Leadership Lessons from Tony Dungy - Part IV

Coach Dungy's fourth Leadership Characteristic is:

4: Discernment - knowing what to do and when to do it is a
true sign of wisdom

In his talk, Tony said that when a coach plans well there
are very few situations where you don't know exactly what
to do in a situation.

For example, in the course of the Colts Superbowl run last
year, he said there were only 3 occasions in the entire
season where his organized system and planning didn't dictate
the decision that he should make.

I would have figured there would be 3 times per game, at least.

But this only shows how important it is to have a plan. To
develop the first 3 characteristics he discussed, but to
do so with intelligent design, not BS your way through.

As coaches, we must be analytical, not emotional in our
decision making. And this is true whether we're in the
planning stages of designing our training programs or in
the heat of a game or meet where we must make a decision
that could decide the outcome of that competition.

If you've ever driven to practice saying to yourself 'I think
this would be a good workout to do today' then you haven't
developed the characteristics that have been discussed here.

Because starting with a foundation (Direction) and having
the confidence in the science and knowledge that created
that plan (Perseverence) will give you the structure to
follow your system (Develop a thick skin) even when, invariably,
people respond and react emotionally and selfishly to the
way it must be carried out.

Developing the wisdom that gets others to believe in you and
to follow you comes from the natural confidence that you
emit when you know that you know what you're doing.

People (your athletes, your peers, your competitors) know
when you know and they know when you don't know. There
are too many variables involved to BS your way through
an entire season.

You can develop these four traits by following a few
basic steps.

The first one you've already done by not only signing up
to receive our articles and newsletters, but by reading
them, thinking about them and applying the concepts I
discuss.

The second step is to invest in your education. You have
to put your athletes in a position to succeed and that
requires getting the most out of their athletic ability.

Your foundation should be the Complete Speed Training Program.
I flat out *guarantee* that it will help you, your athletes
and your program evolve in the right direction.

Don't let the next athletic season sneak up on you without
having made any changes to your system or way of thinking.

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The third step is to get develop your knowledge by getting
information from experts and engaging in discussion with
your peers.

If you've already gone through Complete Speed Training,
bring your knowledge to our community of proactive coaches.

Join The Speed Training Report community today:

http://www.speedtrainingreport.com


Follow these steps and there is simply no way you can fail.

Remember, more has been lost by indecision than by wrong
decision.

Sitting back on the fence and making excuses why you can't,
shouldn't or have to wait just a little bit longer before
you make a decision is just the same as choosing not to
succeed.

Show the Discernment that leads to success.


In speed,

Latif Thomas



PS. Let me make it easy for you:

Complete Speed Training:

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Speed Training Report:

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Lessons from Tony Dungy - Part III

1. Direction
2. Perseverence - Staying the course

Tony's third characteristic of true Leadership is:

3. Develop a Thick Skin

To be a great leader you have to develop the
ability to handle criticisim.

Many 'experts' said that Tony's coaching style
wouldn't work with today's NFL. They said he
could never win the big game, not in Tampa Bay
and not Indianapolis.

People are always going to criticize you, especially
if you're doing well.

You should count on it, it's just human nature.

In fact, I'm a believer in the idea that if
people aren't hating on you, then you're probably
not doing anything worth talking about.

When I first started becoming successful, I really
thought that the people around me would be
supportive, they'd get on board with what I was
trying to do because of the obvious results.

Man did I have it wrong.

And back then I did not have thick skin and I
took everything personally.

When athletes and parents started jumping ship
and coming to me for help, other coaches in my
area started saying I was 'stealing' athletes.

It didn't matter that I didn't coach teams in
those sports or, for that matter, that these
people were from other towns.

And it didn't matter that I never approached a
single athlete or parent, they all came and found
me, without exception.

No, logic goes out the window when the human
animal feels threatened. And when you don't follow
the herd, people start to feel threatened.

People are creatures of habit and convention and
they don't like change. They will fight against
it.

When I first started running sports camps and clinics
I couldn't get these coaches to actively promote
them to their teams.

They didn't want to 'lose' these kids to a modern
way of training because they didn't want to put
the time in to learn it themselves.

Back then I took it personally, now I take it as
a compliment. It's amazing what a simple shift
in focus can do.

After all, when you change the way you look at
things, the things you look at change.

I have to laugh now when these same coaches want
me to come back and run clinics for their teams
and towns.

But let me point one thing out:

You can shrug off criticism (because you will be
criticized) but it doesn't mean you shouldn't
listen to it.

Coach Dungy said you can always improve. Take in
the criticism and evaluate it. See where you
can make changes for the better.

Early in my career I was talking to a coach and I
laid out my training progressions for him.

He told me that it was 'too scientific' and didn't
think it would entirely work in practice.

At first I got defensive (I'm as much a creature
of habit as anyone else) and tried to justify
my position and 'prove him wrong'.

My athletes were better, my team was better, so
I must have been 'right'.

But after some time I went back and looked at
what he said. It turns out, alot of his constructive
criticism was accurate.

By analyzing the criticism, I made improvements
that I wouldn't have made otherwise.

And as soon as I made myself open to it, by simply
shifting my perspective, I evolved as a coach

And, quite frankly, as a person too.

<$firstname$>, you can always become a better
leader, coach, parent (or person) once you can
develop the ability to take criticism as an
opportunity to grow, not an indictment of your
personal character.

From a coaching standpoint, you have to decide
how you want your criticism because it'll come
from one of two camps:

One group will criticize you because they see
talented athletes who aren't being developed properly.
And they'll criticize you for your lack of skill.

The other group will be jealous of your ability to
make your 'average' kids better than their team
leaders.

Both have something to teach, but I prefer my attacks
to come from the second group.

To put yourself in that position, your entire
program has to be built on a solid foundation.

Because that thick skin needs something strong
to support it.

Complete Speed Training is that foundation.


-Latif Thomas