“I can tell you that the enjoyment of that victory certainly was strong, that the sweet taste of victory was very significant.” – Les Miles
On the eve of the colossal matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, Austin Murphy wrote an excellent piece on LSU head coach Les Miles in this week’s Sports Illustrated. Miles, while being one of the great characters in college football, is arguably the game’s 1st or 2nd best coach depending on where you rank him next to Alabama’s Nick Saban.
The following are the leadership quotes and principles about Miles that I gleaned from the article which we can all learn from:
- Great Leaders Honor The Past – “What would Bo do” was a response when faced with a dating issue with his future wife Kahty LaBarge.
- Great Leaders Have Strong Core Values – As a young Michigan assistant, Miles adopted the values of head coach Bo Schembechler – integrity, discipline, toughness, and primacy of group over individual.
- Great Leaders Are Artists – While Miles embraces the traditional strong work-ethic four core values listed above, he also has incredible creativity as demonstrated by his love of trick plays.
- Great Leaders Are Humble – While unorthodox, Miles is famous for chewing the grass during the games. He says, “I have a little tradition that humbles me as a man, that lets me know that I’m part of the field and part of the game.”
- Great Leaders Are Responsible – When criticized by the fans for his clock management, Miles responds, “I’m responsible. I’m the head coach.”
- Great Leaders Have Great Accomplishments – Since taking over for Saban in 2005, Miles will soon have his 5th season with at least 11 wins in the country’s most difficult conference. He is also 5-1 in bowl games including the 2007 national championship.
- Great Leaders Trust Their Teams – Miles is fearless, smart, and works incredibly long hours. However, no coach trust his team more. Former player Jacob Hester says, “I think Les Miles trusts his players more than any coach I’ve ever seen or been around. When he calls your number on a trick play or goes for it on fourth down, the message he’s sending is, I believe in you.”
- Great Leaders Reflect Their Teams – Miles says, “They’re great kids, great young people, and they fight like hell.”
- Great Leaders Honor Their Teams – “We ask these players to do some very difficult things, for the team, the coaching staff, the school – at risk of injury. And when they do those things, I feel as if I’m in their debt. It’s an honor to coach those guys. I want to be of service to them.”
- Great Leaders Make Tough Decisions – This year Miles has had to suspend preseason Heisman contender Jordan Jefferson and most recently star player Tyrann Mathieu. Miles says, “Some guys don’t have the great decision-making process just yet, but eventually they’ll be very quality husbands, fathers, businessmen. They just need to outdistance their youth.”
- Great Leaders Are About The Team – “The team is never about the single player. It’s not about the injury that keeps a star out of a certain game, and it’s not about the coach. It’s about the strength, and the abilities of the sum.”
- Great Leaders See The Big Picture – When referring to Schembechler, Miles adds, “(he) coached team as well as anybody I’ve been around. I bought in, as a player, as a person, as a family man.”
- Great Leaders Care More About Their Craft Than Their Contract – While head coaching Oklahoma State, Miles felt billionaire Boone Pickens “wanted to run” the program. Miles left the position stating, “I was the biggest stumbling block (Pickens) had. At some point I was going to be in the way.”
I greatly admire Les Miles as a leader. One of my favorite sites is www.TheQuotableLesMiles.com. Each day they provide a nugget of wisdom from this man. Today’s gift is, “It’s not within my understanding how somebody could not see that as a mistake.”
My prediction – Because of home field advantage, I’m going Alabama 21, LSU 16.
Enjoy the game of two great teams, and two great leaders.
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