Belichick: My Career Is Guided by Four Words

Bill Belichick thinks everybody ought to keep four words in mind, no matter their profession: "I messed that up." In a Wall Street Journal essay, an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, the former Patriots coach writes that owning up to mistakes in front of co-workers is essential, particularly for bosses. The phrase "has been in heavy usage in any high-functioning team I've been around," he writes, though he acknowledges that the verbiage is a little saltier in NFL locker rooms. "It should be a part of your lexicon too. "

Why? "'I messed that up' can become a normal part of our daily conversations, and we can be better for it," he writes. "It's about honesty and accountability, yes, but it also sets a standard that mistakes get ventilated instead of hidden." Belichick also writes about the "Patriot Way," the motto somebody concocted about his old team's penchant for winning Super Bowls. "Here's something you should know: The Patriot Way does not exist," he writes. "When we won, I kept what worked. When we lost, I threw out what hadn't." (Read the full essay, in which he asserts that winning one championship is merely the start of preparing for the next one.)