'Mr. Nice Guy' Isn’t Part of Belichick’s Job Description

It wasn’t the best of times for New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick last week. On Monday, rumors began swirling that the Patriots had been accused of recording the opposition’s defensive hand signals with a video camera on the sidelines -- a clear violation of league rules -- in the team’s season-opening victory over the New York Jets.

By midweek, it was clear those rumors had plenty of substance to them, and that the Patriots had been caught red-handed. And on Thursday, the punishment was delivered, with National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell assessing Belichick a whopping $500,000 fine and stripping the team of at least one of its 2008 draft picks.

Around the country, there was very little sympathy for Belichick over the penalty. And with good reason: By most accounts, Belichick is a very difficult person to work with. He’s abrupt, abrasive and unfriendly and often treats press conferences like a root canal.

But in the win/loss department -- which is what a head coach is ultimately paid for -- Belichick is among the very best.  He’s led his team to three Super Bowls in the last six years and is often hailed as a genius football tactician. A report also surfaced last night that in spite of the recent controversy surrounding Belichick, he had just signed a new multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract extension.

This all leads me to ask: Is the bottom line the only line in the workplace? Is being a jerk to coworkers and subordinates and creating an uncomfortable working environment for others considered acceptable so long as the perpetrator of the hostility is a high achiever?

Here are some Monster resources on working with jerks:

• "Competent Jerks and Lovable Fools: The Likeability Factor at Work"
• "Expert Answers on Workplace Bullying"
• "From the Monster Blog: “How Much Bad Behavior is Enough?”
• "From the Monster Blog: “If Bitter Is the New Black, What’s Nice?"

For more information on this subject, check out our Management section.

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