GO Corporation.

What sets Bill Campbell apart from other business leaders is his deep empathy—even love—for others, from employees to those he coached. When he passed away in 2016, he left behind a legacy of respect, friendship, and courage. In honor of this legacy, Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle of Google decided to compile his insights for all entrepreneurs and business leaders in Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell. The authors interviewed 80 business executives coached by Campbell to pick his best bits of wisdom. Now, Campbell’s mentorship can continue to inspire future business innovators.Here are just a few of his insights collected in Trillion Dollar Coach:

• Your title makes you a manager; your people make you a leader.

•Respect is a must as a manager and business leader. To earn that respect, Campbell encouraged company leaders to listen to their employees and, above all, care about them. Even love them. A successful business needs to be a community, and healthy communities care for one another.

• Work the team, then the problem.

• Team dynamics are the most important aspect of solving a problem. If a leader is surrounded by the best possible team, any problem can be solved. The only way to win is to have the best team. And the best teams include women.

• Pick the right players.

•Look for people with smarts and hearts. This means that they combine fast learning and excellent problem-solving skills with integrity and empathy for their fellow employees.

• Build relationships whenever you can.

•Talk to your employees, not just about work, but about their lives too. Encourage them in their pursuits. Say hi when you see them, and value who they are as human beings, not just what they can bring to the team. Encourage employees to build relationships with one another outside of the workplace.

• Be an evangelist of courage.

• Be a role model by believing in people more than they believe in themselves.

• No gap between statements and fact.

• Be honest with both negative and positive feedback, but all feedback should come from a place of caring. Always deliver negative feedback privately.

• Money’s not just about the money.

• Compensating employees well shows respect and builds trust.

• Best idea, not consensus.

• While allowing employees to discuss company needs and changes is important, a good leader not only listens, but also trusts their instincts and makes decisions regardless of the most popular opinion. They must constantly be on the lookout for excellent ideas.

• Love the founders.

• The founders are the ones with the vision, and should be respected and admired.

Bill Campbell became a staple of Silicon Valley’s success, and Trillion Dollar Coach is a staple for business leaders and managers today. The audiobook, read by expert business narrator Dan Woren, describes not only Bill Campbell’s wisdom, but also his many successes, all in under six hours. A supplemental enhancement pdf is included with the audiobook.