Brezina Writes... A Lesson From My Coach

Robert Brezina shares a leadership lesson he learned from one of his mentors.

One thing I learned (and experienced) from Coach Lombardi is as the leader you have to know your people really well. As I watched Vince work with his players (principals, your players are your teachers) he would know them so well that he could push each one of them to within the razor’s edge of his breaking point.  Then when he got you to that point, he backed off. But through that process you had grown a good percentage and he would work with you to sustain that growth.  Then a few weeks later, he would begin the push again.  This process never stopped.

Obviously, this worked very well for him. The better you know your people the further you can take them.  But you have to put in the time; there are no short cuts to this.

SC Response

You won’t find me arguing with the leadership practices of the man they have named two trophies after.  One made entirely of granite and the one that is the most prized trophy in all of sport.

Think. Work. Achieve.

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