No one wants to be average, nondescript, or invisible. Every leader I have ever met who is worth following wants to be exceptional. Exceptional leaders want to live a life of meaning and have a positive influence on as many people as possible. And there are practices they do every single day to accomplish this.
For a peak into the behaviors of exceptional leaders, let’s take a look at some of college football’s top coaches. The following are 23 Things Exceptional Leaders Do Every Single Day I gleaned from their appearances on several episodes of ESPN’s College Gameday. Listed first is the practice followed by the supporting quote.
ESPN College Gameday – October 1st
- Exceptional Leaders Create Healthy Cultures – “What ignites the atmosphere (at Clemson stadium) is what happens on the field.” – Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney
- Exceptional Leaders Set High Standards – “At Clemson ‘Best is the Standard.'” – Swinney
- Exceptional Leaders Track Progress – “The best we can be right now is 4-0 and that’s exactly what we are.” – Swinney
- Exceptional Leaders Are Results-Oriented – “This ain’t a beauty pageant. This is about finding a way win.” – Swinney. Former LSU head coach Les Miles said after getting fired, “They wanted more production. They wanted more wins.”
- Exceptional Leaders Deal With High Expectations – “I have dealt with high expectations, enjoyed them, tried to coach and surpass them.” – Miles He added, “We judge ourselves…If we won a championship, what’s your graduation rate, how can you help these young men?…I could give a damn who judges us or who judges me.” Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich said on the October 15th Gameday regarding expectations of his coaching, “The players 50 years from now.”
- Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Thinking About What’s Next – “I’m not a guy that bemoans history and history played out.” – Miles
- Exceptional Leaders Keep Things Simple – “Tackle him (Lamar Jackson). It’s not really anymore difficult than that.” – Swinney
ESPN College Gameday – October 15th
- Exceptional Leaders Focus On What Is Important – “First, it’s good players…You only take 70 guys. You take away all the concerns about tickets and you know, parades.” – Ohio States Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer on playing well on the road
- Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Creating New Opportunities – “Every year is a new year.” – Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze. Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst added, “We know the challenges but those are great opportunities.”
- Exceptional Leaders Make Proper Adjustments – “We’re trying not to do too much. Just take what’s there and make good adjustments throughout the game.” – Swinney
- Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Worried About Little Details = “There’s a 1,000 of them (little details). If you get 997 correct, it’s the 3 you don’t get right that decide the game.” – Helfrich
- Exceptional Leaders Have A Positive Attitude – “We have to be a positive force in this deal because there’s plenty of negativity.” – Helfrich on the team’s subpar year.
- Exceptional Leaders Hate Losing – “We’ve lost four in a row and that’s not good enough by anyone’s measure.” – Helfrich
- Exceptional Leaders Know Facts Are Your Friends – “You are what your record says you are.” – Helfrich
- Exceptional Leaders Honor Others – “He’s (J.T. Barrett) always worried about the Barrett name, his mom and his dad, and that’s what makes him so special.” – Meyer
ESPN College Gameday October 22nd
- Exceptional Leaders Play To Their Strengths – “I’m happy you said strength on strength…We’re going to have use some strength…We are who we are.” – Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin
- Exceptional Leaders Know Their Greatest Ability Is Their Availability – “Our starters we really need to get healthy and get strength.” – Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn
- Exceptional Leaders’ Character Is Revealed During Hard Times – “Who are you when things get tough. A lot of guys show their true colors.” – Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley
- Exceptional Leaders Embrace Challenges – “You get yourself in the Top 20 you get some notoriety but I think that makes my job harder.” – West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen
ESPN College Gameday October 29th
- Exceptional Leaders Are Resilient – “Players are resilient. We’re resilient as coaches. We get over it and move on. You better get over it fast.” – Meyer
- Exceptional Leaders Take Care Of Business – “Do the little things right. Strain and take care of your business.” – Meyer
- Exceptional Leaders Place Great Value On Preparation – “During practice I really like to be involved, just try to be energetic and make sure our tempo is right…it’s a good feeling that you accomplished what you set out to do that day in practice.” – Malzahn. He also adds, “Every kick (in practice) is a game rep.” – Malzahn
- Exceptional Leaders Want To Control Their Own Destiny – “We control our destiny and that’s where we want to be.” – Swinney
College Gameday November 5th
- Exceptional Leaders Embrace Big Moments – “Fans remember the games in November.” – Louisville Cardinals head coach Bobby Petrino
- Exceptional Leaders Make Their Teams Better – “We had some sickly youngsters last week. We have to build their immune systems. More pushups. More whole milk.” – Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh
- Exceptional Leaders Know Success Is A Process – “You’re trying to win championships it’s one (game) at a time. It’s not about talking about a championship a month out.” – Washington Huskies head coach Chris Peterson
What is one thing from this list you can begin doing today to become an exceptional leader?
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