A Great Leader And A Great Team
On Thursday evening, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 to advance to the college football championship game. Afterwards, the team’s head coach Marcus Freeman was interviewed by ESPN’s Molly McGrath, both on the field and at the podium trophy presentation.
Coach Freeman’s comments provided a masterclass on a what leader’s perspective should be.
The following video is the on-field interview immediately following the game. Interviewed first is Coach Freeman followed by quarterback Riley Leonard.
15 Leadership Quotes and Lessons from Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s Postgame Comments after defeating Penn State
The following are 15 leadership quotes and lessons from Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s postgame comments. First is the lesson followed by Coach Freeman’s supporting comment.
- Great Leaders and Teams Are Present – “You gotta be in the moment… You just got to win this play.”
- Great Leaders Count the Cost – “We knew this was going to be a heavyweight fight. That’s a really good team we just faced that wasn’t going to quit.”
- Great Leaders Help Their Teams Trust Their Experience – “But I told our guys we’ve been here. We’ve been in this position before”
- Great Leaders Give Their Teams the Gift of Belief – “and they believed and got the job done.”
- Those Closest to the Leader Determine the Success of the Leader – That quote is from John Maxwell’s timeless book The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership. Regarding the team’s quarterback Riley Leonard, “He’s a competitor and competitors find a way to win. That’s what Riley does.”
- People are a Picture of the Leader – “That’s what this team does. This is a bunch of competitors that find a way.”
- It’s an Honor to Lead a Great Team – “It’s an honor to be a part of them, with them.”
- Difficult Times Don’t Make Leaders, It Reveals Them – “It’s a special group. You find out a lot about your team at its lowest moments.”
- Great Teams are Unified Teams – “This is a group that continued to stay together.”
- Great Teams Trust Each Other – “They trust each other.”
- Great Teams Rely on Each Other – “They leaned on each other.”
- Great Leaders and Teams Both Continually Improve – “They got better.”
- The Best Leaders and Teams make Major Gains in the Toughest Times – “And that’s the reality of this team – in its toughest times, that’s when you make the major gains.”
- Great Teams and Cultures are Worthy to be Proud Of – “I’m proud of this group, proud of this place, proud of this university.”
- Great Leaders and Teams should have the Greatest Celebrations – “Let’s go celebrate a little bit.”
Coach Marcus Freeman’s Podium Speech
Coach Freeman was then interviewed for the trophy presentation. When asked about his thoughts on being the first African-American coach to lead a team to the college football championship, his answer showed complete class and provided a leadership blueprint for others to follow. Click below to listen followed by 5 additional leadership quotes and lessons.
The following are 5 additional leadership quotes and lessons from the comments above:
- Great Leaders have a Consistent Message – “I’ve said this before.”
- Great Leaders Generously Put the Attention on Their Teams – “I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team.”
- Great Leaders Break Down Barriers – “It is an honor, and I hope all coaches – minorities, Black, Asian, White, it doesn’t matter, great people – continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this.”
- Great Leaders Unite People – “But this ain’t about me. This is about us.”
- Great Leaders and Teams Accomplishment Special Things – “We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s so special.”
Marcus Freeman is an elite leader. What is one thing you learned from the list above that if applied, will make you a better leader.
FREE Resource – The Top 75 Leadership Quotes of 2024 Part 2
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There comes a time in the life of every leader when they must stand up and declare, “Follow me!” Language and how to use it is a BIG deal for leaders. Words matter. They can mobilize people, inspire enormous change, and move others to life-changing action. Therefore, when a leader speaks, the quotes they give, matter.
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