President-elect Donald Trump named New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick as an exemplary leader during his interview for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" feature.
"I don't think there's one way of leading people," Mr. Trump told Time. "A great leader is a Coach Belichick. I guarantee you he deals with different people in a different way."
Mr. Belichick has been head coach of the Patriots since 2000 and has coached the team to six Super Bowls and four Super Bowl victories. He is known for his "Do your job" leadership philosophy — commemorated in an NFL documentary — which stresses the importance of each individual within an overall strategy.
Mr. Trump praised Mr. Belichick's ability to tailor his coaching to each player's needs. "He'll deal with Tom Brady differently than he's going to deal with some rookie that just came in, and they don't know whether or not he's going to make it," Mr. Trump said. "It's a different form of leadership."
Mr. Belichick has also admired the President-elect's approach to leadership. The day before the election, Mr. Belichick sent the President-elect a note of support. "You've proved to be the ultimate competitor and fighter," Mr. Trump read from the letter at a New Hampshire campaign event, according to CNN. "Hopefully tomorrow's election results will give the opportunity to make America great again."
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