17 Leadership Lessons From College Football’s Opening Weekend

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Brian Dodd on September 5, 2015 in Sports Leadership

College football has returned!  The next five months are my favorite time of the year because few things are as leadership intensive as college and professional football.
To prove my point, the following are 17 Leadership Lessons From College Football’s Opening Weekend I gleaned while watching ESPN’s College Gameday.
Whether you are a football fan or not, the following leadership principles will help you better lead your church, family, business or non-profit:

1. Successful Leaders Execute Well – “The only a coach can do for you is to put you in position to succeed.  At that point, it’s up to you to executive.” – Desmond Howard
2. Successful Leaders Build Healthy Cultures – “He inherited what he has.  Jim Harbaugh needs 2-3 years to recruit his players to run his scheme.” – Kirk Herbstreit
3. Sustainable Organizations Are Enjoyable Places To Work – “Kids want to have fun during the daily grind.” – Ball State strength coach Dave Feely
4. Successful Leaders Make Constant Adjustments – “The first game is all about adjustments” – Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn
5. Stability Is Key To Personal Success – “This is his (Jeremy Johnson) third year in our system.” – Coach Malzahn
6. Success Happens Over Time But Can Be Lost At A Moment In Time – “You’ve got to play every ballgame.  Last year we lost a game and that costed us the season.” – TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson
7. Great Leaders Command Respect – “He commands the respect of his teammates.” –  Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly on quarterback Malik Zaire
8. Repeated Success Is More Difficult Than Initial Success – “It’s hard to win a championship but it’s much more difficult to repeat.” – Howard
9. Securing Top Talent Is Necessary For Sustained Organizational Excellence – “You don’t ever replace guys like Amari Cooper.” – Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
10. Smart Leaders Know What They Cannot Do – “Not asking them (quarterbacks) to do things they can’t do, especially early in the season, is going to be key to success.” – Coach Saban
11. Self-Leadership Is The Toughest Leadership Of All – “Our toughest opponent is ourselves.” – Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici
12. Embrace Expectations – “You always want to be somewhere where people not only want you to win, they expect you to win…You don’t want to be where nobody cares.” – Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin
13. Results Matter – “It’s awesome that people respect and mention us in a playoff tone.  The great thing about college football is you have to earn it on the field.” – Arizona State Head Coach Todd Graham
14. Successful Leaders Establish Clear Goals And Objectives – “The only reason we’re here is to have fun and win.  That’s our goal.” – Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett
15. Pressure Is A Privilege – To quote, “Pressure is a privilege.” – Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams
16. Poor Leadership Decisions Have Consequences – “What in the h&* is he (USC head coach Steve Sarkisian) doing on the sideline coaching tonight after being intoxicated at a booster event.” – Howard
17. Great Leaders Work Hard – “He (Georgia running back Nick Chubb) works hard.  Everyday he just brings it.  There’s not a drill he doesn’t want to win everyday.  He’s just a guy we can count on.” – Head Coach Mark Richt