In part one of this series examining the eight quality management principles of the ISO 9000 series, I looked at the principle of customer focus and how it applies to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now I am going to shift my focus to the second principle, leadership. Athletics and leadership are a natural fit, but applying it to the overall business is a bit more complex.

 The second quality management principle is summarized thusly: “Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organization. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization's objectives.” With an NFL franchise, you can delineate between the organizational leaders and the team leaders. The organizational leaders include the owner, GM, and other members of the front office responsible for business decisions while the team leaders are the players and coaches directly involved in on-the-field results.

 Since 1994, the Eagles have been owned by Jeffrey Lurie. By almost any measure the team has been a model franchise during this time. The Eagles have been to the playoffs 11 times since Lurie took over, which is only slightly less than the 14 times they reached the post season in their first 62 years of existence. The construction and opening of Lincoln Financial Stadium is further proof of Lurie’s commitment to the team. The organization he purchased for $185 million is now worth $1.16 billion, so he has clearly proved himself to be a strong and positive leader.

 Arguably the second most important figure regarding the success and leadership of the Eagles is head coach Andy Reid. Hired following the 1998 season, Reid is now the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. In addition, Reid has served as Executive VP of Football Operations since 2001 (giving him the final word on football matters for the organization). Reid’s time with the Eagles has been the most successful in franchise history. He has compiled a record of 126-81-1 in the regular season and 10-9 in the postseason. Those 136 total victories are more than twice as many as the second most accomplished coach in franchise history (Greasy Neale had 66 wins from 1941-50).

 Stability under the stewardship of Lurie and Reid has been a perfect recipe for success for the Eagles. However, during this time Eagles have not won a Super Bowl. In the first decade of the 21^st century, the Eagles won more games than any other team in the NFC  (103) and played in five conference championship games. Sadly, this resulted in a single Super Bowl appearance: a 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

 From an on-the-field personnel perspective, talent has not been an issue for the Eagles. Since 1999 the team has sent 66 players to the Pro Bowl. Was the problem simply former quarterback Donovan McNabb, who despite being the franchise leader in every meaningful passing category just couldn’t seem to inspire his teammates and fans like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or even Eli Manning? Despite all the success McNabb had, I fondly recall his substitute Jeff Garcia’s “Merry Christmas Philadelphia” game in 2006 as my favorite win of the decade.

 Or is it Reid, who as head coach has a reputation (well deserved) for botching end-of-game clock management? New England’s Bill Belichick is the second longest tenured coach in the league after Reid and he has led his teams to five Super Bowls and three championships. Those two Super Bowl losses came at the hands of the New York Giants and Tom Coughlin, who this year coached his team to their second championship in four years with a roster that seemingly has no discernible advantage over Philadelphia in terms of the on-the-field product. What is missing for the Eagles?

Leadership has repeatedly brought the Eagles to the brink of the Promised Land but failed to push them over the edge. Reid will be back next season, so hope for an intangible change lies with quarterback Michael Vick (who, it should be noted, was on the other side of the Eagles’ lone NFC Championship victory of the last decade). This past summer, elite players flocked to the Eagles for the chance to play with Vick. Though the results from his first full season were disappointing, I’m eager to see if his leadership – perceived or real – is what the Eagles have been missing.

So what can we learn from this and how does it apply to you? Businesses with strong leadership find ways to align their team’s performance with the organization's vision. Do you understand your vision, have you communicated this to your team, and have you aligned your team’s activities to help achieve your vision? If you have then you should take heart. While you may not reach or win the Super Bowl of your industry, you will probably consistently contend for it. Being in the top echelon of players in your field is a noteworthy achievement, and applying quality management principles will go a long way to getting you to where you want to be.