10 Things I Learned about Leading a Business from Coaching Football:

1.      If you don’t prepare, you prepare to fail. There is no getting around it; there is no substitution for hard work and good preparation.

2.    The only time you work harder than when you are losing is when you are winning. It’s a given that when you are losing you have to work hard to achieve success. What some never realize is how much work it takes to keep winning.

3.      Good offense may be exciting, but champions play great defense. Defense is not passive, but it is protective. Teams that do not defend their end zone (assets) well, never become champions.

4.      The success you achieve is usually proportionate to the risk you take. Darrell Royal said “When you throw the ball three things can happen, and two of them are bad.” He was right, but you could easily add that when you do catch it, the reward was worth the risk. Sometimes the greatest successes are also the greatest risks.

5.      No team wins or loses on the strength of an individual, but on individual performances. Consistent winners do the little things right. Everyone has a job to do and every job is important. Big successes are possible because someone is doing their job well and enabling success.

6.      Good teams can be replicated. Do things right and do them right every time. Consistency in your goals (policies) and good technique (job descriptions) allow you to recreate success.

7.      The first opponent you must overcome is yourself.  An inability to overcome your own shortcomings makes success difficult. (e.g. Poorly managing yourself and your time not only holds you back, but your company, as well).

8.      Don’t ask a teammate to do something you are not doing yourself. Asking a teammate to be on time to practice and showing up late yourself severely damages your credibility as a leader.

9.      Sometimes you just need to punt. Don’t jeopardize your field position by making foolish play choices when a good punt would buy you much needed time and space.

10.   Leaders never have to ask teammates to follow them. Teammates follow leaders because they see in them the confidence and ability to take the team where it seeks to go.