To today’s generation, he’s known more for his tremendously
popular video games and as half of the legendary announcer pair with Pat
Summerall. However, before his 20-year TV career and creation of the Madden
line of games that have been bought by the millions, John Madden very
successfully roamed the football side-lines as a head coach.
Madden retired from coaching at 42 with a Super Bowl ring
and the second-highest winning percentage in NFL history. Here is some advice from Madden for coaches in
all sports and any level of competition. (His advice applies equally well to
business coaches.)
John Madden on…
…the responsibility
of a coach: ‘The first thing that a coach has to be is a teacher. The best
thing you can do for your players is to get them ready to be as good as they
can. That’s your responsibility. It starts with fundamentals. Give them the
tools for the best chance at success.’
…learning from Vince
Lombardi: ‘Lombardi was my idol. He said it best years and years ago: “To
be a successful coach, you have to know what the end looks like.” You have to
know what you want. What’s your goal? It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how
many people don’t know what the end is. If you don’t know the end, then you
don’t know how to get there.’
…succeeding as a
coach: ‘Teams have the same number of kids, same number of practices and,
for the most part, the same calibre of players. Why do some succeed more than
others? They better prepare themselves and their players. You can’t just focus
on one area. You have to be able to analyse personalities. You have to be able
to game plan. You have to be able to teach. Every good coach who takes on the
responsibility of being a coach should strive to be as strong as they can in
all areas of coaching.’
…striving to be the
best: As a coach, you have to realise that you’re never finished. You have
to prepare for practice. After practice, you prepare for the game. After the
game, you prepare for the next practices and the next game. You always have to
prepare for what’s next if you want to succeed.’
