9 Qualities To Look For In Your Next Leader And NFL Head Coach

The Dallas Cowboys fired head coach Wade Phillips today.  While it is never entirely the coach’s fault when a team begins 1-7, the responsibility of poor performance will always fall upon the leader.

The search for a permanent coach is underway.  What type of leader should owner Jerry Jones look for?  For a look into this individual, let’s look at the qualities of the NFL’s most iconic head coach, Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers.

In Adam Scheftler’s book The Class Of Football, he provides excerpts of famous Hall of Fame speeches by those being inducted into that select group of athletes.  Almost each individual who played for Lombardi mentioned him by name.  Their comments provide a composite of the type of leader that Jones should seek.

1. Legacy – “His imprint also is on the men he coached.  They speak about him as if they can still hear him, as if they never met anybody like him.” – Scheftler
2. Commitment – “I would say that the quality of each man’s life is in full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory.” – Lombardi
3. Admiration – “Vince Lombardi, a man I truly loved and admired.” - Willie Davis
4. Results – “He made winners out of his players and losers out of his opponents.” – Wellington Mara
5. Teacher – “He was an exceptional teacher and an inspirational leader.  He taught us the meaning of commitment, unselfishness, purpose, pride, and an unrelenting quest for excellence.” – Bart Starr
6. Excellence – “This man was the maximum, for a lack of a better adjective to describe him, as a football coach.” – Forrest Gregg
7. Loyalty – “Coach Lombardi had the nerve to draft me number one…And I said I have to repay this man for having the nerve to draft me number one.” – Herb Adderley
8. Reliance – “But the rest of us, including Nitschke, needed Lombardi.  Taylor needed him, Starr needed him, and above all, Hornung needed him.” – Paul Hornung
9. Unity – “Coach Lombardi used to say as a player you have only three things to worry about: religion, family, and the Green Bay Packers – not necessarily in that order.” – Henry Jordan Jr.

Jordan went on to say “Coach Lombardi, thank you for promoting an environment that allowed my dad  to maximize and hone his God-given skills and then on Sundays, letting him have the stage to show those gifts to the world.”

So, I ask you – who could Jerry Jones hire that would leave a legacy, have commitment, admiration, results, excellence, loyalty, reliance, unity, and is a great teacher?  The answer is Bill Cowher.

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