8 Practices Of A Leadership Genius Part 3 – Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Gus Malzahn

8 Practices Of A Leadership Genius Part 3 – Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Gus Malzahn

This is the final installment of my 3-part series on becoming a leadership genius.  You can read parts 1 and 2 by clicking here and here.  What I have learned from doing this study is there is leadership genius in each of us just waiting to be tapped into.
As you read this series, you will find dozens of leadership practices broken down into bite-sized element which can be easily implemented.  These practices flow from ESPN’s Keith Van Valkenburg’s profile of Auburn head football coach Gus Malzahn which you can read by clicking here.
The following are the final 8 Practices Of A Leadership Genius:

1. Leadership Geniuses Need Others To Help Them Along The Way – As the offensive coordinator of Tulsa, Malzahn was finally given complete freedom to implement his system at the college level.  “Todd (head coach Graham) really gave me a great opportunity.  He gave me a chance to establish myself as a ‘college coach.’ I’ll be forever grateful to him. He said, ‘Come in and do your thing. Do it all.’ Back then, that was a little unique.”
2. Leadership Geniuses Perform Better With Top Talent Around Them – Talented people make geniuses look even smarter.  Upon moving to Auburn as offensive coordinator Malzahn coached Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.  Malzahn said, “It was fun to coach him…What he did in one year was unheard of. Nobody will probably ever do that again.”
3. Leadership Geniuses Have Options – While at Auburn as offensive coordinator, Malzahn began to receive head coaching offers from schools like Maryland and Vanderbilt.  Malzahn was selective about which opportunity was the best fit.  He said, “When you take your first head college job, you need to know you can win, or you won’t get to do it for very long.”
4. Leadership Geniuses Sense Opportunity And Seize It – Great calamity is the breading ground for great opportunity.  Now head coach at Arkansas State, Malzahn was called upon to resurrect the Auburn program after Gene Chizik was removed following a 3-9 season.
5. Leadership Geniuses Treat Others With Respect – To accomplish anything great in leadership, you need a team.  Auburn offensive lineman Alex Kozan says, “Coach’s personality is very unique.  I’ve never met a man like him. He doesn’t ever curse. A lot of coaches say that, but they don’t really do it. A lot of them will cuss at you, swear at you, mother-eff this, mother-eff that. You realize you’re willing to put it all on the line for. He treats you like he’d treat his own family.”
6. Leadership Geniuses Help Others Become Successful – Malzahn brought in PGA Champion Jason Dufner to speak to the team.  Dufner said, “He believes successful people are successful for a reason.  Maybe they have certain characteristics or similar traits, and they’re consistent in the way they do things. I was student at Auburn at one time, just like those players, and I had to do things to become successful, so he believes it gives these kids a chance to see what success looks like.”
7. Leadership Geniuses Create Blueprints For Success – Dufner goes on, “”His preparation, the way his mind works, the way he prepares his team to play, it just blew my mind away.  It was very surprising. There weren’t a lot of note cards or things written down. It just seemed to come from his memory. They were in a bad place at the end of last year, but he gave them the blueprint for how to be successful.”
8. Leadership Geniuses Learn To Enjoy The Process Of Leadership – For leadership geniuses, the process is always more enjoyable than the destination.  Malzahn concludes, “I’ve been fortunate enough to win state championships and national championships, and after you win it, it doesn’t get any bigger than that.  But as soon as you get out of that locker room, my mind goes to next year. That’s it. It’s over. As I get older, it makes me enjoy the process. That’s what I get the most joy out of. Because you build up in your mind what it’d be like if you win, and it usually isn’t what you think. It’s great, but it’s never what you think.”

After reading the 3-part series, what are some practices you can implement to improving your leadership?