If you’re a football fan, this week probably hit a little different. Maybe you’re celebrating a playoff run. Maybe you’re rebuilding in the draft. Or maybe you’re a Browns fan. But for coaches, the real season-ender is Black Monday. The name given to the first day after the regular season ends… when underperforming NFL coaches get shown the door.
This year, Black Monday tied the highest number of coach firings over the last 50 years, matching the post-merger record set back in 1978. And with a few teams still dragging their feet, it might not even be over.
But this column isn’t about football. Not really.
It’s about leadership and what happens when the old way of doing things finally stops working.
In the NFL, leadership is changing. The league once celebrated coaches who ruled with fear and authority. Today, the rising stars are different. Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, DeMeco Ryans, and Sean McVay lead with connection and strategy. They know their players. They build cultures based on belief, not fear. And they win because of it.
This shift isn’t just about football. It reflects a broader change in leadership. Loss prevention leaders should take note.
Most LP leaders didn’t land their roles because they had a history of developing talent. They started on the ground handling cases, making apprehensions, and learning through experience. That built grit. But it also passed down a leadership style rooted in control and compliance. That approach worked once. It doesn’t anymore.
Retail teams today need more than a taskmaster. They need a coach. A coach understands that connection beats command. Influence and motivation work better than intimidation. Mental wellness, culture, and clarity aren’t just HR terms. They help retain employees and drive productivity which leads to better shrink. To stay relevant, LP leaders must evolve from general managers to head coaches.
You don’t build a stronger culture by benching every mistake… you build it by coaching through them, earning trust, and creating a system where your team wants to do the right thing even when no one’s watching.
The new generation of LP associates won’t follow leaders who rely on fear. They follow leaders with purpose.
The best coaches today aren’t necessarily play callers. They’re creating systems where teams feel empowered. They communicate clearly and earn buy-in before asking for sacrifice. LP leaders must do the same.
The old playbook isn’t wrong because it failed. It’s wrong because the game has changed. We changed. Belichick’s era may be ending. That doesn’t erase his success. But the next great leaders will lead differently.
If LP keeps calling plays from the past, it won’t survive the next Black Monday. Time to lead against the grain or get sidelined. Go Pats!