Every year people gather around televisions in the United States to watch the Super Bowl. Some join in for an excuse to socialize. Some love watching the commercials. Some love football and some enjoy eating a bunch of unhealthy food. Oh yeah, some actually care about the outcome of the game.
Regardless of one’s motive, the reality is that coaches who get their teams to a championship level must know something about leadership . . . and acquiring talent. I have dug through my books and am going to highlight some of the leadership lessons successful college and professional football coaches have provided.
- Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz in his book Winning Every Day: The Game Plan for Success
states: “the standards you establish for others must reflect the standards you set for yourself. No one will follow a hypocrite.” The Principle: Lead by example and do not expect of others what you would not do yourself. If I expect others to get up early and workout . . . I must be willing to do it to and be ready to go.
- Former USC football coach and coach of the Seattle Seahawks Pete Carroll in his book Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion
discusses the role of a coach as a teacher and how to get the best out of players. He states: “if you want to help someone be the best he can be, you have to learn as much as possible about what makes him tick . . . everything a player does is an opportunity for us to learn something about him.” The Principle: When you know the people you lead you will be able to teach, lead, and inspire them better. For me I can get quite lazy and not take the time to understand those I lead. As I get to know the people then I am able to lead better because I know what they desire and how that can align with what the team is trying to accomplish.
- In the 1990’s Tom Osborne led the University of Nebraska to a national championship. In his book Faith in the Game: Lessons on Football, Work, and Life
he states: “Working hard is important: having a clear vision of why one is working hard is even more important.” The Principle: When you have a clear vision or “why” for what you are doing the hard work does not seem as difficult. I exercise each day which is hard work, but my objective is to stay healthy for my family and avoid gravity. These two reasons help keep me motivated to work each day.
- Legendary NFL coach Don Shula partnered with leadership expert Ken Blanchard and in the book Everyone’s a Coach: Five Business Secrets for High Performance Coaching
they discuss communication as a leader. Shula discusses how people will test boundaries and try to see what they can get away with. He emphasizes the importance of being consistent, but also careful in confrontations: “you must be wise in your confrontations and flexible in the way you treat people at such times.” The Principle: Hold the line and communicate with individuals in the manner that is most appropriate during the confrontation. One person may respond best to an “earful” from you while another may need you to put their arm around them and encourage them while confronting them. If you are like me the second method is much more difficult, but the effort in the long run will help the team stay on track.
- Former New York Giants coach Bill Parcels in his book Finding a Way to Win: The Principles of Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation by Bill Parcells (1995-12-01)
also addresses communication in leadership. He discusses the value of candor in the leadership relationship. A lack of candor creates confusion where the followers are uncertain what is expected and may assume the worst. Parcells provides a health definition of candor stating: “True candor is the measured telling of the truth, not the open venting of rage.” The Principle: A leader must be open, honest, calm, and clearly define expectations to those he or she leads in order to avoid confusion. When we communicate we need to pause and reflect on what needs to be said and not just react and vent our frustration. Often I find I vent when I am unclear on what I expect. Clarify and then calmly communicate with candor.
- All of the above principles lead to creating a culture and Tony Dungy in his book The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
states: “The culture you create permeates everything you touch.” The Principle: The leader creates the culture both intentionally and unintentionally. As a leader if the culture of the team or organization is toxic it may be time to look hard at yourself and see what part you have in creating that. What are you actively encouraging? What are you passively encouraging?
states: “the standards you establish for others must reflect the standards you set for yourself. No one will follow a hypocrite.” The Principle: Lead by example and do not expect of others what you would not do yourself. If I expect others to get up early and workout . . . I must be willing to do it to and be ready to go.
discusses the role of a coach as a teacher and how to get the best out of players. He states: “if you want to help someone be the best he can be, you have to learn as much as possible about what makes him tick . . . everything a player does is an opportunity for us to learn something about him.” The Principle: When you know the people you lead you will be able to teach, lead, and inspire them better. For me I can get quite lazy and not take the time to understand those I lead. As I get to know the people then I am able to lead better because I know what they desire and how that can align with what the team is trying to accomplish.
he states: “Working hard is important: having a clear vision of why one is working hard is even more important.” The Principle: When you have a clear vision or “why” for what you are doing the hard work does not seem as difficult. I exercise each day which is hard work, but my objective is to stay healthy for my family and avoid gravity. These two reasons help keep me motivated to work each day.
they discuss communication as a leader. Shula discusses how people will test boundaries and try to see what they can get away with. He emphasizes the importance of being consistent, but also careful in confrontations: “you must be wise in your confrontations and flexible in the way you treat people at such times.” The Principle: Hold the line and communicate with individuals in the manner that is most appropriate during the confrontation. One person may respond best to an “earful” from you while another may need you to put their arm around them and encourage them while confronting them. If you are like me the second method is much more difficult, but the effort in the long run will help the team stay on track.
also addresses communication in leadership. He discusses the value of candor in the leadership relationship. A lack of candor creates confusion where the followers are uncertain what is expected and may assume the worst. Parcells provides a health definition of candor stating: “True candor is the measured telling of the truth, not the open venting of rage.” The Principle: A leader must be open, honest, calm, and clearly define expectations to those he or she leads in order to avoid confusion. When we communicate we need to pause and reflect on what needs to be said and not just react and vent our frustration. Often I find I vent when I am unclear on what I expect. Clarify and then calmly communicate with candor.
states: “The culture you create permeates everything you touch.” The Principle: The leader creates the culture both intentionally and unintentionally. As a leader if the culture of the team or organization is toxic it may be time to look hard at yourself and see what part you have in creating that. What are you actively encouraging? What are you passively encouraging?Six coaches. Six principles. Now the question is what area(s) do you need to grow in after learning from the example of these coaches? Do you need to improve your communication? Do you need to clarify why your team is doing all the hard work they are doing? Are you leading by example? Do you need to examine the culture you are creating? Keep growing and you too can lead a championship caliber team. Feel free to comment below and share with others if you found this helpful.
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