Football? Really? A Leader Lesson.

I'm not a big sports fan - anyone who knows me very well knows this to be true. But as football season gets under way, and I'm surrounded by serious college football fans (I hear the appropriate color to wear is orange, although I prefer crimson), my mind doesn't turn to the teams, games, or statistics. Instead, because I tend to focus on individual people and how they best fit within a group, my mind turns to the players and their coaches.


So here's my question - What is the difference between a good coach and a great coach?
Of course there are many things that separate good coaches and leaders from mediocre ones…understanding the fundamentals, experience, resources…but one thing stands out to me. What is their focus? Is their focus solely on winning the game? Or is it on getting the best out of each and every player for the game at hand and for the future?

Teams are generally measured on wins and losses – how many games have they won or lost during a season. But there’s another measurement that I think we fail to recognize. How many players have gone on to be successful on other teams or even in business?

Many players begin playing their particular sport as children. Some have obvious talent and will rise through the ranks because of that sheer talent. But some may not have talent that is obvious to the untrained observer. For those players to be successful, they will have to have the heart and passion to stick with the game, and will have to have a coach who can see inside of them – see that the talent is there just waiting for someone to bring it out. Anyone can coach a team full of extremely talented players – you know the kind, they were born with a bat in their hand, or were swishing 3-pointers at age 12. But a true leader takes the kid who picks daisies in the outfield during the game and capitalizes on their heart and passion, and pulls that star-outfielder talent out of them.

Great coaches and leaders not only generate success out of a player while they are on their team, but they also send them out to continue in success either on other teams or in other realms. Great college coaches send numerous players into the pros. Great professional coaches send players out into successful business once their sports career has ended.

Great leaders send their team members out to lead others.

Whether you’re leading a team of volunteers, or a team of people in your business, who have you sent out lately? Who has left the ranks of your team to become leaders of another team? Who have you turned out that has become successful in other areas?

Focus on cultivating successful players – focus on the person themselves, finding their talent and developing it – and you’ll have a successful team and win the game.