College Football has returned!!! The earth is back on its axis. Sports is such a goldmine for leadership lessons because the results are immediate and measurable. Sports is about coaching, talent acquisition, sacrificing for the good of others, dealing with success and failure, working with high-capacity individuals, and pushing yourself beyond what you thought was possible.
An example of this is the recent visit by Kobe Bryant to Alabama’s campus when he spoke to the team. Read 16 Lessons From Kobe Bryant’s Visit With Nick Saban And Their Message For Young Leaders for some amazing insights.
One of favorite resources for leadership content is ESPN’s College Gameday. The following are 16 Leadership Quotes And Lessons from today’s program.
- Smart Leaders Empower The People On Their Teams To Make Critical Decisions – “My goal in this thing was never to replace Coach. That’s not what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was empower the coaches, empower the leaders and keep this thing moving.” – Ohio State Buckeyes interim head coach Ryan Day
- Great Teams Have Great Leadership Depth – “They have seven captains. It speaks to how many leaders they have on this team. The coaches, Ryan Day included, will rely on some those seniors.” – Kirk Herbstreit on Ohio State
- Successful Leaders Know Every Moment Matters – “Every play you touch the ball is for a championship. When you get that mentality we’ll begin to have a chance.” – Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher
- Experienced Leaders Have Had To Overcome Adversity – “When you have an experienced group you know your locker room is in a good place. You’ve got good leadership. They’ve had to overcome some adversity at times… There’s some resiliency.” – Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly
- Successful Leaders Teach Their Teams How To Deal With Adversity – “Adversity figure it out. We can’t be there for you all the time for you… Just regroup. Get ready for the next play. Don’t let it linger.” – Kelly
- New Leaders Often Have A Lot Of Things To Fix – “We have a lot of things to do to fix the culture, to fix the weight room, to fix the way we practice, to fix the way guys love to come and be around each other.” – new Nebraska head coach Scott Frost
- New Leaders Have To Get Their Teams To Buy-In To Their Vision – “You chose them. They didn’t choose you and you have to get them to buy-in that this is the way we’re going to do it.” – new Florida head coach Dan Mullen
- New Leaders Have To Gain The Trust Of Their Teams – “It’s about gaining trust from the players.” – new Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin
- A Leader Must Win The Team First – “The first thing I want fr0m a quarterback is a guy who can win the team.” – Alabama head coach Nick Saban
- The Level Of Skill Determines Your Opportunity And Assignment – “If someone is clearly better, that manages itself.” – Saban on competition
- One Of The Greatest Gifts A Leader Can Give Their Team Is Belief – “If every single guy on our team, if every single coach on our team, believe (like) I believe because I believe we’re going to go beat them. I need everyone else to believe that.” – Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino on his chances against Alabama
- Successful Leaders Value Production Over Promotion – “When we get between those lines our pads do the talking.” – Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson
- Great Leaders Always Have A Great Cause – “That’s the cause. There’s no cause we support, foreign or domestic, other than winning the Big 10 championship. That’s our goal.” – Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh
- “I try to attack each day with enthusiasm unknown to mankind.” – Harbaugh
- A Leader’s Unwelcome Companion Are Critics. They Are Always There. – “There’s always going to be 100 people at least who are going to tell you how you can do it better.” – Harbaugh
- This Moment Matters. Not The Future Or Past. Win The Moment. – “Our team is trained for this. Winning the moment. Not worrying about the future. Not worrying about the past. Winning the moment.” – Coach Day
What is one thing you learned from the list above which will make you a better leader?
To receive more leadership insights from Coach Saban, click HERE or on the image to the left for my new ebook The Leadership Of Nick Saban: Timeless Truths From The Incomparable Head Coach Of The Alabama Crimson Tide. Enjoy!