True leaders are always looking for ways to improve regardless of the success they have achieved along the way.  This certainly holds true of Tom Coughlin, coach of the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

 

During the playoff post season, some sportscasters stated that Tom Coughlin was close to losing his job after the previous coaching season with the New York Giants.  However, after assessing his leadership and the team's situation following the last football season, Tom showed everyone that it is never too late to shift gears when improvements are needed.  A transcript posted on the New York Giants' website, http://www.giants.com, of an interview with Tom Coughlin on February 4th, noted "when he realized that he needed to alter his style of coaching", he stated "I think it was right after the season last year.  In evaluating the season and trying to take it apart and find ways in which I could do better, which I always do anyway - I think you have to learn and you have to be prepared to make adjustments and change.  Gradually it set in that I'm going to have fun with this.  I'm going to enjoy this.  I'm going to enjoy the players."  On having formed a leadership council, Tom said, "...one of the reasons that I did that is simply to communicate better with the players."

 

Coach Coughlin found that sometimes his players were not interpreting what he said as he intended.  By forming a leadership council, he helped to ensure that the message he was trying to get across to his players was indeed received in the manner in which he intended.  Using a group of leaders to distribute the information to the players helped them become more accountable, and they took ownership of their team.  As Tom Coughlin put it, "It was a great experience for me to see these young men, in this responsible role, do a great job of it."

 

Prior to leading the New York Giants to their Super Bowl win, Tom Coughlin had already achieved a successful coaching career working with collegiate and professional level teams.  Nonetheless, when he saw that his team was not achieving the success of which he knew they were capable, he realized he needed to shift gears to help them attain that level of success.  At 61 years of age, strategically visualizing and focusing on what he believed his team could achieve, Tom Coughlin demonstrated that it is never too late to shift gears.  For more on this inspiring story about Tom Coughlin's road to victory with the New York Giants, please see another article written by my good friend and colleague, Jon Gordon, http://www.jongordon.com/newsletter-021108-lightenup.html  Indeed Tom Coughlin embraced Jon Gordon's teachings in his book, "The Energy Bus" by shifting gears.

 

We are all capable of shifting gears, but when we want to shift, are motivated to do so by putting positive energy into that effort and believe in the outcome, we can achieve great things.

Until next time,