At TCS Live 2025, Cleveland Browns Assistant GM Catherine Hickman shared her perspective on leadership, culture, and the relentless pursuit of excellence - lessons that translate directly from the NFL to the rink.

“Culture isn’t chemistry, it’s clarity.” – Catherine Hickman

Building Teams Through People

A central theme in Hickman’s talk was leveraging human capital - getting the most out of people by building with intention. She differentiated between culture fit and culture add:

• Culture fit means alignment with core values and standards.
• Culture add means bringing in diverse skillsets that expand solutions.

During her time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Hickman saw this firsthand. One staff member had 15 years of experience designing Broadway shows, an unconventional background that added unique perspective and helped the Eagles build the environment that led to a Super Bowl win.

“We don’t need 53 of the same person. We need 53 leaders who are aligned and compete. Alignment is non-negotiable.”

Standards vs. Rules

For Hickman, the difference between rules and standards is everything:

• Rules are reactive.
• Standards are proactive.

She challenges her teams to define standards through three questions:

1. What does it look like when we’re at our best?
2. What do we need to see every day?
3. What are we not willing to tolerate?

The power of standards is that they live in the environment. When leaders model them consistently, they become self-sustaining. That’s how teams evolve into being player-led — or, as Hickman pointed out, even staff-led, when everyone in the organization embodies the standard.

A Lesson From Sushi

To illustrate her point, Hickman told the story of Jiro Ono, the legendary Japanese sushi master. Ono described his craft not as work, but as practice. For him, every day was an Olympic-level pursuit of detail, patience, and perfection. Hickman drew a clear line between Ono’s philosophy and coaching: passion, relentlessness, and excellence in the details create environments where standards thrive.

Communication as Leadership

Hickman closed by returning to the idea that communication is not one-way. It’s not only about how you deliver the message, but also how it’s heard, interpreted, and acted on. The best coaches, she said, are relentless in ensuring their intent is aligned with their team’s understanding.

Coaching Takeaway

As a coach, don’t settle for simply laying down rules. Define and model the standards that will shape your culture. Standards promote clarity, alignment, and empowerment — and when everyone owns them, they become the foundation for sustainable success.

A Challenge for Coaches

Take Hickman’s three questions into your own environment. With your players and staff, define:

• What it looks like when you’re at your best.
• What you need to see every day.
• What you won’t tolerate.

Then hold yourself accountable to modeling those standards. If you live them, your team will too.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 0:00 Story of Jiro
• 3:00 Winning happens in the margins
• 7:50 Define the Standard Framework
• 9:15 Standards > Rules
• 11:55 Permission vs Promotion
• 13:10 What the Best Coaches do Consistently
• 19:15 3x3 Loop
• 21:05 Culture is what you Permit
• 23:20 Above?Below the Line Model
• 24:20 Leadership from The Middle
• 27:40 End-of-Week Reflection