Trust the Process: What We Can Learn from the Buffalo Bills

Full disclosure: I’m a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan. Which means for most of my life I’ve been an expert in heartbreak, creative swearing, and the delicate art of explaining to non-fans why this year is different. 

For 17 years, the Bills were mired in a playoff drought. Nearly two decades of “close but not close enough.” Not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough for a really high draft pick. Coaches came and went. General managers came and went. Players often bypassed Buffalo for sunnier cities that have palm trees. We were stuck in football purgatory. Buffalo became known as “A drinking town with a football problem”.

Then in 2017, everything shifted. Enter a new head coach, Sean McDermott, and a new GM, Brandon Beane. And more importantly, enter a plan. Their mission wasn’t just to win games—it was to build a winning culture. A culture that would make Buffalo a place players and coaches actually wanted to be.

Trusting the Process

One of the first things they did? Cut players. Trade players. Basically play Fantasy Football, but with real human beings. Fans (myself included) were baffled. “Wait…we just drafted that guy. And he was good!”

But McDermott and Beane had a mantra: Trust the Process.

They didn’t just draft for talent. They drafted for character. One of their early draft picks, cornerback Tre’Davious White, was the valedictorian of his high school class. They signed players who believed in the team, the city, and each other. And that very first season, the unthinkable happened: the playoff drought ended.

If you want a tearjerker, here is the locker room video of Bills players celebrating after the Bengals upset the Ravens, sneaking Buffalo into the playoffs. Grown men wept. So did I. (Still do, honestly.) The Drought Ends

The Josh Allen Factor

Fast forward a year, and the Bills drafted a raw prospect named Josh Allen. I’ll never forget it. My daughter and I were back in Buffalo visiting family and we went to a show at the Irish Classical Theater. Afterward, I checked my phone in the car and saw the news: Josh Allen was a Buffalo Bill. I was ecstatic. Sorry Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson…but Josh Allen is who I wanted the Bills to draft.

Why? Because Josh Allen had Buffalo written all over him.

• A humble kid from a rural California farm.

• No Division I offers out of high school. (Last year's league MVP played his first year of college at Reedly Community College)

• He literally wrote letters to college coaches asking for a shot. Only one school answered: Wyoming.

He worked. He grinded. He believed. And now? He’s the best player in the league.

Josh was the perfect fit because he wasn’t a diva. He understood Buffalo: a blue-collar city with blue-collar values. He embodied the culture McDermott and Beane were building. And that culture took root. His mantra?  “Be Good, Do Good, God Bless, and Go Bills”. He’s fun.  He’s funny. He’s approachable. Pinch me.

“Everybody Eats”

The Bills also live by another mantra: Everybody Eats.

On offense, that means the ball gets spread around. Some games, three different running backs touch the ball. Tight ends get their share. Wide receivers rotate in. There are Sundays where nine different players catch a pass from Josh Allen.

And you know what? Nobody complains. There’s no “I need more targets” drama. Everyone understands that the team matters more than the individual. Winning is sweeter than personal stats.

Players love each other. They have weekly dinners. They show up for each other on and off the field. They want to be in each other's company. 

The process is trusted and it is strong.

That’s not just good football—it’s great leadership.

Because being a strong leader isn’t about feeding your own ego. It’s about creating a culture where everyone gets a chance to contribute, everyone feels valued, and everyone eats.

Results of a Winning Culture

The results?

• Five straight division titles

• Two conference championships

• And maybe my favorite part: players who left in free agency…came back.

Jordan Poyer. Jordan Phillips. Even Tre’Davious White. They realized the grass isn’t greener elsewhere. Sometimes the best grass is under three feet of snow in Orchard Park.

And it’s not just the team—it’s the fans. Bills Mafia has become legendary for its generosity.

When an opposing player gets hurt or makes a play that benefits Buffalo, Mafia members flood their charities with donations.

• Ask Andy Dalton, whose touchdown ended Buffalo’s 17-year drought.

• Ask Lamar Jackson, after his playoff concussion against the Bills.

• Ask Mark Andrews, after a game-tying two point conversion drop.

Their charities receive hundreds of thousands in donations.

Leadership Lessons from the Buffalo Bills

So what’s the leadership takeaway here? Whether you’re coaching a football team or leading a business, culture drives results.

Here are four lessons leaders can steal straight from the Buffalo Bills playbook:

1. Hire for character, not just talent. Skills matter, but people who fit your culture stick around and lift others.

2. Commit to the process. Quick wins are nice, but long-term growth requires patience and consistency.

3. Build connections. When teammates genuinely care about each other, success becomes sustainable—and people even come back when they leave.

4. Make sure everybody eats. Spread opportunities. Share recognition. When everyone gets involved, the whole team wins.

Final Thought

The Bills taught me (and a lot of other long-suffering fans) that trusting the process isn’t just a catchy slogan. It’s a blueprint for lasting success.

And if you can do it in Buffalo, in sub-zero temps, while folding tables are being broken in parking lots…you can do it anywhere.

If you’re looking to build a culture like that in your own workplace—one where people trust the process, believe in each other, and stick around for the long haul—I’d love to help. Check out my team and culture-building workshops to learn how to bring those lessons to life in your organization.