Moshe Rabbeinu, Tom Brady, Yisro and Bruce Arians walk into a bar: A Super LV Bowl Dvar Torah

Bruce Arians and Tom Brady have something in common with Yisro and Moshe: the elder member gives unfiltered feedback to their younger counterpart. We see this in Parshas Yisro:

Yisro observes Moshe's jam packed schedule and has some thoughts on the matter

Yisro says to Moshe: you will wear yourself out! Why not delegate to others and create a justice system? That will allow for expediency in judgement and to save Moshe's precious energy. How did Moshe respond to this constructive criticism?

Moshe doesn't hesitate. He takes the advice and runs with it! Instead of getting defensive (excuse the pun), Moshe integrates it immediately. As the Tzror Hamor writes:

Lihavdil, Tom Brady seems to take Bruce Arians' remarks the same way:

“You know me, I don’t think about it, I just answer questions honestly,” Arians said Tuesday. “If someone asks me why he threw an interception I’ll tell ‘em the truth. That is not calling him out. That’s just answering a question honestly. I really don’t know any other way.

“Tom and I have had a great relationship since Day One and it’s just gotten better and better. He wants to be coached hard. Other people do things differently. He knew what he was getting into when he joined this one.”

https://nypost.com/2021/02/02/tom-brady-and-bruce-arians-relationship-wasnt-what-it-seemed/

And what have been the results?

"There were rough moments on the field for Arians, Brady and the Buccaneers, who were 7-5 after back-to-back losses to the Rams and Chiefs. They have not lost a game since late November, though, and as a wild-card NFC playoff entrant won three consecutive road games to get to Super Bowl 2021, where they will get another shot at the Chiefs."

https://nypost.com/2021/02/02/tom-brady-and-bruce-arians-relationship-wasnt-what-it-seemed/

Questions for further discussion: Why do you think the Torah doesn't tell us whether the advice worked? What is the Torah trying to highlight about Moshe? About Yisro?
Why didn't this system come from Hashem?

Why did man have to create it? Could this system have been invented by a Jew, or did it have to come from a complete outsider?

Compare the critique of Yisro to the critique of Bruce Arians. What major differences do you notice in terms of style? I will cite below a beautiful analysis from Rabbi Mordechai Schiffman from his blog "Psyched for Torah" to answer this question.

On the heels of victory against the Egyptians and a newfound freedom, Moshe finds himself spending his days adjudicating disputes and informing the people of the laws and teachings of God as it relates to their cases. Moshe’s father in law, Yitro, hears about the miracles and wonders that God performed for Bnei Yisrael in saving them from the Egyptians and comes to visit Moshe. After witnessing that Moshe was spending morning until evening answering the people’s questions, Yitro criticizes Moshe’s approach. While the fact that Moshe listens to the feedback and adjusts his practices as a result is a testament to Moshe’s humility, the commentators point out several nuances within Yitro’s method of criticizing Moshe that made it more likely to be successfully received.

One of the most important factors in the delivering and receiving of feedback is the relationship between the giver and the recipient. The better the relationship and the more that the recipient believes that the giver of the criticism is not biased and has the benefit of the recipient in mind, the more likely the feedback will work. Yitro’s critique of Moshe’s system comes only after the verses highlight the warm and positive relationship they have with each other. The critique works because Moshe knows how much Yitro respects and appreciates him.

In terms of the content of the feedback, it is more effective when it is specific and not communicated as a criticism of the entire individual. When the person providing the feedback exaggerates and generalizes, saying the equivalent of “you always do this,” the person receiving the feedback will likely get defensive. The verse that communicates the imperative to provide religious feedback states that “you shall surely rebuke your fellow and do not bear (“lo tisa”) a sin because of him” (Vayikra 19:17). This is generally understood as a directive not to embarrass the person while rebuking him or her. However, Rabbi Gedaliah Schorr provides an additional layer of meaning to the text, suggesting that “lo tisa,” originally translated as do not bear, can also be interpreted as “do not lift,” meaning, when you criticize someone, do not lift the sin above him or her. Do not blow it out of proportion and generalize to all circumstances. Focus specifically on the issue and criticize the action or the problem, not the person. This is exactly what Yitro does when he critiques Moshe. He is very specific in identifying the problem when he says, “this thing that you are doing is not effective” (Shemot 18:18). He emphasizes the problematic action, not the person.

Finally, feedback is more effective when it is followed by practical advice for improvement. Rashi, based on the midrash, writes that Yitro had seven names, one of which is Yeter, meaning “to add,” because a section was added to the Torah in his merit. What’s interesting is that while Yitro’s critique starts in verse 14, the part that is considered added in his merit is where he begins to offer advice on how to fix the problem in verse 21 (“ve-atah techeze”). Rabbi Avraham Pam explains that anyone can complain and criticize. In fact, even without Yitro, Bnei Yisrael would have eventually complained about the flaws in the judicial system, so the critique would have been in the Torah regardless of Yitro. The legacy of Yitro is that he balanced his critique with constructive advice as to how to correct the issue.

https://www.psychedfortorah.com/post/effective-feedback